Walking the walk, on the assembly line

MONETT, Mo. - “¡Madre! ¡Madre!”

The greetings ring out the moment Francis Rivers steps into the lunchroom at Tyson Foods’ chicken processing plant in the Missouri Ozarks. She circulates among the workers, chatting easily in unaccented Spanish. Some she asks about their families. With others, she shares in the gossip. At one table, she places her hand on a woman’s forehead and inquires about her health.

Much of the workforce here is made up of recent Hispanic immigrants to the United States. In Francis Rivers, many are welcoming their only spiritual counselor in their new country.

Francis Rivers is a nun. She is a vital link in the chain of support for many of the people who work in bone-chilling temperatures on the fast-moving lines of refrigerated machinery on which Tyson Foods guts, cleans, sorts and packages hundreds of thousands of chickens a week. She hears their triumphs and counsels them on their problems. She mediates their disputes with one another, with their spouses and sometimes with the company. She intercedes on their behalf with doctors and cops and teachers.

And she works for the boss.

Soothing souls; bridging divisions
Sister Francis, a School Sister of Notre Dame, is one of two part-time chaplains Tyson Foods employs to counsel the workforce at its Monett facility. While she walks primarily among Hispanic workers, the Rev. Chris Carver, pastor of Monett Church of the Nazarene, slides himself into quiet one-on-one discussions at tables occupied mostly by Anglos.

Both said they do a lot of work to bridge the cultural differences between the two groups. Carver, a significant number of whose church members are Hispanic, has spent many years ministering to congregants from Latin cultures and said he had been able to build a record of trust.

Likewise, Sister Francis said that as a woman of Mexican heritage from Los Angeles, she keenly understood the “culture shock” felt by Hispanic immigrants in the rural South. But she also is sensitive to workers who were born here and may struggle with the upheaval that comes with the arrival of a new culture.

“Sometimes, Anglo workers will say, ‘Well, why do they do that?’” she said. “And I will say, ‘Well, this is why.’ I enjoy that part of the work.”

Carver and Sister Francis are two of the 109 chaplains Tyson Foods had hired by March — more are hired on an almost-monthly basis — since John H. Tyson revived the company’s chaplaincy program upon succeeding his flamboyant father, Don, as CEO in April 2000. He said he had no agenda for the program — he just wanted to find a way to help the booming workforce of his fast-growing company.

Keeping secrets: The toughest dilemma
The appeal of being a chaplain in the workplace is the opportunity to step out of the pulpit and work one-on-one with people whom they would never see in church, the Rev. Mark McDonald said in an interview at the company’s headquarters in Springdale, Ark.

NBC News special series   A new effort to get men to church   Americans share their faith in Mexico America's new vacation companion: God Did prayers to God help cure cancer? Does compassionate conservatism deliver? The values lobbyists work the Hill Take NBC News poll and view full results Special report: FAITH IN AMERICA

But he and other chaplains acknowledged that that opportunity came with a dilemma. They wrestle with juggling the confidentiality of people in need — they are on call around the clock and are expected to help families in extreme crisis —and their responsibility to their employer, a Fortune 100 corporation that is the world’s largest meat producer.

Tyson Foods says all communications are kept in confidence, with four exceptions. Three are standard exceptions recognized by most clergy and social workers: They will report to supervisors or the authorities if workers tells them that they are a danger to themselves or to someone else, or if they are being sexually harassed or abused.

The fourth exception reflects the position of Tyson’s chaplains as employees of a publicly traded company: They will make a report if “you tell the chaplain you are doing something illegal that could put our company at risk.”

Carver said he leans heavily on the specific wording of that exception. He will file a report only if a worker volunteers the information without prompting. He said he was adamant about not asking.

MORE FROM FAITH IN AMERICA

Faith in America Section Front

Two faith-based lobbyists work the Capitol Can Catholic elementary schools survive? Poultry giant plunges into ministry Outsourced spiritual teams thrive Faith-at-work movement finds a home Faith in America Section Front   Add Faith in America headlines to your news reader: