Virtual Posadas: In Search of Shelter and Protection
December 16 – 24, 2020
“Every stranger who knocks at our door is an opportunity for an encounter with Jesus Christ, who identifies with the welcomed and rejected strangers of every age (Matthew 25:35-43). The Lord entrusts to the Church’s motherly love every person forced to leave their homeland in search of a better future. This solidarity must be concretely expressed at every stage of the migratory experience – from departure through journey to arrival and return. This is a great responsibility, which the Church intends to share with all believers and men and women of good will, who are called to respond to the many challenges of contemporary migration with generosity, promptness, wisdom and foresight, each according to their own abilities.” – Pope Francis
Please join the Ignatian Solidarity Network (ISN) for “Virtual Posadas” starting December 16th through December 24th, in a daily online experience of music, art, prayer, reflection, and action as we journey with the Holy Family and migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border in search of shelter and protection.
What are Posadas?
The tradition of Las Posadas is a reenactment of the eve of the first Christmas, when Joseph and Mary searched for room at the inn, but none was to be found. In a traditional Las Posadas celebration, a group of people travels from house to house singing, seeking shelter for the night, answered by those indoors, answering in song. At the third home, the peregrinos, or pilgrims, are welcomed inside to pray, eat, and celebrate. Traditionally in Mexico, pilgrims would eat the regional style of tamales with champurrado, a Mexican-style chocolate-based atole, a traditional hot corn masa-based beverage.
While this year, many Las Posadas celebrations will be canceled or amended due to the pandemic, ISN invites you to join in Virtual Posadas from the comfort and safety of your own home, school, parish, or workplace. Virtual Posadas will not only honor the traditional celebration of Las Posadas, but will invite into a daily experience of music, art, prayer, reflection, and action as we virtually journey with the migrants on the U.S-Mexico border in search of shelter and protection, just as the Holy Family did on Christmas Eve.
The Overview
Via text or email, you will receive a short video each day with an opening Posadas song, prayer, and a learning or reflection activity.
December 16: Intro to Posadas
December 17: Andrea’s Story
December 18: Antonia’s Story
December 19: Activity: Bullet Journaling on the Meaning of Shelter
December 20 6PM ET/3PM PT: Live-streamed Activity: Making Posadas Tamales and Champurrado
As we journey with the Holy Family during Virtual Posadas, join ISN’s director of education and advocacy for migration, José Arnulfo Cabrera and his mom as they make tamales and champurrado, traditional Posadas dishes, live! Purchase ingredients ahead of time and make your own at home!
December 21: The Effects of the Migrant Protection Protocols
December 22: Providing Shelter: How Kino Border Initiative Welcomes Asylum Seekers
December 23: Providing Shelter: How Parishes Are Welcoming Asylum Seekers
December 24: Closing Reflection
To sign up for the “Virtual Posadas” and receive the daily content in English or Spanish, go to the ISN website here.
