They go after 5 p.m. when the workers have come from the fields and help out wherever they can. O'Matta said they take food and clothing and pray with the people. She has shown new arrivals how to work in the fields. When workers needed papers this summer, the O'Mattas participated in a caravan that brought workers to Green Bay to meet with the Mexican consul, who helped more than 600 people. Parents' inability to speak English, he continued, has led to problems with the children.
Outsiders treat the children as family leaders because they speak English.
Because their parents don't, children have lied to them about what is happening around them. To meet the migrants' spiritual needs, whether they are migrants or permanent residents, the diocese has five centers - St. Willebrord in Green Bay, St. Gabriel in Neenah, St. Mary in Omro, St. Joseph in Wautoma, and St. Joseph in Alverno near Manitowoc. The centers offer Spanish Masses, ranging from once a month to several times on a Sunday. Priests who speak Spanish have taken on the Hispanic ministries, but some drive miles to help with Masses, Pineda said. Volunteers who speak Spanish have gone out to camps to teach religious education classes.