The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has announced that National Migration Week 2016 will take place January 3-9. This year’s theme is “A Stranger and You Welcomed Me.”
Each year, National Migration Week calls U.S. Catholics to deeper awareness and action in regard to both local and international migration issues, including unaccompanied child migrants, refugees, and human trafficking.
The District of San Francisco New Orleans “Lasallians Without Borders” initiative invites all District Lasallians to participate in National Migration Week, and will be providing a number of special announcements and prayer/educational resources for the District’s ministries. Announcements and resources will be posted here and updated daily.
According to the USCCB web site, “The observance of National Migration Week began over 25 years ago by the U.S. bishops to give Catholics an opportunity to take stock of the wide diversity of peoples in the Church and the ministries serving them. The week serves as both a time for prayer and action to try and ease the struggles of immigrants, migrants and vulnerable populations coming to the United States.”
Resources
USCCB Prayer and Policy Resources
Catholic Relief Services Prayer Resources
Immigration Prayers & Reflections for the Journey (Archdiocese of Chicago)
United Nations Document on Migration and Human Rights
Justice for Immigrants Web Site
Education for Justice Web Site
One Book One District Project Announced
The San Francisco New Orleans District Lasallians Without Borders Committee has asked the District’s Lasallians to participate in its inaugural One Book One District project for the 2016-2017 school year. The selected book is national bestseller Enrique’s Journey, by Sonia Nazario.
The project, an initiative from the District’s Immigration Think Tank, is an invitation “to answer the Institute’s call to attend to the needs of our migrant brothers and sisters by doing what we do best, teaching minds and touching hearts…to unify, through literature, the schools in the San Francisco New Orleans District and to educate our students about this timely social justice issue.”
Read the complete story and the Lasallians Without Borders Committee invitation.
Cathedral High School – El Paso Wants to Host Your Papal Visit Attendees
Cathedral High School in El Paso, TX has extended an invitation of lodging and hospitality to District and Region Lasallians who plan on attending Pope Francis’ visit on February 17 to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. The Pope will be ending his visit to Mexico in Ciudad Juarez, directly across the border from El Paso.
Cathedral High School is prepared to host up to 100 Lasallians on a first come first serve basis. Invitations have been sent to District schools via their principals and campus ministry and student activity moderators. Host arrangements in El Paso will include prayer and service opportunities, as well as a borderland orientation presentation from the District’s Lasallians Without Borders Committee.
See Cathedral High School’s invitation.
Read the National Catholic Reporter‘s story on the Papal visit to Mexico.
Read the El Paso Times‘ story on the Papal visit to Ciudad Juarez.
San Miguel High School Releases El Otro Lado Video
In observance of National Migration Week and to celebrate its El Otro Lado immersion program’s eighth year, San Miguel High School, Tucson, AZ, has released the video “El Otro Lado” High School Immersion: US-Mexico Border. Produced by Joe Alexander-Short, it follows a group of Lasallian students and adults as they spent five days this past summer learning about the realities of life for the poor, migrants, and refugees along the Arizona-Mexico border.
San Miguel High school students viewed the video in their Theology classes on January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany, and on January 7. The viewing began with an introductory video, What Do I See, followed by the El Otro Lado video, and ended with the students reading reflections by San Miguel graduates who participated in El Otro Lado.
