This site requires Javascript to be turned on. Please enable Javascript and reload the page.

Migrant Workers of the Virginia Tidewater

Father Michael Imperial and Kathleen Bredimus

Father Michael Imperial and Kathleen Bredimus work together at the Migrant Ministries. Father Imperial has been at the shore since 2014. Part of his work is with the Hispanic community. He is the director of the Migrant Ministry at the Shore. Kathleen Bredimus has been a member of St Peter's Parish since 1981. Twenty-two years ago she began working with Migrant Ministries. Fifteen years ago she became the chairperson at migrant ministries. Migrant Ministries is a faith based program the encounters migrants of all faiths and allows them to receive the sacraments and feel like that have a belonging even though many of their lives are frequently disrupted by relocation and migration in search of work. Imperial and Bredimus discuss how Migrant Ministries became a link between the migrant labor camps and the community as well as the organization’s purpose.

Below are several excerpts from our full interview with Father Michael Imperial and Kathleen Bredimus. Some of these clips were included in our telling of this story, Some haven't! You can view all of our clips below, and the full interview can be located at the bottom of the page.

Overview of the Migrant Communities of the Eastern Shore

Different Cultural Traditions of Migrant Workers

What People Can Learn from Migrant Workers

Types of Services Provided by Migrant Ministries

Full Oral History Interview

This page has paths:

Contents of this path:
5. Gregorio Lucas Caspar Mr. Gregorio Lucas Caspar is a part of the Virginia Tidewater Main Street Project. Mr. Caspar came from Mexico to continue working in agriculture along with his brother and sister. In his interview he talks about his experience working on farms in the United States. His job as well as his friends’ and familys’ jobs have been affected greatly by the pandemic as well as new policies within the United States.
10. Mateo Gomez Mr. Mateo Gomez is a migrant worker from the Chesapeake Bay area. He talks about how he has adapted to working on the coast during times of political and social change as well as the effects it has on him and his family. Mr. Gomez discusses the language barrier challenges in the working environment that he is in and how it is important to rely on the workers like they are family. Working together creates a longlasting bond that carries them throughout the season until their contract is up and pushes them to work hard not only for the company but for their families that they are supporting.

Overview of the Migrant Communities of the Eastern Shore

Different Cultural Traditions of Migrant Workers

What People Can Learn from Migrant Workers

Types of Services Provided by Migrant Ministries

Full Oral History Interview

This page has paths:

This page references: