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Josephine Bakhita – Patron Saint of Human Trafficking Victims

St. Josephine Bakhita – Patron Saint of Human Trafficking Victims – Feast Day, February 8, 2019

For many years, Josephine Bakhita was a slave but her spirit was always free and eventually that spirit prevailed.

Born in Olgossa in the Darfur region of southern Sudan, Josephine was kidnapped at the age of 7, sold into slavery and given the name Bakhita, which means fortunate. She was resold several times, finally in 1883 to Callisto Legnani, Italian consul in Khartoum, Sudan.

Two years later, he took Josephine to Italy and gave her to his friend Augusto Michieli. Bakhita became babysitter to Mimmina Michieli, whom she accompanied to Venice’s Institute of the Catechumens, run by the Canossian Sisters. While Mimmina was being instructed, Josephine felt drawn to the Catholic Church. She was baptized and confirmed in 1890, taking the name Josephine. [Read more…]

Catholic Organizations Playing a Role in Family Reunification

Some of the migrant children under age 5 separated from their families by the government were reunited with loved ones [last week] with help from Catholic organizations.

About two dozen families in all were brought back together on that date with help from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Migration and Refugee Services, Catholic Charities USA and a network of other agencies from around the country.

In all, the Catholic agencies will help reunite 55 families by mid-July and provide short-term care, such as food and shelter, said Bill Canny, executive director of MRS.

“Protection of families is a foundational element of Catholic social teaching and this moment calls on all people of goodwill to lend a hand to reunite these children with their parents,” said a joint statement issued the same day by MRS and Catholic Charities USA.

The children and families were earlier separated by a policy implemented by the Trump administration at the U.S.-Mexico border, seeking to deter illegal border crossings. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in May that people risking improper entry would be subject to having their children taken away, if caught.

The Catholic Church, along with much of the country, condemned the policy and has been advocating for the families’ reunification. After much public outcry and widespread condemnation of the family separation policy, President Donald Trump signed an executive order June 20 saying families would no longer be separated but may be detained together during the process of prosecution and deportation at the border.

The U.S. bishops have expressed concerns with that possibility, asking for alternatives to detention, but seemed intent on lessening the damage already done.

The families of children under 5 that the Catholic organizations helped were reunited at government facilities and then transferred into the care of Catholic Charities organizations around the country, as well as the Annunciation House in the El Paso, Texas/Juarez, Mexico, border region.

They will be assisted with follow-up care for two months as many will leave the facilities and head toward a destination with family or a sponsor somewhere in the U.S.

Canny said the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as well as the Office of Refugee Resettlement reached out to the Catholic organizations, as well as the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service in early July to help with the reunifications.

Immigrant children are released from detention in McAllen, Texas.”They know we are able to tap into a vast Catholic network across the country, which proves valuable for humanitarian and disaster response,” he said.

Working the Front Lines of Migrant Education

The first conference on women religious to be held at the University of Notre Dame’s Kylemore Abbey Global Centre in Ireland focused on the role of women religious in migrant education.

[Last month], sisters working on the front lines in migrant education in places like Italy, the Philippines, Latin America and Nigeria exchanged information and testimonies with scholars who document sisters’ work.

Kathleen Sprows Cummings, associate professor of American studies and history at the University of Notre Dame, oversees the History of Women Religious project, an academic organization devoted to the historical study of Catholic sisters in the United States.  She told Global Sisters Report the impetus for the gathering was the centenary of the death of St. Frances X. Cabrini in 2017. 

The title of the Kylemore conference, “A Pedagogy of Peace,” comes from Pope John Paul II who described Cabrini’s role in educating migrants as a pedagogy of peace, said Sprows Cummings, one of the organizers of the conference.

One of the presenters was Sr. Phil Kilroy of the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, said, “We are all migrants.  There is no pure race. Until that connection is made, we won’t treat migrants properly because we see them as ‘them’.  [In my talk], I was trying to make the point that it is ‘us.’”

Benedictine Sr. Jacqueline Leiter, who teaches English-language learners at St. Paul’s Public School in Minnesota is guided by St. Benedict’s hospitality rule:  “All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ, for he himself will say: “I was a stranger, and you welcomed me.’” But she said after visiting some of her students’ homes, she felt anger and grief,

“I was angry that apartment managers and owners allowed the conditions in which the families lived in crumbling buildings:  mold, cockroaches, cracked walls, peeling floors and leaks,” she said. “I was grieved to see whole families who had to work so hard to make a life for themselves in a new country under these conditions.”

Speaking on behalf of Migrant Project/Sicily run by the International Union of Superiors in General in Rome Sr. Florence de las Villeon of the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus related that congregations and Catholic organizations are putting their energy into setting up centers in Sicily for female migrants to help them avoid prostitution.

Attending the conference were Sr. Patricia Godoy, MSC; Maria Williams, Cabrini research scholar;  and Dr. Maggie McGuinness, former professor at Cabrini College.

To read the full account: http://globalsistersreport.org/news/ministry-migration/working-front-lines-migrant-education-sisters-share-strategies-52926

Cabrini Action and Advocacy Coalition Co-Sponsors Anti-Human Trafficking Symposium

The Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus hold a Corporate Stance against Human Trafficking, which states, “the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus stand in solidarity with the victims of human trafficking.  We condemn the use of violence, abduction, fraud, deception, coercion, or debt bondage to transport women and children from their homes for prostitutions, sexual exploitation, forced labor and/or real or virtual slavery.”  In the words of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “It is a sin against the dignity of persons and their fundamental rights that would reduce them by violence to their productive value or to a source of profit.” [Read more…]

MSCs Continue to Walk with Students from Parkland, Florida

This week, the courageous and articulate students from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida returned to class.  They are now much different young people than they were only two weeks ago.  Their outrage continues.  Their advocacy for changes in gun laws continues. Yet, they also seek a return to normalcy, to be teenagers, once again.

But, what their activism has brought about in the two weeks since violence struck their school and forever changed their lives, is nothing short of remarkable.

Cardinal Cupich of Chicago yesterday said, “the nation’s young people are “shaming the adult world into action” on gun violence.  Their voices are a wake-up call that should have been heard years ago.”

“The time for words is over, our children are telling us.  What is now required is action.  It is now up to those we elect to serve the common good to act to stop the rampant gun violence that has turned our schools, churches, theatres and streets into places of slaughter.”

“Our elected officials…must begin the process of walking away from the moral compromises that doom our society to inaction,” he said.   ~ excerpts from National Catholic Reporter

Making an Impact on Corporations

Yesterday, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc., one of the largest retailers of its kind in the United States, is taking new steps to curtail the sale of firearms, including ending assault-style rifles and banning the sale of guns to people younger than 21, the company announced.

“Based on what’s happened and looking at those kids and those parents, it move us all unimaginably,” company Chairman and CEO Edward Stack said yesterday on “Good Morning America,” referring to the shooting in Parkland, Florida.

“To think about the loss and the grief that those kids and those parents had, we said, ‘We need to do something,’” Stack, whose father, Dick, started the business 70 years ago, explained.  “And we’re taking these guns out of all our stores permanently.”

When asked whether there is a chance the company will reverse its position on the newly announced ban, Stack replied, “Never. We’ve just decided that based on what’s happened with these guns, we don’t want to be a part of this story and we’ve eliminated these guns permanently.”

Prepared for the Backlash

In addition to the steps Dick’s has taken to improve gun safety and mitigate the harm associated with gun products, more than a dozen companies, ranging from hotel operators to insurance providers, have announced plans to stop offering discounts and cost-saving programs for members of the NRA in light of the Florida shooting.

Students who survived the attack are lobbying for tougher gun laws, and many have demanded companies stop doing business with the NRA.

Discussing the possible repercussions for Dick’s, Stack pointed to the courage of those students, many of whom are responsible for mobilizing and organizing gun control rallies, marches and social media-inspired boycotts.

“When we take a look at what those kids and the parents and the heroes in the school, what they did, our view was if the kids can be brave enough to organize like this, we can be brave enough to take these [assault style weapons] out of here, he said of the guns. “Not everyone will be happy [with our corporate decision].”

~ ABC News

Corporations Pulling Their Ties to the NRA

As of today, the following corporations have altered their business practices and/or corporate relationship or business practices with the National Rifle Association (NRS) as a result

of the Parkland, Florida mass shooting.

Alamo-Enterprise-National Car Rental Group – ending discount programs for NRA members

Allied Van Lines – discontinued their affiliation with NRA.

AVIS – Budget Car Rental Group – ending discount programs for NRA members

Chubb Insurance – discontinuing NRA special programs

Delta Airlines – no more discounted travel for NRA members.  Asked for their name to be removed from the NRA website.

Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc.  – will no longer sell assault rifles/ raised age for gun buyers to 21

First National Bank of Omaha – discontinued special rates and discounts for NRA members

Met Life Insurance – ending discount program for NRA members

North American Van Lines – no longer will have an affiliation with NRA.

Simply-Safe – discontinuing their existing relationship with the NRA.

Starkey Hearing Technologies – ending discount rates for NRA members

Symantec Cyber Security – ending discounts for NRA members

True Car – ending its car buying service relationship with NRA members

United Airlines – no more discounted travel rates for NRA members

     Walmart  – will no longer sell assault rifles/raised age for gun buyers to 21

February 8th Feast of St. Josephine Bakhita, Patroness of Trafficking Victims

As human trafficking continues to be a supremely important issue during Pope Francis’ pontificate, with an estimated 20 million victims worldwide, St. Josephine Bakhita, enslaved during her own childhood, undergoing immense suffering throughout her adolescence before discovering the faith in her early 20s. She was baptized, and after being freed entered the Canossian Sisters in Italy.

February 8th, St. Josephine’s feast day, marks the fourth international day of prayer and reflection against human trafficking.

Born in 1869 in a small village in the Darfur region of Sudan, Bakhita was kidnapped by slave traders at the age of seven. So terrified that she could not even remember her own name, her kidnappers gave her the name, “Bakhita,” which means “fortunate” in Arabic.

This was the last time she saw her natural family, being sold and resold into slavery five different times.

Eventually, she was purchased by the Italian consul Calisto Legnani, who later gave her to a friend of the family, Augusto Michieli, who brought her to Italy as a nanny for his daughter. In the Italian families it was the first time she was not mistreated.

After being freed, and remaining with the Canossian Sisters in Italy, she dedicated her life to assisting her community and teaching others to love God. She died on February 8, 1947. She was beatified in 1992 and canonized in 2000 by St. Pope John Paul II.
~ by Hannah Brockhaus, Catholic News Agency

The Missionary Sisters of the Stella Maris Province have a Corporate Stance against human trafficking. The Sisters stand in solidarity with the victims of human trafficking within the territories of the province and around the globe.

“Just as we welcome the immigrant in our midst, we condemn the use of violence, abduction, fraud, deception, coercion, or debt bondage to transport women and children from their homes for prostitution, sexual exploitation, forced labor and/or real or virtual slavery.”

To learn more about the Corporate Stances: http://www.mothercabrini.org/who-we-are/corporate-stances/stop-human-trafficking/

Urge Congress to Protect Trafficking Victims

Background
H.R. 2200, The Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2017, would reauthorize the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000. The TVPA, the original foundational anti-trafficking legislation in the U.S., was created in 2000 and has been reauthorized four times by overwhelmingly bipartisan votes. H.R. 2200 was introduced by Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ-4) and Representative Karen Bass (D-CA-37) on April 27, 2017.
Supporting H.R. 2200 is an important step the United States can demonstrate to continue our nation’s efforts to eradicate human trafficking and assist human trafficking victims. H.R. 2200 ensures critical funding for both domestic and international anti-trafficking programs. Reauthorizing the TVPA allows programs and services that recognize the importance of dignified care for human trafficking victims to continue assisting human trafficking victims.
As Catholics, we are called to protect the dignity of all human beings, especially the most vulnerable. The USCCB’s Committee on Migration has issued a letter of support for H.R. 2200, but we need your help. Urge your U.S. Representative to pass H.R. 2200 to protect victims of human trafficking by sending the following message:

Take Action by sending the following mssage:

Dear Representative,
As a concerned Catholic, I urge you to support H.R. 2200. I firmly believe in the dignity of the human person and this belief calls on me to protect the most vulnerable, including victims of human trafficking. H.R. 2200 is important, as it reauthorizes the TVPA, providing service provisions that will aid victims.
Supporting H.R. 2200 will ensure that our nation’s efforts to eradicate human trafficking and assist human trafficking victims continues.
I thank Congress for its long-standing commitment to confront modern-day slavery. As a Catholic, I stand ready to support victims and appreciate your work to eradicate human trafficking.

What Other Things Can You Do?

Sign Up for JFI Action Alerts.
Link to Our Trafficking Webinar.
Be an Ethical Consumer

Visit the following websites to learn more about which goods may be products of forced or child labor:

Mother Cabrini Shrine Hosts Speakers

humantrafic cr.JPGThe Mother Cabrini Shrine Outreach Committee sponsored an information gathering session on the topic of Human Trafficking with the focus on Colorado and the local counties. Kelly Zebroski from Child Protection Services and Gregg Slater from the County District Attorney Office were the speakers. Thirty-three people attended and took with them twenty English/Spanish name cards with the trafficking hotline number to be distributed in their areas. Attendees also took with them a copy of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart Corporate Stance on Human Trafficking.

Successful Campaign for Human Rights in International Fishing Industry

fisheries 2Informed by his Franciscan Community of an important Lenten advocacy campaign for slave-free seafood, Fr. Edwin Robinson, OFM, Director of Pastoral Care at Cabrini of Westchester, was compelled to raise awareness.  He shared the Lenten initiative led by the Coalition of Catholic Organizations Against Human Trafficking (CCOAHT) with Patricia Krasnausky, President and CEO, and, together, they brought the campaign to the Cabrini community.

In honor of the Year of Mercy, Ms. Krasnausky ordered and distributed over 500 hundred pre-paid postcards addressed to two of the largest distributors of seafood:  Costco and Starkist.  The message on the postcards read:  “Catholics want slave-free seafood this year, and will be vigilant about this as we observe Lent.  We, therefore, kindly urge you to do all in your power to ensure that your supply chains are free of the taint of forced labor.”

Ms. Krasnausky had the postcards signed by many employees of Cabrini of Westchester as well as those in attendance of the Cabrini Day of Prayer, Restoration and Renewal held at Cabrini College.  Many were stunned to learn that the United States imports 80-90% of its seafood, and tens of thousands of people are exploited at every link in the seafood harvesting and production chain.

As a result of Cabrini’s participation, we received the following feedback from CCOAHT.  “Over 15,000 cards were mailed, which exceeded the goals of the campaign.  As a result, the National Fisheries Institute contacted the US Bishops Conference and a meeting is scheduled to occur in May.  This contact means that the mail campaign had an effect.  The initial meeting is the first step in the effort re halting the human trafficking situation in shrimp and fish farming.”

Therefore, all the individuals who signed and mailed in postcards made a significant contribution to the campaign.  Thank you, and God bless one and all!

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