Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Effort to Shut Down Catholic Ministry to Migrants Violates Texas’ Religious Freedom Act

July 3, 2024

~ by Kate Scanlon, OSV News, National Catholic Reporter

On July 2nd, a state judge denied Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s effort to shut down Annunciation House in El Paso, Texas, a Catholic non-profit serving migrants. The ruling by Judge Francisco X. Dominguez of the District Court of El Paso County found that Paxton’s office “failed to establish probable grounds for the proceedings” and that the effort violated the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

“The record before this Court makes. clear that the Texas Attorney General’s use of the request to examine documents from Annunciation House was a pretext to justify its harassment of Annunciation House employees and the persons seeking refuge,” Dominguez ruled in granting Annunciation House’s application for relief.

“This Court previously expressed its concern that the Attorney General did not identify what laws he believed were being violated from the outset,” the ruling said.

“There is no legal basis for closing a nonprofit that provides social services to refugees, period,” said Jerome Wesevich, a lawyer for Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, which represents Annunciation House. He said the ministry “has always believed that the attorney general’s harassment of Annunciation House is morally and legally improper.”

“This is a day of gratitude for El Paso, the work of Annunciation House and the resilience of our community’s hospitality workers. This is also an important moment for religious freedom and a recognition of the important role that faith communities play in helping our nation lead with compassion and humanity in meeting the challenges of migration at the border,” said Bishop Mark Seitz of the Diocese of El Paso. Attorney General Paxton is expected to appeal the ruling. Photo credit: OSV News, NCR

Cabrini Health Australia Celebrates Refugee Week: Fostering a Sense of Family and Freedom

June 19, 2024

Refugee Week, June 16-22, celebrates “Finding Freedom” with a significant focus on family, the heart of the refugee journey, which encapsulates resilience and unity.

This sentiment of family resonates deeply within our Cabrini community, where we strive to create an environment that nurtures the human spirit, regardless of background. We celebrate the power of compassion and the impact that a sense of family can have on the lives of those who have weathered unimaginable challenges.

To honour Refugee Week, Margaret Stewart, Group Director, Identity and Mission, had the privilege of spending a day at the Cabrini Outreach Centre in Northcote. She was deeply moved by the staff’s warmth and dedication, which truly embody the spirit of compassion and support for refugees. Their commitment to embracing each individual, offering a sense of belonging and safety, is a testament to Cabrini’s mission of fostering a family-like environment for those in need.

During Refugee Week, the focus is on raising awareness about refugees, their challenges, and the positive impact they have on the Australian community. Cultural events are arranged to foster unity and understanding among communities. At Cabrini, we embrace cultural diversity and celebrate multiculturalism.

They Journeyed Many Miles to Honor All Immigrants

June 13, 2024

In the spirit of Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini, this year Cabrini Immigrant Services of NYC joined the 21st Annual Migrant Trail Walk. This is a 75-mile walk from Sásabe, Mexico to Tucson, Arizona which concluded on Sunday, June 2nd. Ivonne Moreno-Rodriguez, Director of Social Services at CIS-NYC, and David Rodriguez joined 36 other humanitarian workers to commemorate migrants who have lost their lives traveling across the US-Mexico border. Ivonne and David walked between 6 and 16 miles per day for a week to advocate for humane border policies and to honor our Cabrini clients and all immigrants who have crossed and continue crossing.

Here in the United States, more than 8,000 people (men, women and children) have lost their lives crossing the U.S.-Mexico border since the initiation of border deterrence policies in the 1990s. In the past year, 191 remains were found in the Arizona desert. Participants carried a white cross with the names of migrants who died in the desert. Other people carried a cross with the name “desconocido/a” (Spanish for “unknown”) that represents the remains of a person that has not yet been identified.

Catholic Migrant Shelter in Mexico offers Respite, Solidarity

January 31, 2024

~ by Julieta Valdez, National Catholic Reporter

The Archdiocese of Monterrey, Mexico, founded Casanicolás in 2004. “Just as the Mexican government demands a just treatment of our emigrants in the United States, it should respect the rights of those who come from Central America,” Msgr. Luis Eduardo Villarreal, then director of social ministry for the archdiocese, said at the time.

Casanicolás provides shelter, medical and legal support to thousands of Central and South American migrants every year.
Casanicolás is an apostolate of the parish of Saint Frances Xavier.

Casanicolás, named after St. Nicholas of Tolentine, includes 130 beds across three buildings, one for women and two for men.

Monsignor Luis Eduardo Villarreal, ordained 42 years ago, has been the parish priest of the Church of San Francisco Xavier, a few blocks from Casanicolás.

“Our migrants arrive in Casanicolás worn out and traumatized by the mistreatment they receive in national territory. Here in Mexico is where the migrants suffer the most on their journey. Extortion, kidnapping, robbery, beatings, threats…it’s hell,” Villarreal said.

The priest is also a professor at Universidad Libre de Derecho, a law school, where he teaches socioeconomic problems of Mexico and oversees an immigration law clinic.

“The migrant is a good person who contributes work, culture, and life projects to places where he or she arrives; the rest are myths and not realities,” he said.

“Casanicolas’ vision is to humanize human mobility,” said Philippe Stoesslé, professor-researcher of law and social sciences at the University of Monterrey.

“I admire Monsignor Luis Eduardo. Having achieved so much, he is an extremely humble person. He is very close to his parishioners and the migrants at the shelter,” he said.

“Villarreal has taught me a deep understanding of Christian mercy, which includes welcoming migrants, but also one that includes protection, security, warm human treatment, guidance and spiritual accompaniment, knowing the people by name and not just as numbers.

“He has a vision of mercy, empathy, infinite compassion and human rights. He is sensitive to the protection and promotion of human rights, which goes hand in hand with his Christian profile of guaranteeing dignity to all human beings,” Stoesslé said.

From 2019 to 2023, Casanicolás has sheltered 4,000 to 7,700 migrants per year. Since 2021, the number of adults accompanied by minors has increased.

Villarreal told NCR that Casanicolás’ fundamental purpose is theological.

“We want to give a response to the Gospel, because we believe in the project of the Gospel,” he said. “A project of brotherhood and solidarity between one and other. And this shelter is a sign that it is possible that the last shall be the first.”

To read the full account, please click here

In Heated Political Season, Religious Sisters Urge Empathy on Immigration

January 25, 2024

~ by Rhina Guidos, National Catholic Reporter

As immigration becomes a hot-button topic in the upcoming U.S. presidential election, women religious and other Catholics urge a compassionate Christian response toward people feeling perilous situations in record breaking numbers.

“If we changed what was being preached at our pulpits and talked about a God who migrates towards us, we’d have a different understanding of what people on the move, migrants, are about,” said Sr. Lisa Buscher, of the Society of the Sacred Heart, in a January 8th interview with the Global Sisters Report (GSR).

In December, authorities documented more than 225,000 migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border, a record for monthly encounters. It was not a surprise since the government had released figures two months earlier of more than 2.4 million apprehensions at the southern border in the 2023 fiscal year which ended in September.

Some Republican state leaders have transported migrants from border cities to localities run by Democrats, spurring politicians on both sides of the aisle urging the federal government to do something to stop the flow. Some have publicly voiced their frustrations, and Republican and Democrats in the Senate are working together on an agreement: Their deal would grant the Biden’s administration request for money for Ukraine if it agrees to limit a temporary status called humanitarian parole, which has allowed a large number of migrants — including from Ukraine and Nicaragua — to stay in the United States.

For women religious like Sr. Buscher, who work with migrants and refugees in the San Diego area, it’s hard to understand the sentiments.
Sr. Buscher urged people to look more critically at global migration. Conflicts such as Russia’s war against Ukraine; conflicts in place such as continental Africa; economic and political conditions in Latin America; and climate change and hunger, she said, have spurred a global flow of people with the U.S. one of many destinations for migrants.

“These are ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. It could be any one of us,” she said.

In the Catholic tradition, she said, the Holy Family had to deal with similar challenges as Joseph and Mary fled their homeland to protect the baby Jesus from being killed by King Herod.

Sr. Maria delos Dolores Palencia Gomez, of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Lyon, who works with migrants in Mexico, said it’s hard to know what she’d say to U.S. politicians who boast about their Christianity yet “use” anti-immigrant sentiment to attract voters.

“I don’t think it’s possible, as Catholics, to feel exempt from reaching out to a brother or sister. It’s enough to look at [the Gospel of] Matthew, which clearly tells us: you clothed me, I was a foreigner and you welcomed me,” Palencia told GSR during a press conference in Bogotá, Colombia Nov. 24.

To read the full account, please click here

Editor’s note: Global Sisters Report launches a new series, “Welcoming the Stranger,” which takes a closer look at women religious working with immigrants and migrants. The series will feature sisters and organizations networking to better serve those crossing borders, global migration trends and the topic of immigration in the upcoming U.S. presidential election.

CIS-NYC Hosts 1st Legal Clinic

November 8, 2023

On Saturday, November 4th, Cabrini Immigrant Services of NYC hosted our first legal clinic to assist clients in applying for Temporary Protected Status. In September, the Department of Homeland Security announced the extension and redesignation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans for 18 months. This means that eligible Venezuelan nationals who entered the United States before or on July 31st, 2023, can now apply for TPS, which will allow them to reside and work legally in the United States. Upon learning this news, CIS-NYC staff went straight to work to ensure that all of our eligible clients have the opportunity to apply for TPS. At our clinic on November 4th, we were able to successfully complete 43 new TPS applications! All of our staff from our various programs pitched in to make this event a great success.

In addition to planning and running our own legal clinic, CIS-NYC’s legal team has been supporting our partners in New York City and upstate to meet the overwhelming need for immigration legal services for newly arrived migrants. Our attorneys and DOJ Accredited Representatives have volunteered their time and skills in person and virtually at clinics to help clients complete applications for both TPS and asylum. We are very proud of the hard work and commitment our team has demonstrated in response to the urgent need for services in New York!

Cardinal O’Malley Urges Assistance to Newly Arriving Migrants Ahead of Winter

November 2, 2023

~ by Michael J. O’Loughlin for AMERICA

With the number of migrants arriving in Massachusetts outpacing available emergency supplies and housing, Boston’s Cardinal Seán O’Malley is urging local Catholics to contribute resources ahead of the winter season. Describing the situation as “a major humanitarian and societal crisis,” the cardinal asked pastors in an Oct. 23 letter “to prepare your parishioners to be ready and willing to assist.”

“The challenge is the fate of immigrants arriving daily in Massachusetts, and in need of basic shelter and compassionate care and welcome,” wrote the cardinal

The number of migrants needing assistance in Massachusetts mirrors situations in other states, with state and local leaders calling on the Biden administration to send more federal funds to help shelter migrants.

Officials in Illinois and New York have urged the White House in recent weeks to do more to support the flow of migrants into those states, and in Massachusetts, Gov. Maura Healey declared a state of emergency in August, saying that the state had run out of emergency shelter space for families. Massachusetts is one of just a handful of states that has a “right to shelter” law, and it has seen the number of families being housed in emergency shelters, including in hotels, motels and college dorms, more than double in the past year. More than 7,000 families, or 20,000 people, are currently living in these emergency shelters, and the state says it is running out of money.

“We are not ending the right-to-shelter law,” Gov. Healey said in a press conference last week,

Politico reported. “We are being very clear, though, that we are not going to be able to guarantee placement for folks who are sent here after the end of this month.”

Last month, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said in a statement that compassion to migrants seeking refuge in the United States must be coupled with policies that enable people to stay safely in their home nations.

World Day of Migrants and Refugees September 24, 2023

September 19, 2023

A message from Pope Francis:

The migratory flows of our times are the expression of a complex and varied phenomenon that, to be properly understood, requires a careful analysis of every aspect of its different stages, from departure to arrival, including the possibility of return. As a contribution to this effort, I have chosen to devote the Message for the 109th World Day of Migrants and Refugees to the freedom that should always mark the decision to leave one’s native land.

“Free to leave, free to stay” was the title of an initiative of solidarity promoted several years ago by the Italian Episcopal Conference as a concrete response to the challenges posed by contemporary migration movements. From attentive listening to the Particular Churches, I have come to see that ensuring that that freedom is a widely shared pastoral concern.

“An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said: ‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him” (Mt 2:13). The flight of the Holy Family into Egypt was not the result of a free decision, nor were many of the migrations that marked the history of the people of Israel. The decision to migrate should always be free, yet in many cases, even in our day, it is not. Conflicts, natural disasters, or more simply the impossibility of living a dignified and prosperous life in one’s native land is forcing millions of persons to leave. Already in 2003, Saint John Paul II stated that “as regards migrants and refugees, building conditions of peace means in practice being seriously committed to safeguarding first of all the right not to emigrate, that is, the right to live in peace and dignity in one’s own country” (Message for the 90th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, 3).

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me” (Mt 25:35-36). These words are a constant admonition to see in the migrant not simply a brother or sister in difficulty, but Christ himself, who knocks at our door. Consequently, even as we work to ensure that in every case migration is the fruit of a free decision, we are called to show maximum respect for the dignity of each migrant; this entails accompanying and managing waves of migration as best we can, constructing bridges and not walls, expanding channels for a safe and regular migration. In whatever place we decide to build our future, in the country of our birth or elsewhere, the important thing is that there always be a community ready to welcome, protect, promote and integrate everyone, without distinctions and without excluding anyone.

The synodal path that we have undertaken as a Church leads us to see in those who are most vulnerable – among whom are many migrants and refugees – special companions on our way, to be loved and cared for as brothers and sisters. Only by walking together will we be able to go far and reach the common goal of our journey.

To read the entirety of Pope Francis’ message, please click here

For further information, please click here

Following Title 42’s Demise, Sisters and Church Regroup to Better Help Migrants at the Border

July 12, 2023

~ by Rhina Guidos, Global Sisters Report

U.S authorities have been content, of late touting the latest statistics showing lower numbers of migrants entering the country at the southern border. Instead of increasing, as some had predicted following the end of a Trump-era health rule, unlawful entries between ports of entry along the U.S. southern border decreased 25% from what they were a year ago, U.S. Border Patrol said on June 20.

TITLE42-END-AFTERMATH

After the projected migrant crisis on the U.S. side failed to materialize, members of the Catholic Church, including many sisters, are reviewing the numbers to better assess how to help migrants and to talk about what they have learned and how to go forward post-Title 42.

The numbers may have decreased on the U.S. side, but in the border town of Piedras Negras, Mexico, “the number of migrants who have arrived and who keep arriving have increased” after Title 42, Franciscan Sr. Isabel Turcios said in a June 22 Zoom webinar to mark World Refugee Day.

“We’re in a difficult situation on the border,” she said during the presentation. “We’re facing a big task.”

Before Title 42, sisters at the Piedras Negras shelter put together lists they shared with authorities on the U.S. side, singling out some families who might qualify for asylum, as well as adults or children with special needs in their shelters. Many of them were able to enter the U.S. But when Title 42 expired and authorities pushed the use of the CBP One app to apply for asylum, “reality changed,” Turcios said.

“It’s like the lottery,” said Patrick Giuliani, policy analyst with El Paso’s nonprofit Hope Border Institute, who participated in the webinar. “There are people who secure a date [to book appointments to seek asylum in the U.S.] in a matter of days and others never get a date. You have people with sick children waiting for a chance (to enter the U.S).”

In El Paso, as in other parts of the country, Catholic sisters have continued to pray for migrants and for their legal woes as other barriers have been erected to keep them out, Turcios said. All the while, many sisters continue to oversee work of shelters so that travelers have food, clothing, water, and sometimes a word of comfort or legal advice. But it’s getting tougher to help them keep their spirits up given the rapid changes and the difficulties faced by those stuck on the Mexico side, she added.

The sisters’ work at the border with migrants at the El Paso diocese has been invaluable, said Bishop Mark Seitz in Spanish during a May 15 prayer service at the city’s Cathedral of St. Patrick.

“I’ve always said the work of religious women with immigrants has been the backbone of our response,” Seitz, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Migration Committee, told Global Sisters Report. “They have been so well-attuned to the needs, so loving to those who are suffering, and they are willing to give of themselves so generously that they have been irreplaceable in terms of our response. Our people here are generous and willing to help, but the sisters bring an ability to lead and organize. I’m grateful.”

To read the entire account, please click here

Uncertainty Lingers as Expected Title 42 Migrant Surge Dissipate

May 18, 2023

~ by Rhina Guidos, National Catholic Reporter

Fr. Gustavo Meneses said he felt a “tense peace” in El Paso after a pandemic-era health rule expired, opening up the way for migrants to once again apply for asylum at the U.S. border with Mexico – something that has been largely curtailed since the coronavirus pandemic began.

The priest said he was in El Paso to show solidarity with the border diocese and tend to a large group of migrants that had been expected to cross the border as Title 42 ended. Instead, Meneses said he was “thankfully surprised” that predictions of a large-scale disaster didn’t materialize.

The Trump administration put Title 42 in place in March 2020 and though there were some exceptions, by and large, it allowed Border Patrol agents to rapidly expel those seeking to apply for asylum in the U.S., saying it was a measure taken to keep Covid-19 infections down.

Many Catholic organizations, including women religious, Catholic social justice groups, and some bishops, long had been calling for the policy to end.

Its lifting, however, comes with uncertainty about what’s to come, as those who work with migrants and those who oppose immigration are trying to untangle yet-to-be finalized immigration policies and rules recently unveiled by the Biden administration.

El Paso Bishop Mark Seitz told NCR the concern is for those in detention as well as the released.

The worry for those like Seitz, Meneses and Corbett is the lack of humane treatment toward migrants like Anyibeth Urdneta, a 37 year-old indigenous Venezuelan, who had arrived at the diocese’s shelter on May 13. Urdaneta said she was sold into marriage as a teen and was escaping an abusive husband as well as violence from cartels, not easy to do in the midst of her country’s spiraling economy. She said that she was terrified of the idea of crossing into the U.S. but felt she had no choice.

“We’re still dealing with the aftermath of the pre-May 12th surge…and we really want to avoid [a situation] where there are hundreds of people dropped in the streets as temperatures rise. Right now, we’re trying to gear up for that,” Seitz said.

But first, they’re paying attention to the recently released like Urdaneta.