Jocelynn is an eleven-year-old girl who up until now attended Gainesville Intermediate School in Texas. She no longer attends. She had been bullied by other students who would tell her that they would send ICE on her and her family, and have her deported.

Apparently the eleven-year-old did the proper thing and went to the school authorities as it got worse. Evidently, the school authorities failed to do the proper thing as no actions were taken. Its reported that she endured the torment for months with no resolution. Despite the school authorities knowing what Jocelynn was dealing with, they withheld this information from the sixth-grader’s family until after Jocelynn attempted suicide on February 3, 2025. She was rushed to the hospital and remained there until she died on February 8th.

An eleven-year-old girl has taken her life. This is a tragedy in and of itself. Another layer of tragedy is that her worst fears were used against her. What do we make of it? What’s there to say?

I’m interested in knowing how many of those classmates are being raised in Christian homes. For whatever reason that’s where my mind goes. I wonder how many of those children’s families say grace before a meal, go to church Sunday morning, and how many of the children attend Sunday School. And I wonder how many of the children picked up the nasty habit of looking down on brown-skinned people from the adults they look up to and the adults they encounter. I wonder but God only knows.

The early Church was founded on diversity, on the idea of a new race, a new family of God. Hitler came along and so we don’t like to say “new race” a whole lot after he hijacked the term. But nevertheless, the New Testament is about a renewed humanity, beautiful in its diversity (diversity: a dirty word in some circles and that’s a damn shame). In the early Church you find believers from all kinds of backgrounds coming together for the sake of Christ. In Jesus’ “entourage” (the Twelve) we find zealots together with tax-collectors. A seminary proff said years ago that this was like having Antifa and Black Lives Matter together, collaborating. The idea is crazy of course. We can’t imagine anything like that really. We’ve succumbed to the evil one’s propaganda that the true evil one is the “other.” We’ve adopted the grammar of death from an early age, like the taunting children of Gainesville Middle School, picking up nasty habits from our surroundings, from culture, from church folk, from other children. The idea of coming together with the “other” is anathema, and the idea of diversity has become “woke” rather than Christian.

Jocelynn Rojo Carranza’s obituary:

Jocelynn Rojo Carranza, 11, of Gainesville, TX passed away on February 8, 2025, at Medical City of Dallas with her family by her side. Funeral mass will be held on February 19, 2025, at 10:30 AM at the St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Gainesville with burial to follow at Fairview Cemetery in Gainesville. Rosary service will be on Tuesday, February 18, 2025, at 6:00 PM at the Meador Funeral Home in Gainesville with visitation to follow.

Jocelynn was born in Gainesville, TX on June 17,2013 to Ernesto Rojo and Marbella Carranza. She was a wonderful daughter, sister, niece and friend to everyone. She loved to dance and sing. Played the French Horn. She made TikTok Videos, love to do the lates trends. She was always active, loved swimming and doing cartwheels. Movie nights Fridays where special time with the Family. She loved when her grandma took her to get her nails done.

She is survived by her parents Ernesto Rojo and Marbella Carranza; siblings Leslie Morales, Junior Morales, Matthew Rojo, Alonzo Rojo, Jose Maria Arriaga, Jose Martin Rojo, Ernesto Rojo; grandparents Angelica Carranza, Raul Carranza, Jose Martin Rojo, Emma Rodriguez; aunts and uncles Raul Carranza, Juan Carranza, Eulalio Carranza, Luis Carranza, Cristian Carranza, Valeria Carranza, Martha Carranza, Elias Rojo.”

Dear Father, grant us the gift of repentance when we are apathetic, and when we are false guides to our children, leading them to dark paths rather than to light. May we be models for our children and their friends so that they in turn might shine forth your vision rather than the vision of the evil one. The age is wicked, but you are good. You embrace the impoverished and those who feel like they have nowhere to turn to. You have embraced Jocelynn Rojo Carranza and now she is fully known by you.

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