“God wanted me ordained without her being there…”

As part of her master’s project at Iowa State University, Eloisa Perez-Lozano documented the immigrant experience of three families in Marshalltown, Iowa.  One of those families included Deacon Felix Hernandez, whose wife ended up being deported in a raid shortly before his ordination in 2009.

As the National Catholic Reporter tells it:

Immigration and Customs Enforcement picked her up during a raid at her workplace, the former Swift & Company, a meat processing plant in Marshalltown, for working without documentation.  She was deported to Mexico and has been there since.

Originally from Guerrero, Mexico, Felix came to the United States in 1986.  He now has permanent U.S. residency and lives in Marshalltown with their four children, ages 16, 14, 8 and 6.

The poignant video below tells part of his story and, I think, shows beautifully what it means to be a deacon.  You can see and read more here.