The Lord called home another pillar in our ministries, Aurora Villa, who died last month. If any of you have visited us and were able to go the Lord’s Food Bank in Juarez, Mexico, you would have met this beautiful servant of the Lord. Aurora was in charge of the Food Bank for many years. Fr. Thomas asked her to run the operations there and Aurora faithfully carried out her duties with cheerfulness and great wisdom.
Aurora was an extraordinary person. Coming herself to Juarez from the coastal town of Veracruz years ago, she understood the desperate plight of newcomers to this huge border city. In her tiny house, Aurora would open the door to entire families arriving destitute in their search for a better life, and she helped them until they were able to get on their feet. It was not uncommon to be walking down the street with Aurora and have someone come greet her enthusiastically, thanking her for what she had done for them. Once as we were going into the jail to minister, one of the guards greeted her warmly. She was surprised to see that it was a man she had helped years before when his family was homeless. Now he had a decent job and the means to provide. “I’m where I am today because of you,” he told her.
Early every morning, no matter what the weather was like, Aurora would trudge up the mesa to the Food Bank and start her busy day. A big part of what Aurora did was to figure out who needed what and where the assets could best be applied. She had to make hard decisions because the needs of the people can be overwhelming, but she was fair and had a keen sense of discernment. She treated those seeking help with dignity and love, and in return they loved and respected her.
Besides all the material needs, Aurora focused on the spiritual well-being of the families we serve. For example, she made it a requirement that the children who wanted to attend our little school at the Food Bank (free of charge) needed to be baptized. The problem for many of the families is that they cannot afford to get birth certificates for their children, which are needed by the parish in order to perform the baptism. So Aurora would negotiate the price with the government agency so that each child received the needed documents.
Aurora had tremendous faith in God and was always praising Him, even as she suffered so much. After a year long battle with cancer, Aurora passed away in her home on June 9th. We will miss her peaceful, gentle presence amongst us. As one of her co-workers told me, “There’s no way to measure all that she did. We’ll never know until eternity.”