Pope Francis said, "Artists...are called to shine beauty especially where darkness or gray dominates everyday life." Pope
Francis' quote is manifested in the newest art exhibit at Catholic Charities of Central New Mexico. This past Spring, the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, Catholic Charities, and many local community partners came together to support asylum seekers through the Companions on the Journey project. With little time to prepare, staff and volunteers welcomed and assisted several migrant families to reach their next destination, including sponsors and family members in the United States. Over 250 volunteers, including Br. Bernard
Keele, came together to assist families by offering shelter, food, clothing, and hygiene items. As families arrived, they were often exhausted, anxious, and were faced with many uncertainties. Despite these initial feelings, as families had time to rest, they chose to shine beauty in the midst of the gray. 

     Along with food, clothing, and hygiene items, children were given stuffed toys and craft supplies to create a sense of normalcy in an unfamiliar environment. Before long, the plain white walls of the shelter were transformed into a beautiful mosaic of colorful art made by the children. These little artists created portraits of Jesus, churches, homes, and other joyful scenes like animals and rainbows. Many of the children expressed words of gratitude in their artwork. Some captions read, "Thank you to everyone single one of you for your love and affection. You made us feel at home," and "God bless you and thank you for the love that the country has given us each day."

    Brother Bernard Keele was one of the volunteers who served as a companion on the journey. He served warm food, cleaned dishes, and even helped to collect the children's artwork for the exhibit. Br. Bernard shared, "In the midst of this uncertain environment, the children were creating beautiful works of art. Art is universal and so unifying. It was God's love and God's beauty shining through these children." Staff members at Catholic Charities decided to place the
children's art behind a fence for the exhibit. Br. Bernard shared, "There are many interpretations for the final presentation. One [interpretation] that I really love is that it shows that you can't keep God's love from shining through. You can put up barriers or fences, but the beauty of God's love will always shine through."

     Carolina Romero, the Catholic Charities' Programmatic Outreach Liaison, shared that the exhibit's mission is to keep the conversation and memory of the Companions on the Journey program alive. Her dream is to make this a mobile exhibit to share with local parishes and community groups. To learn more or to support Companions on the Journey, visit www.ccasfnm.org.