Immigration

Pathway to hope

A pair of Tiffin Franciscan sisters have a passion for helping immigrants

BY ANNIE LUST

The Sisters of St. Francis in Tiffin, Ohio, were founded to serve people most in need. In 1869, after the Civil War, orphans and the elderly were those individuals. In the early 2000s, two sisters identified another group in need.

Sr. Ellen Lamberjack recalls a life surrounded by Franciscans. In Carey, Ohio, the Tiffin Franciscans were her teachers. The priests at her parish were Franciscans. Both of her grandmothers and her mother were Third Order Secular Franciscans. Her aunt was a Sister of St. Francis in Tiffin. “I grew up with the Franciscans,” Sr. Ellen remarked with a laugh, “it was the order that I knew the best and that fit me the best.” So it was natural that she entered religious life with the Sisters of St. Francis in Tiffin. She became a teacher, educating across the Diocese of Toledo and in the Mississippi Delta. Sr. Ellen served on the Tiffin Franciscan Leadership Team for 20 years, which led to valuable experiences, particularly related to her current ministry. She spent time in the Chiapas, Mexico, mission of the Tiffin Franciscans.

Project Hope has grown in the 15 years since its founding. Mara (center) is an accredited representative, not an attorney, but she has the same responsibilities with immigration law. As a child, Amalia (right) came from Mexico with her parents. In 2012, she came to Project Hope for assistance applying for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. Today Amalia is a legal immigration assistant for Project Hope. Asuncion (left), originally from Paraguay, works as a paralegal for Project Hope. She applied for Citizenship in 2017 with the help of Project Hope. Project Hope helped Juana Chavez Torres (not pictured) become a U.S. citizen in 2010. She works as a finance office assistant.

PHOTO BY SCOTT W GRAU/SPECIAL TO THE DIOCESE OF TOLEDO

Sr. Ellen served as the head of the Peace and Justice Ministry. She spent seven years working in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, where she began working with immigrants. Back in Ohio, the Tiffin Franciscans identified a need. “I could [have served] in another country, but people are coming here, and they need immigration assistance,” Sr. Ellen said. It was 2006, and a tip led Sr. Ellen to Archbold, Ohio. “So I took a chance,” Sr. Ellen commented as she smiled.

That chance was to start a ministry to help immigrants petition for legal status. Zion Mennonite Church in Archbold was willing to house the ministry. Sr. Ellen needed a name for it. “We wanted to give hope to people who were here in a new country,” she recalled. Sr. Ellen decided on Project Hope (Proyecto Esperanza in Spanish). It has required tremendous work; Sr. Ellen still works six days a week. The stakes are high. Some petitioners came to the United States as children – it’s the only home they know. Others fled violence. Still, others want to be with their family. Each case requires years of work from Project Hope. Sr. Ellen was the only full-time employee until 2014. Simply put, she needed help. Enter Sr. Andrea Inkrott.

Sr. Ellen Lamberjack in her early days as a Tiffin Franciscan. According to Sr. Ellen, her vocation as a Franciscan was a natural fit.

PHOTO COURTESY SR. ELLEN LAMBERJACK

Sr. Andrea has been helping people since childhood. “Dad needed help with farming, so he taught me how to drive the tractor,” she shared. Growing up in New Cleveland, Ohio, Sr. Andrea attended the public school, where religious sisters taught. The sisters also played music for the Masses, and Sr. Andrea was happy to fill in when needed. “They taught me how to play so I could help when they were on vacation,” she said.

She felt called to help people beyond her hometown, as well. “I’ve always wanted to be a missionary,” Sr. Andrea shared. A missionary priest from New Guinea made an impression on a young Sr. Andrea, and she loved to hear his stories. She found books about missionaries. “And I joined the [Tiffin] Franciscans who didn’t have any missionaries at the time,” she laughed with a shrug. She didn’t know it then, but the Tiffin Franciscans would begin a mission in Chiapas, Mexico. She volunteered to serve. After her service in Mexico, her passion for working with the Hispanic community prompted her to further her education with a Master’s in Ministry and Hispanic Studies, then service in North Carolina with the Spanishspeaking population. Back in Ohio after 20 years, Sr. Andrea served on the Tiffin Franciscan Leadership Team but helped at Project Hope whenever possible. In 2014, Sr. Andrea joined Sr. Ellen working for Project Hope full-time.

Sr. Ellen Lamberjack with photos of her life. As a Tiffin Franciscan, she has served from Chapas, Mexico, to the Mississippi Delta.

The Project Hope team has experienced some heartbreak –deportations or legal cases lost. But, they’ve also had incredible successes, “Those are good days in the office,” Sr. Ellen beams. They have helped 201 individuals from 44 different countries become United States citizens. Project Hope continues the founding mission of the Tiffin Franciscans, helping the people most in need. The words that inspired the founders of the Tiffin Franciscans are evident in the work of Project Hope: “… whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).