Koinonia

Koinonia is a quarterly newsletter for members of the Parish Social Ministry Section.

Current Issue: Winter 2010

Past Issues

To access past issues, please visit our archives page.

Comments or Questions?

Please contact Tina Baldera at tbaldera@catholiccharitiesusa.org. 

About

The Greek word, used in Scripture primarily by Paul, is translated to mean “communion.”

The term is understood in the Christian tradition to have two related meanings. The most evident biblical connotation of koinonia is the “fellowship” of the community of the gospel (Galations 2:9), marked especially by the shared meal that was the custom of the early Christians.

The word also signifies the mystical communion entered into at Eucharist, what the first Christian community simply called “the breaking of the bread” (Acts 2:42).

 


Our Grand Finale: Immigration

By Rachel Lustig, Director of Parish Social Ministry, Catholic Charites USA

In light of the Parish Social Ministry (PSM) Section’s ability to highlight resources and information in real time on the PSM Section Web site, and the group problem solving and best practice sharing that is happening through the PSM Section discussion list, Catholic Charities USA has decided to sunset Koinonia. This will be the final edition.

Knowing this, the PSM Section Editorial Team wanted to focus on a topic that PSM Section members have expressed time and again as being critical to their work and close to their hearts – immigration. Knowing that there is a real possibility that immigration reform will come up on the federal legislative agenda this year and that it will be crucial that parishes mobilize to pass comprehensive immigration reform that emulates the principles outlined in Catholic social teaching – the PSM Section Editorial Team set out to prepare parish social ministers for this opportunity and challenge.

To do this: we have included a vision for a humane and effective immigration policy, an analysis of the current political landscape, resources and best practices that PSM Section members found helpful in mobilizing people for the 2007 immigration debates. But, that didn’t seem like enough…

All of the members of the PSM Section Editorial Team are descendents of immigrants to the U.S., but none of us immigrated or had parents who did. Yet, as we were discussing this edition of Koinonia, there was one thing that we all had in common – we all know people who have recently immigrated to the United States. We know the situation that they were in before they immigrated. We know how difficult the decision to immigrate was for them. We know how long and complicated the U.S. immigration process has been for them. More importantly, we had come to know who they are. We had come to see how much that we have in common.

For me, it is my friend Jose. He immigrated to the United States as a boy after a series of natural disasters devastated Honduras. He came to be with his mother, who was already living in Virginia. I know his stories of being raised with several of his cousins in his grandparents’ house in a rough neighborhood before he immigrated. I know the story of how he got to the United States as a child, legally but without either parent’s accompaniment. His process of becoming a legal permanent resident has been set-back by bad advice from affordable, but incompetent legal counsel and an official Honduran birth certificate that didn’t have his correct date of birth. The process, especially how long and confusing that it is, weighs on him, but it doesn’t get in the way of his ability to be one of the best husbands and fathers that I know or one of the best friends that I have.

All of the team members had a person like Jose in their lives. And, as the PSM Section Editorial Team thought about them, we realized how their presence in our lives has shaped our role as immigrant advocates. When we were drawn into their stories, we were simultaneously drawn into their struggle. We have also seen their stories have the same impact on others. If only everyone could hear the story of someone like Jose.

The good thing is that it is possible to create a situation in which people can hear the stories of those who have recently immigrated. One scenario is highlighted in the article by Debbie DiCarlo about a community organizing group that made it possible for five immigrant families to share their stories with the mayor of Phoenix. It would be incredible if we could replicate this situation in cities across the United States!

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Sharing Stories: The Mayor, Five Immigrant Families and a Widow

By Debbie DiCarlo, Director of Parish Social Ministry, St. Paul Catholic Community, Phoenix, Arizona

I am a firm believer that you can be changed by hearing one another’s stories – I have seen it happen. Hearing the stories of recent immigrants helped my mayor take the courageous stand that he has to support comprehensive immigration reform. Last November, I had the opportunity to interview him about it. He told me his story.

Phil Gordon is the mayor of Phoenix. Phoenix is a tough environment for immigrants, known for strict enforcement policies and anti-immigrant rallies. Through Mayor Gordon’s first term and into his second, he navigated the immigration issue with a cool and reasonable approach which always favored comprehensive immigration reform.

This approach worked for him until Police Officer Nick Erfle was murdered by an undocumented immigrant who had previously been deported. This happened just as the federal government failed to pass immigration reform. The two incidents incited anti-immigrant groups, and they demanded a response from the mayor. On December 5, 2007, Gordon announced a shift in city policy steering away from his previous moderate approach towards one much more aligned with strict enforcement of status for all immigrants and penalization for the simple ‘crime’ of presence.

At this point, Valley Interfaith Project (VIP), mobilized to show the mayor that there are people who support the rights of immigrants. VIP, a partner of Catholic Charities Community Services and a Catholic Campaign for Human Development grantee, had built a relationship with the mayor over his tenure. They organized a meeting with him and five immigrant families at a local Catholic parish. The purpose of the meeting was to provide the immigrant families with the opportunity to tell the mayor what it was like to be an immigrant in Phoenix. They relayed their experience and fears. Mayor Gordon was drawn into their stories and was visibly moved by the experience.

Another strong voice for immigrant’s rights was Julie Erfle, Police Office Nick Erfle’s widow. In her grief and search for understanding, Julie was not satisfied with the anti-immigrant sentiment that burst out of her loss. She educated herself on immigration issues and concerns. Julie became an outspoken advocate of compassionate dialogue on the immigration issue. At the request of Mayor Gordon, Julie Erfle addressed a national conference of the Police Foundation in Washington DC on August 21, 2008, saying,

It would be easy to say ‘deport his family’; just deport them all. They killed my husband…Except ‘they’ didn’t kill my husband. A fellow named Erik Martinez killed my husband, and Erik Martinez isn’t a ‘they.’ He is however a very powerful example of a failed immigration policy…I want to bring that discussion (immigration reform) forward.

Mayor Gordon drew inspiration from the five immigrant families and Julie Erfle. He listened and experienced their tears and pain. Moved by his encounter, Mayor Gordon committed to these families that he would rework the police department’s internal immigration policy. In an environment where it seemed there were several anti-immigrant voices, Mayor Gordon knew there were people who wanted to preserve the rights of immigrants and ensure public discourse.

At a gathering of 1500 VIP members in April 2008, Mayor Gordon acknowledged the important role of ordinary people organizing their voices to stand up for human dignity, when he said, “I understood – when I came to the church, and heard your stories.” These stories put a human face to the issue. Their powerful testimony countered the vocal anti-immigrant sentiment that the mayor so often hears.

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Moving Forward in the Immigration Debate

By Lucreda Cobbs, Sr. Director of Advocacy and Civic Engagement, Catholic Charities USA

Immigration reform has resurfaced as a priority issue on Capitol Hill, and recently Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Homeland Security, outlined the Administration's priorities for immigration reform. While the President and leadership of the majority party in Congress support comprehensive immigration reform (CIR); passage of a comprehensive bill will not be easy. In order to win the passage, support is needed from some key moderate elected officials. Right now there are quite a few strong votes for reform in the Senate, but there are concerns that the support might not be enough to get the 60 votes needed for passage. In the U.S. House of Representatives, there is also strong support for passage of immigration reform legislation, but also likely not enough to win the 218 needed for passage.

This calls into question if immigration reform is likely to come before Congress this year. Certainly, there is strong support for immigration reform, however, it’s important to know and understand where legislators stand on this issue politically. While many members of Congress support and will always vote in favor of immigration reform, there are also legislators who will always vote against it. Many of these members face strong political resistance to immigration reform in their states. This is one reason why it is very important for those of us in support of immigration reform to speak out on this issue. The problem could very well be that those opposed to the issue are making all the noise while reform supporters or those that may not even have an opinion sit quietly on the sidelines and watch—without saying a word. Unfortunately, their silence is mistaken for opposition.

There are also elected officials that are in the middle that can be persuaded either way--it is especially important to develop relationships with these offices and continue to feed them information as to how this is playing out in the agency, parish, and community.

And of course, there are those elected officials that will never vote in favor of CIR legislation. The question is should we weigh in with these members. The answer is yes—we must hold our elected officials accountable and let them know that there are reform supporters within their constituency--after all you vote too! Every one should use their voice to speak out on what they believe.

Moving forward in the debate this time around will require heavy advocacy from supporters at the local level. Recall, immigration legislation was heavily debated in 2007, but failed on the floor of the U.S. Senate. Anti-immigrant advocates locked the phones lines of Congress calling legislators asking/demanding them to oppose CIR. When CIR debate begins—early this year, proponents will have to be ready to mobilize and take a strong stand. Now is the time to prepare and mobilize all people of goodwill.

As stated by the Justice For Immigrants: A Journey of Hope, Catholic Campaign for Immigration Reform, to achieve justice for immigrants in this country and to bring about the kinds of reforms in our nations’ immigration laws, it will be important to better inform the public about immigrants and the problems inherent in current immigration laws. The parishes are an important place for this educational process and the grassroots advocacy that will be essential in bringing about change.

To learn more about getting involved in the Justice for Immigrants Campaign and to access a Parish Resource kit, please visit http://www.jfi.org.

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Resource for Promoting Comprehensive Immigration Reform

By Steve Herro, Social Concerns Director, Catholic Diocese of Green Bay

As the national legislative immigration debate revs up again (we hope!), we have familiar resources, such as Justice for Immigrants (http://www.justiceforimmigrants.org) and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Office of Migration and Refugee Services (http://www.usccb.org/mrs), but I would like to mention several more current sources.

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Best Practices

A Cultural Fair
By Glenn Leach, Social Action Team, Diocese of Davenport

St. Ann’s Parish, Long Grove, IA, held a cultural fair with several cultural groups in our parish putting up displays featuring the way those cultures celebrated some of the sacraments or religious feast days. In addition to the relative newcomers from Latin America and the Philippines, we had the German, Belgian, and Irish traditions of our local folks featured to help us remember that the majority of people are immigrants to the United States.

The social action committee also had “poster sessions” to give a brief history of the various migrations to our part of the world and the attitudes and difficulties faced by all our immigrant predecessors. We stressed the similarities in the dreams and aspirations of those who came. It was surprising to many, for example, to learn that the public schools in Davenport ceased teaching in German only with the declaration of WWI.

A Contemporary Posada
By Elizabeth Lilly, Director, Community and Parish Partnership, Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County

In the Christmas Gospel, Mary and Joseph search for shelter when they arrive in Bethlehem. In the spirit of the Mexican tradition of this gospel reenactment, parishioners from across the diocese have come together for three years to walk through a neighborhood with those who are seeking shelter, or posada.

In recent years, we have modified this existing tradition to create a contemporary Posada. What made this different is the telling of contemporary stories in testimonies on the issues facing the community. We typically had five or six stations focused on shelter, and other basic needs such as health care, education, work with a living wage, and access to social services or safe places for children after school. Our last station was the church or the Catholic Charities center where, finally, when the pilgrims knock and ask for shelter, they are welcomed with open arms.

Each year we also invited JustFaith groups from other neighborhoods in the diocese to participate, to hear the stories, to share the tradition, and to walk together with brothers and sisters who are suffering because of unjust policies. This year, we are presenting the model to all of the parishes and we are encouraging each Posada to include the stories of those seeking shelter safety and opportunity today.

Justice for Immigrants Convening
By Nick Albares, Parish Social Ministry Coordinator, Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans

I recently attended a Justice for Immigrants convening and training in Houston, TX. Many groups worked together to prepare this event- Catholic Charities, CRS southwest, a local community organizing group, the Office of Peace and Justice of the diocese, and St. Thomas University.

This was an excellent opportunity to learn and strategize on the topic of comprehensive immigration reform. It was also great to connect with national staff from the Justice for Immigrants campaign (http://www.justiceforimmigrants.org). The national staff members are fonts of knowledge and experts on the subject of immigration reform. They are very willing to come to your diocese and give presentations.

Organizing this kind of gathering can help launch diocesan efforts to promote the Justice for Immigrants campaign and, ultimately, comprehensive immigration reform. The Archdiocese of New Orleans recently formed a JFI committee and this served as a great spring board for our work.

One Priest’s Heroic Efforts
By Kathy Doyle, Social Ministries Coordinator, St. Brendan the Navigator, Shallotte, NC

St. Brendan the Navigator in Shallotte, NC has 3,700 registered parishioners, over 1,000 are Hispanic, most are undocumented. To increase the percentage of Hispanics graduating from High School, our pastor, Fr. Robert Ippolito, M.S spends a few hours each day at the school making sure that the Hispanic students are working at their capability. The parish provides one-on-one tutoring for those needing it.

Fr. Robert secured a place for one undocumented student who graduated at the top of his class at the local Community College. Parishioners provided daily transportation. After receiving his Associates Degree, Fr. Robert secured a partial scholarship for him at small private in-state college. He is currently completing his Junior Year. Parishioners still provide transportation and the parish supplies a monthly stipend for rent.

Fr. Robert instituted getting US Passports for children of Hispanic descent born in the U.S. Working with the families he completes the paperwork before making the trip to the passport office. He has procured 136 Passports which have proven to be an asset when replacing drivers licenses.

Mobilizing for Comprehensive Immigration Reform
By Ruth Putnam Marchetti, Justice and Peace Coordinator for Wayne and the Finger Lakes Counties, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Rochester

Comprehensive Immigration Reform is the 2009/2010 Public Policy Advocacy Priority for The Diocese of Rochester. The orchards, farms and vineyards in our part of northern New York draw many seasonal migrant farmworkers, who have come under intense pressure lately from Border Patrol and ICE. We've been working on this issue for a number of years; our bishop, Matthew Clark has spoken out on the issue in conjunction with other local faith leaders, in print and at public vigils. Justice and Peace staff has supported and helped recruit local residents to stand vigil outside the Spanish Mass in a rural community when Border Patrol began patrolling the area before, during and after Mass. Several local parishes are doing JustFaith's immigration module, Crossing Borders, an excellent resource. In August parishes received a preliminary packet of educational materials; another was sent out right after Thanksgiving to prepare parishes to participate in Justice for Immigrants' postcard campaign.

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A Humane and Effective Immigration Policy

By Allison Posner, Esq., Director of Advocacy, Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc

At least 12 million undocumented immigrants live and work in the United States today. The motivations pushing immigrants to risk unauthorized entry into America are varied, but most come with the hope of reuniting with family members already here or to find work that will provide support for their family back home. The existing immigration system has resulted in a growing number of people in this country living in the shadows as they work hard at jobs that would otherwise go unfilled. The Catholic Church believes that current immigration laws and policies undermine immigrants’ human dignity and have kept families apart.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC), Catholic Charities USA and other Catholic partners are working with members of Congress on a legalization plan that is humane and effective. Specifically, we have shared our reform principles with Senate and House of Representative staffers who have been actively talking to advocacy and civil rights groups, faith-based groups, and labor groups to identify the most essential components of a comprehensive bill that would be introduced in Congress.

In October, at a Senate hearing on Faith-Based Perspectives on Comprehensive Immigration Reform, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, Archbishop Emeritus of Washington, DC, outlined the key elements the U.S. bishops believe should be addressed in any immigration reform legislation. He told Congress that the United States must:

  • Bring the undocumented population in this country out of the shadows and give them a chance, over time, to achieve permanent residency and citizenship.
  • Preserve family unity by strengthening family-based immigration.
  • Create legal avenues for migration, so that migrant workers, who labor in many important industries in our nation, are able to enter the country legally and in a safe and orderly fashion.
  • Give immigrants their day in court by restoring due process protections removed in previous legislation.
  • Work with neighboring countries and the international community to address the root causes of migration, so that immigrants and their families ultimately can remain in their home countries and support their families in dignity.

In his testimony before the Senate committee, Cardinal McCarrick also urged senators to keep the discourse “civil” and to refrain from “labeling and de-humanizing our brothers and sisters” and not “scapegoat them for unrelated economic or social challenges we face.”

Both Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Representative Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) are in the process of drafting comprehensive immigration reform bills. Yet, it seems unlikely that there will be a vote on an immigration bill in either house of Congress until a health care bill is passed.

“In our view, our immigration laws ultimately must be judged by how they impact the basic dignity and God-given human rights of the human person,” McCarrick said.

The aspect of comprehensive reform that is most troubling to some concerns legalization. Specifically, CLINIC, Catholic Charities USA and the US Conference of Catholic Bishops support an earned legalization program that includes:

  • Simple, broad, easy to understand eligibility standards – such as extending availability to anyone in the United States on a particular date;
  • Simple program design – a one-step application process or a simple two-step process that would provide applicants with employment authorization after the first step is completed;
  • A comprehensive plan (developed in coordination with community-based organizations) as to how the Department of Homeland Security will go about managing a legalization program, and appropriate funding to the Department of Homeland Security to carry out the program;
  • Generous evidentiary standards;
  • A commitment to confidentiality of applicants’ information; and
  • Exceptions for the range of immigration-related violations that typically bar undocumented immigrants from securing permanent residency.

For updates and info on how you can get involved, visit the Justice For Immigrants (JFI) campaign at http://www.justiceforimmigrants.org. There, you will find information on immigration basics, countering myths about immigrants, and more on the Church’s position, as well as information about how you can get involved individually and with your parish.

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