Within the last year or so, members of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church have proposed the building of a 40 foot statue on their hilltop parking lot in San Ysidro, Cal.
The monument is inspired by the Statue of Liberty, but will be constructed as Mary, the mother of Jesus. This statue is meant to overlook the border between the United States and Mexico to welcome refugees and immigrants.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the artist, Jim Bliesner states, “it will stand as a beacon of hope and encouragement for people engaged in the struggle of the migrant.”
This statue will be titled, “Welcome the Stranger,” and will hopefully be completed sometime in 2019. The artist’s main inspiration for the design of this statue comes from immigrants who lived in San Diego.
Immigration has been a huge part of our history.
A parishioner of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Maria Elena Esquer, told the LA Times she is waiting for her two sons in Tijuana to obtain visas to come visit her. She has hope that they will come.
The church has already received about $1 million from the California Endowment, a private health foundation.
Many community members got together at the end of last week to begin fundraising for the remaining $1 million needed. Bleisner stated that the statue will be a reminder that the United States is a nation of immigrants who contributed to “help build America.”
Mary symbolizes hope, and she too was a refugee and fled Egypt shortly after Jesus was born. Around the base of the statue there will be LED lighting and some seating.
This statue is a reminder that the nation itself is made up of many who immigrated here long ago, and that immigration has been a huge part of our history as a country and will hopefully continue to be part of our future.