By Katherine Jass Lopez, For Today’s Catholic

Since 2007 over 36,000 men, women and children have died due to the escalating violence on the border; and this just represents those who have been accounted for. Many more deaths continue to occur as the need for just immigration reform grows stronger each day. In hopes of creating a deeper awareness of the realities of what is happening on the border and in Mexico, the Mexican American Catholic College (MACC) hosted its fourth annual Immigration Symposium this month.

The two day symposium titled, “Violence on the Border: Consequences and Pastoral Responses,” included a keynote address by Bishop Daniel Flores of the Diocese of Brownsville. The symposium offered a realistic view of what our brothers and sisters are experiencing on a daily basis and how it impacts the United States. (Click here to watch "MACC Shines Light On Border Violence" - video coverage of the symposium by KSAT San Antonio).

“The violence happening on our borders is having a great impact on the U.S. socially, economically and politically. We need to know the extent of the violence and what is driving it in order to effect change. The media often gives a biased view of what is happening so it is critical that we do our own research and become educated. Out of compassion and solidarity with the victims of violence and their families in Mexico, MACC decided this was an important topic to discuss at this year’s symposium,” said Alejandro Siller-González with Migration and Farm Worker Programs at MACC.

“MACC hopes to provide a respectful forum to bring about a deeper understanding of the issue of violence in relation to our Catholic social teachings and what we can do to be instruments of peace, reconciliation and justice,” said Dr. Arturo Chávez, president and CEO of MACC.

In 2010, MACC called upon those working on the border and who are witnessing firsthand the violence to share their experiences. “We invited six pastoral agents with experience serving immigrants and communities on both sides of the border to write a document about what they see; to share the testimonies of the people they serve. The agents, representing Brownsville, Alamo, Laredo, Nogales and Ciudad Juarez, will present their documents on the second day of the symposium,” Siller-González said.

“Our symposium serves as a forum for discussion founded on truth and love. We pray that this dialogue may lead to hope, compassion and solidarity with all those that are suffering violence in Mexico, especially the vulnerable immigrants. We also want to listen and be in solidarity with our church members who are ministering on the border, especially our speakers who will provide a detailed account of the violence they encounter,” Siller-González continued.

The documents written by the pastoral agents can be found online here.

Note: Original article content was slightly edited for this post.