La Posada Providencia breaks ground on new facility

SAN BENITO — They began their journey many years ago.

Now the staff and partners of La Posada Providencia have brought a new facility to serve immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers from throughout the world seeking safe haven.

“Today we did our groundbreaking, but it’s been coming for many years,” said Cindy Johnson, interim director of the facility at 30094 Marydale Road in San Benito.

La Posada Providencia is a shelter for refugees and asylum seekers. It was founded and sponsored by the Sisters of Divine Providence in 1989 as a ministry for people in crisis from throughout the world. It’s website says shelter staff provide a safe and welcoming home, mentors to promote self-sufficiency and cultural integration.

La Posada Providencia’s Cindy Andrade Johnson and Alejandra Zepeda talk with visitors about the future expanded facilities for their guests Friday, Oct. 14, 2022, during the groundbreaking event for La Posada Providencia in San Benito. (Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald)

The location currently has 24 beds and has been using some existing structures to serve various needs, but the groundbreaking Friday morning heralded a new era. Numerous entities have pooled their resources to construct a new facility that will double the number of beds and create new office space.

“We will be starting work on Monday doing the dirt work, putting in a new driveway, preparing all the pads where the new buildings are going to go,” said Carl Dube, project coordinator for Mennonite Disaster Service for the work in the Rio Grande Valley.

MSD is one of many partners involved in the project, Johnson said.

“To name all the partners would be impossible,” Johnson said. “We have the United Methodist that has given us a lot of help. A lot of groups that give and give and give. We have a lot of partners. We are a poor community so it’s little pieces at a time. Someone gives us $10 or $1,000 that’s great.”

Sister Zita Telkamp, who recently retired after serving many years as executive director, shared these thoughts through Sister Therese Cunningham.

“It is my privilege to join you today — in spirit and to share in word — two prior historical events that took place leading up to this morning’s groundbreaking ceremony,” she said.

Her narrative for the crowd of about 100 attendees, including lawyers, medical personnel, teachers and others who work with refugees and asylum seekers, spoke about Pope John Paul II in the 1980s appealing to all religious communities everywhere to serve immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers.

“In response to the Pope’s request, and inspired by our founder Bishop Ketteler’s motto ‘to meet the needs of the time’ my religious community – the Sisters of Divine Providence – came to the Valley in 1989,” she said.

Antoinette Connaughton stands to relay the words of Sister Zita, who spent many years at the facility Friday, Oct. 14, 2022, for the groundbreaking event for La Posada Providencia in San Benito. (Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald)

Telkamp gave a brief summary of the events which transpired over the proceeding decades to acquire property and structures to serve those in need. Gathering resources to fund a new structure required much time and patience – but that moment has finally arrived.

“In conclusion, I want to acknowledge and express my gratitude and that of my religious community – the Sisters of Divine Providence – to the following: The Mennonite Congregation, Cindy Johnson, the building committee and the many donors for making our dream come true,” she said.

Dube said MDS became aware of the situation here about two years ago.

“Several members of the board of directors of MDS traveled along the border after hearing of all the difficulties from our sister organization called Mennonite Central Committee,” he said. “They encountered La Posada Providencia, they saw that there was a tremendous need.”

MDS, he says, seeks out smaller communities that often “fall through the cracks”; San Benito and La Posada fit that category, he said.

“We found out they had already been in the process of building a new building,” he said. “We mostly provide volunteer labor from all over the United States and Canada. What I’ve been doing the last few months is working with local contractors and vendors to get things lined up about where we’re going to buy the material from.”

So far about $350,000 have been raised but there are certain to be more expenses to complete the project. Anyone wishing to donate should call La Posada at 956-399-3826, or email Johnson at [email protected].