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2012 Lenten Resource on Immigration February 17th, 2012
“For I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” (Matthew 25:35)
Lent 2012 begins on February 22. The Oblate JPIC initiative invites you to join us in prayer, reflection and fasting for refugees and immigrants around the world. This is an opportunity to deeper our faith understanding for the stranger and for parishes to pray for comprehensive immigration reform.
How you will take action in solidarity with immigrants during Lent? You can help Congress understand that people of faith care about the need for immigration reform. Join with others to sign pledge cards at Justice for Immigrants addressed to your Senators and Member of Congress asking them to support just and humane immigration policies.
The Oblate JPIC office also has new one-page resource materials on Immigration Reform and Human Trafficking. Oblates can contact our office by email or phone for copies of these reflection materials to be mailed to your community. Our contact information can be found in the About Us section of this website. They are also available for widespread use through the Resources section of this website.
OMI JPIC Immigration and Human Trafficking Flyers Now Available February 17th, 2012
The OMI JPIC Office has produced some wonderful new materials on Immigration and Human Trafficking. Click on the hyperlinked text below to access the documents.
We have crafted a two-page flyer on Immigration emphasizing the five principles articulated by the US Catholic bishops in their 20003 Pastoral Letter on Immigration, a short prayer, and suggested resources.
A one-page flyer on Human Trafficking talks briefly about the issue, includes a brief prayer, and lists organizations working to prevent this scourge. This flyer is also formatted as a half-size 2-page resource that may be easier to distribute.
We encourage you to print these and distribute them widely. Both are available in the Resources section of this website, under Parish Resources. Oblates can contact the JPIC Office by phone or email if they would like printed versions for distribution. Our contact information is in the About Us section of this website.
Bishop Wester Speaks Out at Conference on Migration February 9th, 2012
The address excerpted below was given at the opening of the Salt Lake City Immigration Conference (January 11, 2012) by Bishop John C. Wester, bishop of Salt Lake City and chair of the USCCB Committee on Migration and Refugee Services. The complete address can be found on the Justice for Immigrants web site.
“… It seems as if time is up as well in terms of waiting for comprehensive immigration reform, at least if you believe some people in Washington. But it is the American public, including the Catholics, who will decide the final outcome. So many people—so many of you—have worked so hard these past years to achieve what seems like an elusive goal. Yet, we must never give up hope, and I fully believe that one day we will be successful. In the meantime, we must always keep focused as we advocate for immigration reform in this complex and constantly changing landscape in our country today.
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Papal Message for World Day of Migrants and Refugees January 12th, 2012
World Day of Migrants and Refugees is January 15th
Copies of the Pope’s message, entitled ‘Migration and New Evangelization’, can be accessed in English, Spanish, French and Italian. Click on the links to access the documents:
National Migration Week January 5th, 2012
A reminder that National Migration Week will be observed in dioceses around the country January 8-14. This year’s theme, “Welcoming Christ in the Migrant,” and the artistic renderings in the week’s materials depict the disciples welcoming a stranger on the road to Emmaus.
“Just as on the road to Emmaus, Christ’s disciples met him in the guise of a stranger, this year’s theme helps remind us that Christ makes himself present to each of us in the lonesome traveler, the newcomer, and the migrant,” said Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles. “We are called to open our hearts and provide hospitality to those in need, especially for migrants who find themselves far away from home and in vulnerable situations.” Archbishop Gomez is the chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Migration.
Resources for National Migration Week can be found on the USCCB website. Posters, prayer cards and booklets can be ordered through the USCCB publishing service or by calling 800-235-8722.
Additionally, the U.S. bishops continue to encourage advocacy efforts by the Catholic community on comprehensive immigration reform. Visit the Justice for Immigrants Campaign website for more information.
Earlier this year, Pope Benedict XVI also unveiled the theme for the 98th World Day of Migrants and Refugees to be celebrated January 15, 2012: “Migration and the New Evangelization.” In his message the pope says that the present time calls upon the Church to intensify its missionary activity both in the regions where the Gospel is proclaimed for the first time and in countries with a Christian tradition.
“Proclaiming Jesus Christ the one Savior of the world ‘constitutes the essential mission of the Church’ … Today we feel the urgent need to give a fresh impetus and new approaches to the work of evangelization in a world in which the breaking down of frontiers and the new processes of globalization are bringing individuals and peoples even closer,” said Pope Benedict.
Internal or international migration, in search of better living conditions or to flee from the threat of persecution, war and violence, has led to an unprecedented mingling of individuals and peoples, with new problems not only from the human standpoint but also from ethical, religious and spiritual ones, the pope said. And, he added, “Christian communities are to pay special attention to migrant workers and their families by accompanying them with prayer, solidarity and Christian charity, as well as by fostering new political, economic and social planning that promotes respect for the dignity of every human person.” World Day of Migrants and Refugees was instituted by Pope Pius X in 1914.
