South Texas community gives immigrant cemetery a touch of dignity

Published: 2007-11-29

SARITA, Texas (CNS) -- There is little evidence of dignity in the deaths of the undocumented men, women and children found among the south Texas cactus and brush over the past few decades. Despite the circumstances that prompted them to cross the U.S.-Mexican border and regardless of their legal status in the eyes of the government, Father Piotr Koziel said lending dignity to their final resting place is "the right thing to do." Seven years ago the priest made his first trip to Sarita Cemetery, located off a dirt road on the Kenedy Ranch. The site, overgrown with grass and weeds, impacted him in such a way that he recruited others to return and remember those who died in the area but were never identified. Now each year in preparation for the Nov. 2 feast of All Souls' blessing of the graves, a group cleans the site and makes improvements to the area where the dead are all but forgotten. Last year, the U.S. government recorded the deaths of more than 450 who died while making their way through south Texas. The numbers dropped by about 100 for 2007. Dehydration, exposure to the extreme heat in the summer and unexpected cold in the winter are among the factors that lead to death.

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