USCCB Resource Kit and JFI Action Alert

Please click here to access a resource kit from the USCCB dealing with the growing number of unaccompanied migrant children coming to the United States from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. The kit contains links to a letter from Pope Francis and statements from other church leaders, background information, Catholic Social Teaching, and other information for reflection and action.

Additionally, Justice for Immigrants has made us aware of an immediate "Action Alert" regarding unaccompanied minor children.  Please click here for more information about sending a message to your Senators and Representatives urging due process for these children.

Sunday: Pray for Peace in the Holy Land

This Sunday, Christians around the world are invited to pray for peace in the Holy Land.  Click here for more information from the Vatican news network. 

What can I do?

As we consider the plight of migrants and immigration reform in the U.S., we need not be overwhelmed.  There are many things we can do wherever we are:  pray, be informed, contact our representatives, . . .

One of the most comprehensive summaries of how to help the children is available through the Global Sisters Report (click here). 

Additionally, go to the USCCB's Justice for Immigrants page, scroll down, click on the links.  Choose one action and commit to doing it.

What happens to them?

Click here to read and/or listen to a story from the NPR show, "Here and Now," about what happens to the over 52,000 migrant children (many unaccompanied) who have crossed into the United States.  Kevin Appleby, Director of Migration Policy for the USCCB is interviewed in this story.

#PAUSEforPeace before the World Cup Final

The Pontifical Council for Culture has launched the "Pause for Peace" Campaign to precede the World Cup Final on Sunday evening in Brazil.  The Council asks for a moment of silence before the final game between Germany and Brazil to remember those stricken by wars and unrest worldwide.  Click here to read an article on the Vatican Network.

Why?

Why are so many Central Americans attempting to enter the United States?  Why are they so desperate that they even try to send their unaccompanied children?  Click here to read an article from the Catholic Herald explaining the plight of one group of would-be migrants in San Salvador.

"Poverty is a Circumstance, not a Value Judgment."

Click here to read Darlena Cunha's Washington Post article about going from wealth to poverty. Entitled "This is what happened when I drove my Mercedes to pick up food stamps," her sharing is a reminder about the judgments we make of "the poor" -- who they are, why they are poor, and what they should/should not be doing/buying/wearing if they are poor.  Perhaps the most important reminder in this article is this perceptive sentence:  "Poverty is a circumstance, not a value judgment." 

July Stop Trafficking Newsletter

Click here to access the July issue of the Stop Trafficking newsletter, focusing on the U.S. State Department's Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report.  The theme of this year's TIP is "The Journey from Victim to Survivor."

Day 14: Fortnight for Freedom

Click here for today's Fortnight for Freedom reflection (the final one).  Here's an excerpt: "What is the relationship between growing religious diversity, as well as growing interactions among people of different faiths, and religious liberty?"

Perhaps we could close our observance of the Fortnight for Freedom by praying the "Litany of Liberty," available here. 

Happy Independence Day to all of our readers in the U.S.A. -- and those who are observing the holiday from outside the country, too!

Day 13: Fortnight for Freedom

Click here for today's Fortnight for Freedom reflection.  Here's an excerpt: "In the United States, religious freedom is protected in the Constitution. . . . Are those constitutional protections enough? Are they growing stronger or weaker in our society today? What else, apart from the law, can strengthen or weaken religious liberty? What should Catholics do to defend and foster religious liberty in America today? What have Catholics done in the past when religious liberty was threatened?"

Day 12: Fortnight for Freedom

Click here for today's Fortnight for Freedom reflection.  Here's an excerpt:  "What present circumstances threaten the freedom of the Catholic Church particularly? Are threats to the Church's freedom always from without, or do threats arise from within the Church itself? What threats in the past has the Church in our country had to contend with?"

Day 11: Fortnight for Freedom

Click here for today's Fortnight for Freedom reflection.  Here's an excerpt:  "What causes religious conflicts today? Do governments always adequately respond to such conflicts? What distinguishes "public order" (which limits religious freedom) from an ordinary policy preference of government (which does not)?"