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."