The desert near Santa Teresa in New Mexico, USA—located about 20 kilometers [twelve miles] from downtown El Paso, Texas, USA—is intersected by the U.S.-Mexico border and marked by the presence of a border wall. For years, this area has witnessed the lonely deaths of anonymous migrants—around two hundred people per year, most of them women.
On August 9, 2025, Friar Jarek WYSOCZANSKI and Battalion Search and Rescue, together with members of Esperanza (a volunteer group), the Encuentro Project, the Maryknoll Missionaries, the Sisters of St. Vincent de Paul, and several individuals acting on their own behalf, celebrated Mass in the desert near Santa Teresa. This event also commemorated the 34th anniversary of the martyrdom of Bl. Michał TOMASZEK and Bl. Zbigniew STRZAŁKOWSKI in Pariacoto, Peru. In 1991, they died in a different kind of desert.
In his homily, Friar Jarek made special mention of the mothers of the blessed friars in his beloved homeland of Poland―mothers like the many mothers, relatives, and friends of those who died anonymously in the desert. These mothers have endured and shared the immense pain of losing their children, and yet have managed to transform their suffering into a life of prayer and intercession for peace and reconciliation―in so many places in the world where death ends dreams, projects, and achievements.
Those present at the Mass offered prayers for the transformation of the hearts of rulers and decision-makers, that they might look with compassion upon the many places of suffering in the world, placing their hope in Jesus, who always accompanies and embraces everyone with infinite tenderness in the midst of human misery.
Battalion Search and Rescue [a non-governmental organization] walks the desert in Arizona and New Mexico in search of human remains near the wall that divides the two countries. The team invited Friar Jarek to provide spiritual support for their mission. Since May of 2025, they have been stopping by during their bi-monthly Saturday journeys to celebrate Mass and pray for the anonymous migrants who have lost their lives in the desert. They also pray for the victims’ families and friends in their countries of origin, who often have no idea where their loved ones lost their lives. This has become a special ministry for those who have met Sister Death―alone, unknown, and forgotten―and for their families, wherever they may be.
Communications Office – Esperanza
