The Valley Catholic October 8, 2013 | Page 6

6 HUMAN TRAFFICKING/IMMIGRATION October 8, 2013 Local Catholic Sisters stand up for immigration reform Sisters of the Holy Family and the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose have united with people across the country in FAST ACTION for Immigration Reform. Sister Gladys Guenther, SHF, President of Sisters of the Holy Family, said, “from Sept. 9 through Oct. 18, Sisters will be engaged in prayer, fasting and action aimed at urging Congress to fix our broken immigration system. “This is an opportunity to add our voices to other faith communities in urging Congress to enact reform that reflects the best of our values and helps to build a stronger, more welcoming country,” she said. As a symbolic beginning of their efforts, on Sept. 10 the Sisters and friends gathered on the sidewalk along Mission Boulevard in Fremont to hang a banner, an adaptation of a quote from Jesus: “I was an immigrant and you welcomed me.” Sister Gladys said that their current stance on immigration is an extension of what “we have always done -- served and cared for immigrant populations.” Her congregation began in San Francisco in the 1880s where their foundress served Italian families and children in North Beach. The work continues today serving Kmhmu, Hispanic farm workers and other immigrant and marginalized people. C a t h o l i c S o c i a l Te a c h i n g on immigration Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Migration has called for Congress to enact humane immigration reform legislation soon. He said, “Each day in our parishes, social service programs, hospitals, and schools we witness the human consequences of a broken immigration system. Families are separated, migrant workers are exploited, and our fellow human beings die in the desert. With- Sisters and friends hang banner on fence on Mission Boulevard in Fremont, calling attention to immigration reform issue. out positive change to our immigration laws, we cannot help our brothers and sisters.” The website of the USCCB offers the following prospective: “The Catholic Church in the United States is an immigrant Church with a long history of embracing diverse newcomers and providing assistance and pastoral care to immigrants, migrants, refugees, and people on the move. “Our Church has responded to Christ’s call for us to ‘welcome the stranger among us,’ for in this encounter with the immigrant, the migrant, and the refugee in our midst, we encounter Christ.” The body of Church teaching includes papal encyclicals, bishops’ statements and pastoral letters. In the 2001 pastoral statement, Welcoming the Stranger Among Us: Unity in Diversity, the Bishops of the United States called Catholics to solidarity with diverse newcomers. In 2003, U.S. Bishops together with the Bishops of Mexico, in their pastoral statement, “Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope”/“Juntos en el Camino de la Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul Totally Given to God in Community in a Spirit of Humility, Simplicity and Charity for the Service of those who are Poor since 1633. Are you c alled to be a Sister? Meet us at the Faith Formation Conference November 22-23, 2013 ~ Santa Clara Convention Center Discernment for single catholic women ages 18-40. Esperanza Ya no Somos Extranjeros,” acknowledged the current immigration system is in need of reform. Sisters of the Holy Family and the Dominican Sisters of San Jose invite others to join them and take part in the effort -- pray, fast, and take action by starting or signing petitions, and by contacting legislative representatives. For further information contact: Sister Gladys Guenther, President, Sisters of the Holy Family, 510-292-9833; or Charlotte Hall, Hall Media Group, 530-895-9484, [email protected] T he Valley Catholic Local Sisters work against human trafficking Stop Slavery: Northern California Coali­tion of Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking is a partnership of 10 Bay Area congregations of Religious women. They believe that victims of human trafficking may be rescued if local hotel managers and their staffs are trained to recognize signs of human traffick­ ng and report suspii cious activity to au­ horities. t They contacted Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., global hotel company and owner and operator of St. Re­ is Hotels & Resorts. Sisters g e-mailed managers, sent letters and information about human traffick­ ing and made personal visits to 16 local hotels. Participating in the Coalition are Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, Dominican Sisters of San Rafael, Marist Missionary Sisters, Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose, Religious of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Sisters of Mercy, Sisters of the Presentation, Sisters of St. Francis, Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange, and Sisters of the Holy Names. To learn more about human trafficking, go to www.polarisproject. org or www.stopslavery.org. Santa Clara County Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform joins NATIONAL DAY OF DIGNITY AND RESPECT Immigrant rights organizations nationwide continued escalating pressure on members of Congress to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill by holding more than 100 events Oct. 5 as part of the “Day of Dignity and Respect” for all immigrant families. In San Jose, SIREN is part of the Santa Clara Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform that participated by holding a neighborhood march with community members, elected officials and immigrant rights activists calling on Congress to allow a vote on immigration reform. Supporters demand immigration reform with a path to citizenship that protects the unity of the family and rights of workers and stops the militarization of the border. “The Day of Dignity and Respect was to show House Republicans why they must act quickly on passing an immigration reform bill that contains a path to citizenship and keeps families together,” said Lucila Ortiz, Community Organizer with SIREN. Participants met in the morning at Christ the King Catholic Church, 5284 Monterey Hwy, San Jose and marched to rally at Great Oaks Park, 5221 Snow Drive, San Jose. Speakers included Congressman Mike Honda, Councilmember Ash Kalra, and undocumented local people who told of the negative impact Congress inaction has had on their lives. Begun in 1987, SIREN (Services, Immigrant Rights & Education Network) has assisted nearly 5,000 immigrants to become citizens, educated over 35,000 new American Citizens about voting rights, and promoted new local policies to improve the living conditions of immigrants. Countering human trafficking CONTACT: Sr. Lisa Laguna, D.C. [email protected] DaughtersOfCharity.com 650-949-8890 www.valleycatholiconline.com 213-210-9903 Bishop Patrick J. McGrath has established an Anti-Human Trafficking Network in the Diocese of San Jose under the auspices of the Department of Social Ministries, headed by Linda Batton. The Network meets monthly to strategize ways to counter the trafficking problem, especially educating local parishioners in a diocese which is home to people from many parts of the world. The Network sponsored two educational workshops in October for parish leaders and lay staffs, clergy and school principals, and high school campus ministers. (See report in next edition of The Valley Catholic.)