MRS > Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees > The Networker: Volume 10, Number 2 - June 2002

Message from the Director

One question which nettles greatly these days is: "Where did integrity go?" The question is both an exasperation because it reflects such a loss and a motivation because it spurs us to change. Jesus was the model of integrity. He did what He said; He said what He did. Clarity. Transparency. No double standard. No secrets. Jesus said of Himself: "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life." Jn 14:6 His followers are expected to reflect that truth in their lives: lives of integrity, lives of example. But there is a major difference between Jesus and His followers. Jesus never sinned; His followers sin. Integrity is not impeccability. But how does a sinner arrive at integrity?

The recent scandals show how not to arrive at integrity. First: denial. One of the most nefarious syndromes in the perpetrators is denial. Life became compartmentalized as if the head and heart would not admit what the body was doing. Second: secrecy. The perpetrator kept everything shrouded in darkness so that the light of truth could not expose the evil. Third, the cover-up. That secrecy was supported by a network of people who compounded the secrecy so that truth-sayers could not penetrate the darkness.

To achieve integrity, the opposite is needed. First, honesty with self – the painful process of owning up to limitations, to proclivity to sin, to the need for the power of God to intervene for right living. Second, the capacity to share weakness and vulnerability to God, to loved ones, to spiritual directors. Also to be able to hear from other people their pain, their divergent points of view, their vulnerability. Lastly to be challenged and accountable to others for failings and lapses.

These reflections do not bear directly on pastoral care for migrants and refugees except that it has been a real privilege for me in these last four years to be working with and for people whose lives are generally marked by integrity and who have experienced in their lives the work of Jesus. "If you continue in my word, you are my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free." Jn 8:32.


FADICA Foundations meet in Los Angeles

On June 7-8 FADICA (Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities) organized a workshop for its members entitled Unity in Diversity: The New Immigration and the Challenge of a Multi-Cultural Church. The President of FADICA, Dr. Francis Butler, invited Fr. Anthony McGuire, Sr. Maria Elena Gonzalez, and Dr. Anselm Minh to respond to a paper given by Dr. Luis Lugo, Director of the Religion Division of the Pew Charitable Trusts, which detailed the number and variety of the new immigration. Most Reverend John S. Cummins, Bishop of Oakland, spoke on inculturation of foreign priests and Honorable John Gavin, former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, spoke of U.S. immigration policy and Mexico in a time of change. Besides hearing other presentations, the participants were hosted to a tour of the new Los Angeles Cathedral (which incorporates many multi-ethnic elements) and a fund-raising dinner. Hopefully, the participants will see the need of a helping fund some of MRS' projects in the future.


U.S.–Mexico Pastoral Statement

During the week of July 28, 2002 the next step in the development of the U.S.-Mexico Pastoral Statement will take place in Mexico City. At that time the Mexican and U.S. bishops of their respective Migration Committees will come together to review the document which each committee has reviewed individually. It is expected that the document will be presented to both bodies of bishops in November 2002.


Public-Private Partnership Made a Difference for Four Trafficked Victims

In early April of this year the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, in cooperation with other national and local law enforcement agencies, conducted a raid on an organized crime syndicate involving illegal aliens engaged in prostitution in the Northeastern part of the country. Among those apprehended were four young girls from Mexico, who had been lured to the U.S. with promises of jobs as housekeepers and visas, but who instead were forced into prostitution. They were 14-16 years old and had been in the U.S. and kept in slave conditions for two years.

The day after the raid, the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement, Department of Health and Human Services called Migration and Refugees Services of the USCCB in Washington DC, requesting assistance in locating an appropriate child welfare environment in which to place the girls. Within a week the girls were transferred to a state-licensed, Catholic program for unaccompanied minors, which not only had staff whom spoke Spanish, but specialized in assisting former prostitutes transition to other life styles.

In the month since these girls were placed in this special program, reports indicate that their fears and trauma-induced nightmares are slowly abating. Efforts are underway to obtain visas for the girls to remain in the U.S. because they have no families to return to in Mexico

From " Rescue and Protection of Trafficked Victims: The Experience of the Catholic Church in the United States," presented by Mark Franken as part of the Conference, 21st Century Slavery - the Human Rights Dimensions of Trafficking in Persons, in Rome, May 15-16, 2002

If you have information or questions about victims of trafficking, please contact Cecile Motus, Coordinator, Ethnic Apostolates, MRS/PCMR at 202-541-3384 or email: cmotus@usccb.org.


Airport Chaplains Meet in Tampa and Rome

The National Conference of Catholic Airport Chaplains met in Tampa Florida from April 28 through May 1, 2002. It was a well attended meeting and one of the main topics was the catastrophe of September 11 and the impact of that tragedy on the aviation world. The airport chaplains of Boston, New York and Newark were the most seriously impacted on September 11, but that day has affected the whole world and has affected world travel for decades to come. The role of the airport chaplain has become even more important. The National Conference of Catholic Airport Chaplains next annual meeting will be held in Pittsburgh April 29 through May 2, 2003.

The Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People in Rome hosted a Conference of Catholic Airport Chaplains from throughout the world from April 26 through May 2, 2002. There was a good representation of Catholic Chaplains, but the United States was well represented with almost twenty chaplains. There was a fine itinerary and we had the opportunity to have an audience with Pope John Paul II.

One of the main topics was the development of a new Directory for Catholic Airport Chaplains. We would like to have this finalized by the spring of 2004 when the Vatican will host another conference for Airport Chaplains.

We are very happy to announce the dedication of a new airport chapel at Chicago Midway International Airport. Francis Cardinal George Archbishop of Chicago blessed this new facility on Sunday, April 4, 2002. Picture 015_11A.JPG: Fr. John A. Jamnicky, with members of the Interfaith Airport Chapels of Chicago Board at the dedication of the new Midway Airport Interfaith Chapel, Chicago, April. 14, 2002. (l-r) Sr. Joan McGuire, Mrs. Arthur DeKruyter, Rev. Jamnicky, and Rev. Dr. Arthur DeKruyter.)


The Apostleship of the Sea in the United States

The Apostleship of the Sea in the United States conducted a very successful chaplaincy training school in Houston February 10 through February 22, 2002. If you know of anyone who is interested in ministry to people of the sea, our next Apostleship of the Sea Chaplaincy Training School will be held February 2 through February 14, 2003 in Houston. Please contact Rev. John A. Jamnicky, National Director, AOS at the National Office for information and an application (phone: 202-541-3226 or e-mail: jjamnicky@usccb.org.)

Holy Week and Easter were very special this year. The National Director of the Apostleship of the Sea spent this time in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Dutch Harbor is on the island of Onalaska in the Aleutian Islands. It is the largest fishing port in the United States and we hope to see an Apostleship of the Sea Stella Maris Center in Dutch Harbor sometime in the future.

The Cruise Ship Chaplaincy Advisory Group is making great progress and we hope to have a report and program for the Bishops' conference by the end of the year. The meeting of the Apostleship of the Sea USA in San Diego April 9 through April 12, 2002 has infused new life into an old organization. New officers and new board members were elected. The new board members represent the geographic areas of our country and the board will be meeting in Kings Point, New York on November 4, 2002 and the Apostleship of the Sea USA will meet at the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point from April 1 through April 4, 2003.


Third Regional Training held in Mid-Atlantic Region

From May 1-3, 2002, Migration and Refugee Services hosted the third of seven regional trainings in Baltimore Maryland for bishops and diocesan leaders on the message of the bishops' pastoral statement Welcoming the Stranger Among Us: Unity in Diversity. 139 diocesan leaders attended this training from 19 dioceses in the Mid-Atlantic region of the country. These leaders represented various ministries instrumental to "welcoming the stranger" at all levels of the Church including: priestly life and formation, religious education, youth ministry, ethnic ministry, refugee resettlement programs, social justice offices and catholic charities.

The program began with a multicultural prayer service which included a variety of music in several cultural and language traditions provided by St. Camillus Choir of Silver Spring, Maryland. Then Rev. Anthony E. McGuire, Director of the Office for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees provided an interactive key-note presentation highlighting practical ways to implement the three themes of the pastoral statement – conversion, communion and solidarity – in the diocese and parishes.

The second day of the training program was the most intense but very productive and began with presentations, small group discussions and interactive panel presentations on "structures which foster unity in diversity in the diocese and parishes." A second panel of diocesan leaders engaged the participants with their honest and thoughtful comments on the challenges and successes in implementing the themes of the pastoral statement in their own dioceses. The training participants were clearly moved when Mr. John Bingham, Director of Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Rockville Center, concluded this panel with a chilling and honest presentation on the treatment of undocumented migrant workers in that diocese and how the Church challenged itself and the community to solidarity with them.

The afternoon of Day Two of the training program provided the participants with the opportunity to attend one of seven workshops on themes of interest to the various ministries represented. Workshops topics included "The Welcoming Parish; Mobilizing Support for Refugee Resettlement; Creating Solidarity with Newcomers: Advocacy and Social Services; Empowering Effective Intercultural Leadership; Migrant and Human Mobility Ministries: Effective Models and Best Practices; Pastoral Planning for Newcomers; and Teaching the Pastoral in our Schools, Youth and Religious Education Programs."

The highlight of the training program came in the afternoon of the Day Two and the morning of Day Three in which the participants were provided structured time to meet together as a diocesan delegation to begin the process of diocesan action planning on the message of the pastoral statement. Migration and Refugee Services staff provided the tool for dioceses to begin this conversation at the training and encouraged dioceses to take the planning tool back to the diocese to engage more diocesan leaders, pastors, priests and lay people in the planning process. The planning tool asked dioceses to reflect on their own structures and capacity to welcome the stranger, as well as their challenges and best practices in promoting unity in diversity and to develop new programs and structures to address un-met needs. Dioceses had time together to process what they had learned from the various presentations, small groups and workshops as well as from the informal conversations they had shared with leaders from other dioceses throughout their region, and to discern what ideas might work for their own local reality. The dioceses were asked to return their plans within four to six months after attending the training and were offered the possibility of applying for grants from Migration and Refugee Services to assist them with their plans.

As host to the training, the Archdiocese of Baltimore, under the leadership of Michelly Merrick, Human Resources Director, worked in earnest to put together a beautiful closing liturgy for the training program, one that modeled to everyone present the possibility for unity that exists when we gather around the table of the Lord to celebrate our oneness in Christ. William Cardinal Keeler, Archbishop of Baltimore celebrated the mass and offered the participants words of inspiration in their efforts to make the Church a more welcoming place for all people.

Overall the training was the most successful one to-date hosted by Migration and Refugee Services. 95% of participants reported that the training did an "excellent or good" job of meeting their expectations. On the post-training evaluation 99.9% of respondents reported that after the training they had "an increased understanding of the importance of welcoming all people, a greater appreciation of the gifts of other cultures and an enhanced capacity for positive change." According to Amy Newlon, Education and Development Coordinator for the Office for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees and project coordinator of the Unity in Diversity Training Program, "the trainings just keep getting better every time. We listen to the feedback provided to us by the diocesan delegates to the training and use this information to constantly improve the program."

The next training program will be held in Milwaukee, WI from September 18-20, 2002 for the Dioceses of the Great Lakes Region. The registrations for this training were mailed to the bishops of the Great Lakes region in early June. MRS network contacts in the Great Lakes Region were sent a copy of the registration form being sent to the bishops so that they may assist the bishop in putting together an effective delegation from their diocese. The Great Lakes Training will be followed by additional regional trainings in Memphis in December, Dallas in March and Seattle in June of 2003. If dioceses are interested in attending these programs, they should contact Amy Newlon in MRS/PCMR to find out about the registration process (202-541-5408 or anewlon@usccb.org).

This brightly colored tapestry woven of many fabrics and items from nature was created by several of the planning team members (Irma Isip, Fe Musgrave, Monica Hughes) for use at the Far West and Mountain States Regional Training held in Phoenix in February 2002. Their intention was to have the participants artistically express their "unity in diversity" while attending the training. The uncompleted tapestry was brought to the Mid-Atlantic Training for additional weaving by those participants. Afterward Cecile Motus completed the tapestry, which now hangs in the MRS/PCMR office and will be displayed at future regional trainings.


CMFN Board Meets in Florida

The Board of Directors of the Catholic Migrant Farmworker Network, an organization dedicated to the pastoral care of migrant workers in rural areas, met recently in Miami, Florida. For fifteen years, the Network has attempted to support pastoral workers in the fields and to provide resources for those working with migrant farmworkers. For the past four years, the Network has provided Pastoral Leadership courses for migrants, in conjunction with the Mexican American Cultural Center in San Antonio. Several hundred farmworkers from across the country have participated in these programs, many of whom are now very active in pastoral outreach and evangelization in their home communities and in the areas to which they migrate annually.

The Catholic Migrant Farmworker Network works closely with the Office for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Joint projects have been the development of reflection guides for adults, a program of sacramental preparation for migrant children, and a National Consultation on Migrant Ministry. The Network, currently based in Boise, Idaho, is planning a Second National Consultation, to take place in 2004. Executive Director Celine Caufield says, "The first Consultation in 1995 opened all our eyes to the changing face of the farmworkers. Now, six years later, those changes continue at an even more rapid pace. It is time for us to see if our present outreach as Church is meeting the needs of the new farmworker population today in the fields and in all the agriculture-related industries."

Current Board President is Father Toribio Guerrero from the Diocese of Laredo, Texas. "Father Toby" knows firsthand the migrant experience, as he spent time as a youngster with his family working in the fields of Wisconsin, North Dakota and Minnesota. For more information about CMFN, contact Celine Caufield at CMFNCC@aol.com.


New Resources for Ministry with Irish Travelers and Roma

Three new prayer cards are available from PCMR through its Migrant Ministries section.

Two of the cards depict a statue of Mary carved by a gypsy artisan with a prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary by Pope John Paul II on the back. One version of these prayer cards is for pastoral outreach with Irish Travelers and the other, with Roma communities in the United States. The statue is enthroned in the chapel of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People in Vatican City.

The third prayer card is a picture of a painting of Blessed Ceferino Jimenez Malla with his niece. Inside is a brief biography of this gypsy who was martyred during the Spanish Civil War. There is a beautiful prayer on the back for traveling people of the world.

To order copies for pastoral outreach with Irish Travelers and Roma, please contact Sr. Charlotte Hobelman at 202-541-3035 or at chobelman@usccb.org


Guidelines on Tourism

The Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People has recently issued Reflections on the Pastoral Mission of Tourism. You can download a copy of this document by going to the internet at either of the following sites
/mrs/pcmr/statements.htm or the Vatican site ww.vatican.va. [Click on "Roman Curia," then "Pontifical Councils," then "Pastoral Care of Migrants & Itinerant People," then "Tourism, Pilgrimages, Shrines," then "Reflections on the Pastoral Mission of Tourism."]

The Vatican has set aside September 27th as the yearly celebration of the World Day of Tourism.


MRS/PCMR 2003 Small Grants Program

The MRS Office for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees will not be sponsoring the 2003 Small Grants Program due to budget cutbacks for next year. Applications have usually been distributed with the September issue of The Networker. The office hopes to be able to find funding for this program in the future.


NEWS From Around the Network

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Rev. John "Jack" Oliveira on his 25th Anniversary of Ordination to the Priesthood in May 2002. Fr. Oliveira is the PCMR diocesan contact for the Diocese of Fall River and is the PCMR National Consultant for the Portuguese Apostolate.

Congratulations to Rev. Vincent M. Patrizi on his Golden Jubilee of his Ordination to the Priesthood in June 2002. Rev. Patrizi is the AOS Port Chaplain at the Seamen's Center in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Slovak Apostolate

The Slovak Catholic Federation – Midwest Region has been the recipient of a PCMR grant to assist the apostolate in the translation and publication of RCIA and RENEW materials to be used with new immigrants in the United States. The materials have been used to assist a number of young adults in preparing for the sacraments of initiation.


Memphis Welcomes Immigrant & Refugee Women

Exciting initiatives are taking place at the International Women"s Resources Center -- a joint venture with Memphis Catholic Charities Refugee Services. Please visit their website (www.cathchar.org/refugee/IWRC/index.htm) to learn more about their new International Women"s Association started by a Sudanese refugee as well as the Weavers in Action program which is reaching out to newly arrived Afghan and Iranian women.

Maryknoll's Cross Cultural Services presents an Acculturation Workshop offered August 25-30 and November 10-15, 2002. For more information call CCS at 914-941-7590 or e-mail: ccs@maryknoll.org; website: www.Maryknoll.org.

Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People will hold the 5th World Congress from November 17-22, 2003 in Rome, Italy.


Legislative News

President Bush signed the "Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002" into law. The new law contains a provision requiring that the INS issue Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) to all asylees immediately upon being granted asylum, and to all refugees immediately upon admission to the U.S. The new law requires that the INS begin issuing the EADs no later than 180 days from May 14, 2002.

Here is the provision:


SEC. 309. Identification Documents for Certain Newly Admitted Aliens

Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall ensure that, immediately upon the arrival in the United States of an individual admitted under section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1157), or immediately upon an alien being granted asylum under section 208 of such Act (8 U.S.C. 1158), the alien will be issued an employment authorization document. Such document shall, at a minimum, contain the fingerprint and photograph of such alien.


Correction

From our last issue, to order Unity in Diversity note cards, please go to the MRS pubs page, www.usccb.org/mrs/pubs.htm. Go to General Information. You must click on the order form, print it and fill it out, and send it in to MRS with your check.


Resources

The Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc., (CLINIC) a subsidiary of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, through its Division of Religious Immigration Services, provides assistance to meet the legal immigration needs of Catholic arch/dioceses and religious institutes through legal representation of foreign-born priests, religious and lay religious workers coming to or staying in the United States. They have recently published the following brochures:

  • Frequently Asked Questions for Foreign-Born Seminarians Studying in the U.S.
  • Rights and Responsibilities of Lawful Permanent Residents for Foreign-Born Roman Catholic Priests and Religious
  • Religious Immigration Services
For more information or to order these publications, call 202-756-5549.

The Office of Migration and Refugee Policy has published Immigration Policy for the 21st Century: The Case for Legalization of Undocumented Immigrants. To order a copy, please contact Rocio Salvador at 202-541-3208 or at e-mail rsalvador@usccb.org.

MRS and the USCCB Department of Education have jointly published Premye Kominyon, a First Communion sacramental preparation book in Haitian Creole. Complimentary copies can be obtained by contacting MRS/PCMR at 202-541-3230 or e-mail at pcmr@usccb.org.
Email us at mrs@usccb.org
Migration & Refugee Services | 3211 4th Street, N.E., Washington DC 20017-1194 | (202) 541-3352 © USCCB. All rights reserved.
Migration & Refugee Services | 3211 4th Street, N.E., Washington DC 20017-1194 | (202) 541-3352 © USCCB. All rights reserved.