When Rosa Bonilla shook Pope Leo XIV’s hand, she was left almost speechless — in both English and Spanish.
“When I held his hand,” Bonilla said, “my heart was beating hard. It was so emotional.”
Bonilla, a pastoral assistant at Dolores Mission Church in Boyle Heights, was in Rome to participate in a pilgrimage for the Jubilee of Migrants from Oct. 1-8. An immigrant from El Salvador who came to the United States in 2001, Bonilla and her husband, Carlos, were part of a 100-person delegation of U.S. dioceses organized by the National Catholic Council for Hispanic Ministry that came to the Vatican in support and prayer for migrants, especially ones facing fear and deportation back home.
When she finally caught her voice to speak, she thanked the pope for his support of migrants and offered prayers from her parish.
“I told him, ‘Holy Father, my little church from Dolores Mission in Los Angeles, California, are praying for you. Thank you for being with us, for walking with us immigrant families and communities.’ ”
The delegation representing nearly 60 dioceses across the United States was surprised to receive a private audience with Leo, who asked the group what language they wanted to hear. They all said Spanish.
In his remarks, Leo applauded the group for the work they do accompanying migrant families in their faith and supporting them in their times of suffering.
“You, in the service you offer in your ministry, are clearly that testimony that is so important, perhaps especially in the United States, but throughout the whole world — a world that suffers so much from war, from violence and from hatred,” the pope said.
“Thank you for all that you do.”
When Bonilla came to the U.S. with her husband and three children, she struggled like many immigrants who come to a new country: She left her mother, father, and siblings behind, she contended with a new language, and she tried to work while trying to raise her kids.
Living a few blocks from Dolores Mission, she began volunteering as a catechist, then working there part-time.
Through the years, she has become a part of the parish community and surrounding areas. Because of her own experience, plus the pilgrimage and meeting with Pope Leo, she believes she can have a positive impact on helping immigrants in their current environment.
“I think I have more hope,” Bonilla said. “I want to continue working with the community. Telling them that we are not alone. They are not alone.
“We are a Church who are praying together, and working together for a better future, for a better life in our communities and our families.”
