CHICAGO -- Catholic advocates for immigration reform used a Dec. 16 "posada," a traditional Mexican re-enactment of Mary and Joseph's search for shelter in Bethlehem, to demonstrate the need to change the immigration system.
The posada was led by Chicago Auxiliary Bishops John R. Manz and Alberto Rojas and a couple portraying Mary and Joseph as they search for a place where they will be welcomed.
Note: The U.S. Hispanic and Latino Bishops released a letter to immigrants Dec. 12. Below is the text with the 33 signatories:
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LETTER OF THE HISPANIC/LATINO BISHOPS TO IMMIGRANTS
Dear immigrant sisters and brothers,
May the peace and grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you!
We the undersigned Hispanic/Latino Bishops of the United States wish to let those of you who lack proper authorization to live and work in our country know that you are not alone, or forgotten. We recognize that every human being, authorized or not, is an image of God and therefore possesses infinite value and dignity. We open our arms and hearts to you, and we receive you as members of our Catholic family. As pastors, we direct these words to you from the depths of our heart.
In preparation for the Iowa caucuses, 10 communities of religious sisters issued billboards Monday across Iowa with a Gospel message in addition to a statement calling on the president and Congress to make progress on comprehensive immigration reform.
WASHINGTON -- An emotional pastoral letter to immigrants from the U.S. Hispanic and Latino Catholic bishops offers love, encouragement, welcome, sympathy and assurance that "you are not alone or forgotten."
LUMPKIN, GA. -- Traveling down Interstate 85 and Interstate 185 into the Deep South, the desolation of the journey along almost-empty highways makes one wonder if the Stewart Detention Center will ever appear. Touted by critics as the largest private, for-profit prison in the northern hemisphere, Stewart is the prison where thousands of Latino immigrants are held for almost certain deportation, most of them for minor traffic violations.
In January 2011, Fr. Dean Brackley gave the keynote address at "A Light to the Nations," the third annual Celebration conference on effective liturgy. In the address he offered his vision of the migrant poor as God's messengers, "a light to the nations." Fr. Brackley passed away in October. Read his memorial here.
Fr. Brackley will be remembered by many for his selfless decision in 1989 to go to El Salvador to help replace faculty members who were killed on the campus of the University of Central America during the civil war in that tiny country.
His legacy is in what he contributed during his 20 years in El Salvador. His academic work, extensive lecturing and writing focused on the structural injustices that drive social instability and migration for millions of desperate people around the world.
EL PASO, Texas -- Thousands of Mexican citizens are fleeing the violence that continues to plague the border city of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. That was the message from college professors, the director of a refuge for migrants and the migrants themselves to members of the U.S. bishops' Subcommittee on Catholic Home Missions during a recent visit to El Paso
Ruben Garcia, director of Annunciation House in El Paso, told the eight bishops on the subcommittee Oct. 20 that there is a "steady stream" of refugees trying to escape their country's "police, military and government," as well as the nation's drug cartels.
Howard Campbell, professor of anthropology, and Kathleen Staudt, professor of political science, both at the University of Texas at El Paso, also addressed the bishops about the violence in Juarez.
El Paso and Ciudad Juarez , Mexico, are twin cities joined by four bridges along the Rio Grande.
SUNLAND PARK, N.M. -- The compact car lifted a trail of dust as it traveled slowly along the 18-foot-tall chain-link fence, attracting the attention of the U.S. Border Patrol agent sitting in his green and white SUV.
Immigration Symposium, Oct. 19-20, 2011, San Antonio, Texas.
The office of Continuing Education for Ministry at MACC -- Mexican American Catholic College in San Antonio, Texas, is holding an important immigration symposium October 19-20 with the title "Violence on the Border: Consequences and Pastoral Responses"
Bishop Daniel Flores, diocese of Brownsville, Texas, will deliver the keynote. Discussion topics include:
For more information or to download the program and registration forms:
The Arizona Daily Star reports on one immigrant's case and refers to stays of removal and to the sanctuary movement that occurred years ago in Tucson:
Rev. Bill Remmel and the west Tucson church offered shelter to Alfonso Morales-Macias, a 41-year-old father of two facing deportation.
Ultimately, it doesn't appear Morales-Macias and his family will need sanctuary because Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials changed course and are now expected to approve a stay of removal for him, said his attorney, Margo Cowan. That would allow him to stay for one more year - putting him one step closer to being able to apply for legal residency when his U.S.-born daughter turns 21 in September 2013.
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