tvc.dsj.org | August 20, 2019
IN THE CHURCH
13
Gratitude To All Farmworkers Without Exceptions
By Hosffman Ospino
Catholic News Service
We all like our fresh salads, vegeta-
bles and fruits. If we eat meat, we want
the best quality. However, these do not
grow or raise themselves. They come
to us thanks to the hard and dedicated
work of farm laborers.
In the United States there are about 3
million farmworkers. The vast majority,
about 80%, are Hispanic.
Mindful of the strong Catholic
roots among Hispanics, more than
half of farmworkers in the U.S. could
be Roman Catholic. We need better
statistics about this. Nearly half of all
farmworkers in our country live in ir-
regular migratory status, most in this
group for 10 years or longer.
Farm laborers are likely to live in
poverty. On average, a farmworker
in the U.S. makes $10.60 per hour -
or $22,048 yearly, assuming steady
employment.
Besides the arduous physical work,
there are significant risks associated
with laboring in the agricultural world:
bodily injuries, exposure to pesticides
and other chemicals, poor access to
health care, low educational opportu-
nities, etc.
Without a doubt, those involved in
agricultural work perform a labor of
love and sacrifice that deserves more
appreciation.
When ordering our salads or prepar-
ing meals for our children, perhaps our
last concern is the ethnicity, immigra-
tion status or religious affiliation of the
farmworkers who literally make food
possible for us every day.
Yet, knowing this is important. We
cannot ignore that farmworkers are
flesh-and-blood women and men, with
families, with dreams, who with their
labor are committed to making this a
strong society.
It is ironic that political and legal
decisions that sometimes have negative
effects upon millions of farmworkers
and their families are made by leaders
who later sit down to celebrate their
feats with friends and relatives, eating
what those same farmworkers culti-
vated or raised.
That includes policies that lead to
the reduction of social benefits for those
at the very bottom of our social scale
or massive deportations of undocu-
mented immigrants.
Many Catholic dioceses, parishes,
and organizations strive to serve the
spiritual and physical needs of farm-
workers, yet the resources allocated
to this ministry are often scant. Farm-
workers are practically everywhere,
and in many places ministry to this
population is not a priority.
Our ministries remain too central-
ized in churches and offices, thus
proving practically inadequate for a
farm-working population with high
Those on Path to Legal Immigration Face
Roadblock on Public Funds
WA SH I NGTON (C NS) - - Th e
Trump administration announced
Aug. 12 a plan to deny permanent le-
gal immigration status for those who
use public funds such as food stamps
or public housing. The news came as
no surprise, as administration offi-
cials had been publicly discussing for
months instituting a “public charge”
policy that would hurt immigrants’
chances at permanent residency and
cit izenship and even t hreatened
deportation for those who sign up
for public benefits. The National Im-
migration Law Center said the term
“public charge” in immigration law
refers to “a person who is primarily
dependent on the government for
support,” and explained the new rule
“would broaden the definition of who
is to be considered a public charge so
that it includes immigrants who use
one or more government programs
listed in the proposed rule.” Though
immigrants have had to prove self-
sufficiency to obtain permanent resi-
dency, the expansion of the definition
would add a hurdle for some.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishops had long argued against it
and in September 2018 said such ac-
tion would “prevent families from
accessing important medical and
social services vital to public health
and welfare.”
The new policy is set to take ef-
fect in 60 days, but it will likely be
challenged in court. “Through the
public charge rule, President Trump’s
administration is reinforcing the ide-
als of self-sufficiency and personal
responsibilit y, ensuring that im-
migrants are able to support them-
selves and become successful here in
America,” said Ken Cuccinelli, acting
director of U.S. Citizenship and Im-
migration Services, during a White
House briefing Aug. 12.
rates of mobility, poverty and other
forms of social vulnerability.
This is an invitation on Labor Day
and the weeks surrounding this holi-
day to pay more attention to our social
and ecclesial interconnectedness with
farmworkers and to bring the best of
our advocacy skills to ensure that they
can go about their lives with dignity.
Honoring the work of those engaged
in agricultural work is an invitation to
reflect on the quasi-eucharistic dimen-
sion of their activity. Let us remember
that at the core of the term Eucharist is
an action of thanksgiving.
Farmworkers teach us with their
labor that sacrifice and gratitude go
hand in hand to give life. They remind
us of the fruitfulness of the earth. From
them we learn our responsibility to care
for the created order, which makes it
possible that we can eat and sustain
our families.
At Mass we say, “Blessed are you,
Lord God of all creation, for through
your goodness we have received the
bread we offer you: fruit of the earth
and work of human hands, it will
become for us the bread of life.” What
a great opportunity to remember the
work of farm laborers as a daily offer-
ing to God!
Catholic Peace Advocates Commemorate
Hiroshima, Nagasaki Anniversaries
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- About 40
peace advocates representing about a
dozen religious communities held a
special Hiroshima and Nagasaki Com-
memoration Prayer Service of Repen-
tance midday Aug. 9 outside the White
House. It was the 74th anniversary of
the U.S. dropping an atomic bomb on
Nagasaki, Japan, killing about 74,000
people. Three days earlier, the group
held a similar observance at the Penta-
gon to mark the Aug. 6, 1945, bombing
by the U.S. of Hiroshima, killing more
than 100,000 people. It was the first
atomic bomb used in warfare. Japan
surrendered Aug. 15. Organizers of
the commemoration said the two non-
violent acts of public witness called
on the U.S. government to repent for
the bombings of Japan and urged the
abolition of all nuclear weapons in
the U.S. and worldwide. Anniversary
events were held Aug. 6-9 in Hiroshima
and Nagasaki, as well as at nuclear
weapons facilities throughout the U.S.
In Washington, the group heard tes-
timony from Michiko Kodama, who
at age 7, experienced the Hiroshima
atomic bombing. At 82, she is now the
assistant secretary-general of the Japan
Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Suf-
ferers Organizations.