National Migration Week 2015
National Migration Week is celebrated each year by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Migration
Maryknoll missioners have worked with migrants and people on the move for decades. They have served Burmese refugees in Thailand, Filipino and Thai workers all over Asia, Burundian and Rwandan refugees in East Africa, and have accompanied Guatemalans, who, after years in Mexico, returned home to start anew in a more peaceful country. Our faith compels us to stand in solidarity with migrants.
In the United States, we are profoundly affected by the contribution of migrants in our society, and we have a responsibility to treat them, like all the rest of God’s creation, with dignity and respect. Maryknoll missioners work in ministries serving migrants on the U.S.-Mexico border. In our work on U.S. migration policy, we focus on access to asylum and humanitarian protection, refugee aid and resettlement, and access to citizenship.
Maryknoll Joint Leadership Statements on Migration: Toward Global Solidarity (2006) and Statement on the Migrant Caravan (2018)
Policy Brief: Justice for Immigrants and Refugees in U.S. Policy
“No longer slaves, but brothers and sisters”: Pope Francis’ 2015 World Day of Peace statement
Pope Francis gives a strong statement condemning modern-day slavery in his 2015 World Day of Peace message.
Baptism of our Lord
Fr. John Sivalon, MM, who served in Tanzania, wrote the following reflection. It is also published in A Maryknoll Liturgical Year: Reflections on the Readings for Year B, available from Orbis Books.
National call in days to protect families from deportation, Dec. 9-12
Another round of call in days will be held this week, Dec. 9-12, to urge Congress to protect families from deportation.
Maryknoll responds to Obama’s decision to defer deportation for millions
The Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns congratulates President Obama for his Nov. 20 announcement to take executive action to provide protection from deportation for possibly five million undocumented persons.
Contact the White House and urge broader relief for undocumented immigrants
Immigrant rights groups and faith communities across the country have been urging the administration to take bold, concrete actions to stop the pain that families and communities face due to deportations.
Congress must address factors driving migration
The following is an excerpt from a letter sent in October to Congressional leaders as they work on the Fiscal Year 2015 State and Foreign Operations bills; it was signed by 52 faith-based, humanitarian, labor, and human rights organizations including the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns (MOGC).
Time for a new sanctuary movement
That there is an immigration crisis in this country with great humanitarian concerns is widely acknowledged; the question remains how to address this complicated legal, political and community issue.
U.S. funds create “21st century border”
According to a report crafted by the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) and the Jesuit Conference of the United States, the recent drop in the number of migrants from Central America trying to enter the U.S. through the southern border can be attributed to the policies being implemented by the Mexican and Central American governments at the behest of, and with funding from, the U.S. government.
Webinar: The New Sanctuary Movement
You are invited to a webinar on the Catholic response to the New Sanctuary Movement.
Nov. 5-13: National call in days to protect families from deportation
From Nov. 5-13, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Justice for Immigrants campaign will sponsor a week of call-in days to the White House to urge protection for families facing deportation.
Send message to Obama, Congress urging end to family detention
Use this link at the Justice for Immigrants’ website to send a message to the president and Congress opposing the use of family detention in regards to Central American and Mexican migrants at the U.S. border.
Newly arrived Central American children: The role of U.S. policy in the current situation
The Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns is a cosponsor of this event along with Witness for Peace and the Institute for Policy Studies.
Feast of All Saints
The following reflection was prepared by Fr. Dave Schwinghamer, who spent much of his mission life in Tanzania. He currently serves with the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns.
30th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)
The following reflection was prepared by Judy Coode who works at the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns.
Sign petition for specific, immediate action on immigration
El Paso’s Annunciation House, which has provided shelter for migrants for decades, has drafted this petition to President Obama, urging specific and immediate action on immigration.
Volunteers, donations needed for refugees
The following request for action and support was circulated by the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, based on information from the Sisters of Loretto Nazareth.
29th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year A)
The following reflection was prepared by Cecelia Aguilar Ortiz, a former Maryknoll lay missioner in Thailand