In the days following last year’s collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Redemptorist Father Ako Walker stood by the families of six construction workers, offering comfort as they awaited word on whether any of their loved ones had survived. When the news came that none of the workers had made it, Father Walker remained a steadfast presence, helping the grieving families cope with the unimaginable loss.
The six fallen workers were all immigrants from Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala: Dorlian Castillo Cabrera, Miguel Luna, Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval, Jose Mynor Lopez, Carlos Hernandez and Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes.
“You could feel the sadness and difficulty of accepting this news,” said Father Walker, pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus-Sagrado Corazón de Jesús in Highlandtown, a parish made up predominantly of Spanish-speaking parishioners. “There were people talking, crying, and others sitting in silence. I was there as a presence, trying to support the families, offering a little comfort in a difficult time.”
Father Walker also led the funerals for two of the deceased workers and joined Archbishop William E. Lori and Auxiliary Bishop Bruce A. Lewandowski, C.Ss.R., for a prayer service and outdoor candlelight vigil to honor the victims.
Father Walker described how, in offering the funeral Masses, he had to set aside his own concerns. “I had to forget my own feelings and emotions and just show them the face of Christ,” he said.
In the year since the tragedy, Sacred Heart and the wider Catholic community have rallied to support the families and others affected by the accident.
The Archdiocese of Baltimore established the Francis Scott Key Bridge Relief Fund, which has raised more than $190,000. Another fund was set up for the Apostleship of the Sea, a ministry supporting international seafarers at the Port of Baltimore, which has raised more than $70,000.
Through the generosity of Catholics, checks have been distributed to assist the grieving families, Father Walker said.
A Mass is scheduled to be held March 27 to mark the one-year anniversary of the deaths of the six workers. For Father Walker, his anniversary homily will focus on hope.
“Hope never disappoints,” he said. “We have to continue to live in hope because these men are now in God’s hands. It’s not just something we say to comfort ourselves; it’s the truth of our faith. We have to continue believing in God, because that’s all we have.”
Carlos Alexis Suazo, brother of Maynor Suazo Sandoval, one of the deceased workers, recalled how difficult the holidays were without Maynor, especially for their mother, Rosa.
“If you talk to her about Maynor, it touches a very sensitive nerve – a wound that hurts too much,” Suazo said.
Suazo, who regularly attends Sacred Heart of Jesus, remembered the comfort Father Walker provided in those dark moments.
“He came to our house when we needed him the most. There were at least 80 of us in the family, and he prayed with us,” Suazo said. “Father Walker is a great human being.”
George Matysek Jr. contributed to this story.
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