"I was a stranger and you welcomed me..." —Matthew 25:35 "We pray for a heart which will embrace immigrants. God will judge us upon how we have treated the most needy." —@Pontifex (Pope Francis)
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Fun Fact
The “We are the 99%” Tumblr blog became the slogan for the Occupy Wall Street movement.
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(Cardinal Timothy Dolan reflects on trip to Iraq...excerpt from the National Catholic Reporter.)
NCR: There is a significant population in the U.S. that is anti-refugee, anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim. How do you change the hearts and minds about what is happening to both Christians and Muslims here in the Middle East?
Dolan: One of the things we need to tell our people is that we caricature refugees. We think that the whole world wants to come to the United States. What we hear over and over again is, "We don’t want to go to the United States. We want to go home." Bishop Murphy and I heard somebody at the shelter say, "Thanks for the medicine. Thanks for the education. We would rather be poor and hungry at home than being taken care of away from home." So sometimes we in the United States get this idea that the whole world wants to come here. The whole world wants to live in their own homes with security and stability and with some type of peace and prosperity. That’s what we’re hearing and America needs to know that.
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“They had heard that refugees had a strong work ethic...”
A great story from our Syracuse, NY program:
Abdikadir arrived in the United States in July with his wife, eight children, and mother. He is from Somalia, and is fluent in English. In the refugee camp in Kenya, he worked as a nurse in the medical clinic and helped take care of the other refugees, working with doctors from many countries. Within days of his arrival, Abdikadir began volunteering at CYO, translating for other Somali refugees and helping the Refugee Health Coordinator in any way that he could. Abdi was eager to find a job, and hoped that he could find a job in the medical field. Often Abdi would help employment specialists with clients’ job interviews, acting as an interpreter. He attended employment preparation classes, and helped translate the material for the other Somali students. In the Fall of 2015, Catholic Charities received a call from Wilson Dental. They were looking for refugees who spoke English to work in their clinics. They had heard that refugees had a strong work ethic, and they wanted to better serve the growing number of refugees utilizing their clinics. Abdikadir was the natural and first choice of the Employment Specialists. After interviewing Abdikadir, he was offered the job of dental assistant. In the clinic in Kenya, he also assisted with dental work, so this position was familiar and perfect for him. The staff helped Abdikadir learn to use the bus to get to work, and he has worked every day since. He still comes to our office on his days off to volunteer, and his wife and children are both in school, learning English rapidly.
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A much-needed reminder from one of our colleagues here at MRS
She wrote this on her personal Facebook page, and we received permission to share it here:
I have worked for the past 10 years as an advocate, a social worker, and a program director for refugees and immigrants. This is my calling. I do this work because I am a humanitarian and a person of faith and I believe we are all brothers and sisters in this world and need to take care of each other. I do it because I am a proud American and I am so grateful to have been born into this country that serves as a beacon of hope for refugees and immigrants fleeing persecution and violence and searching for safety and freedom for themselves and their families. Most importantly, I do this work because I am deeply moved, and know I am in the presence of God, each and every time I talk to a refugee or asylum seeker. I have learned more about compassion, gratitude, faith, hope, and resilience from refugees and migrants than from anyone else.
Refugees and asylum seekers often witness torture and murder of their families-- like a 21-year-old refugee I know from Congo who witnessed the slaughtering of his family when he was 12 and narrowly escaped. He wandered through Uganda for two years before finding a refugee camp where he lived for another three years before being registered as a refugee by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and undergoing comprehensive screening by the U.S. Government. He arrived to the U.S. at 17, knowing less than 10 words of English and having minimal formal education and was placed in the Unaccompanied Refugee Minor program. He studied every day until midnight, graduated from high school with a 3.8 GPA, is now pursuing a dual degree in political science and criminal justice at an university, mentors at-risk youth, and founded a NGO in Uganda to protect refugee children. He finds strength in his faith, and loves America. I am privileged to know him and be a part of his story and I am so excited about what the future holds for him. He is extraordinary.
Refugees and asylum seekers are often forcibly displaced, like the Syrian refugee I met in Malaysia whose entire neighborhood was burned down by ISIS. She, her husband, and their two children fled Syria with nothing but the clothes on their back-- everything else perished in the fire. They went to Yemen, where they found more conflict and violence, and ended up in Malaysia. Malaysia is not a signatory to the Geneva refugee convention (a UN treaty established after WWII which holds signatory countries accountable for providing refuge to persons who are fleeing persecution). They are living in poverty as refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia are not allowed to legally work; are afraid to go outside as exploitation, extortion, and detention of refugees is a standard practice in Malaysia; and their children are receiving limited education from a NGO with a minuscule budget as refugee children in Malaysia are not allowed to matriculate through the school system. She looked at me with longing and said, "I am just like you. I have a Ph.D. in computer science. I lived in a nice house. Now, l worry that my children are being deprived of a childhood and an education. I worry about their futures. I worry about their safety." They are women and children from Central America who, like a grandmother in El Salvador told me, "are ashamed that they can not protect their own families." She told me about her two grandsons who were targeted by gangs as they rode the bus to and from school. She knew that the fate of young boys targeted by gangs is to become a gang member or be killed by the gangs. Police reports went unanswered. She tried moving and encountered the same experience in the new neighborhood. "There is no safe space," she said.
I have many more stories to share if you'd like to hear them.
Working in this field has its challenges-- there is never enough resources to respond to the human need and we are constantly challenged by policies that restrict the ability of refugees and asylum seekers to access protection. Our current challenge is ensuring that we, from a place of compassion, educate our families and friends on the refugee context and lift the voices of refugees and asylum-seekers among us.
We live in a scary world. There are 60 million people who are forcibly displaced-- the highest since WWII. The news is flooded with stories of human tragedy.
Providing welcoming and hope to refugees is the bright light amidst the horror and tragedy of war. It is the human thing to do.
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USCCB/MRS response to Paris attacks & Syrian refugee resettlement
Bishop Eusebio Elizondo, Chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Migration, issued a statement on Syrian refugees during the Bishops’ annual General Assembly in Baltimore Nov. 17.
On behalf of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration, I offer my deepest condolences to the families of the victims of the November 13 attacks in Paris, France and to the French people. I add my voice to all those condemning these attacks and my support to all who are working to ensure such attacks do not occur again—both in France and around the world.
I am disturbed, however, by calls from both federal and state officials for an end to the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the United States. These refugees are fleeing terror themselves—violence like we have witnessed in Paris. They are extremely vulnerable families, women, and children who are fleeing for their lives. We cannot and should not blame them for the actions of a terrorist organization.
Moreover, refugees to this country must pass security checks and multiple interviews before entering the United States—more than any arrival to the United States. It can take up to two years for a refugee to pass through the whole vetting process. We can look at strengthening the already stringent screening program, but we should continue to welcome those in desperate need.
Instead of using this tragedy to scapegoat all refugees, I call upon our public officials to work together to end the Syrian conflict peacefully so the close to 4 million Syrian refugees can return to their country and rebuild their homes. Until that goal is achieved, we must work with the world community to provide safe haven to vulnerable and deserving refugees who are simply attempting to survive. As a great nation, the United States must show leadership during this crisis and bring nations together to protect those in danger and bring an end to the conflicts in the Middle East.
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Jacqui’s story
Today we bring you the inspiring story of Jacquelin Zubko-Cunha, who runs our BRYCS (Bridging Refugee Youth and Children's Services) program, and her family.
My family has always appreciated the immigrant story/dream. My mom’s grandparents immigrated from Slovakia just before WWII and my dad’s parents came as refugees from Ukraine shortly after the war.
In 1975, my dad (top photo) served as military police in Fort Indiantown Gap, PA. In 1975, the Gap served as a refugee camp for southeast Asian refugees. For eight months, more than 32,000 Vietnamese and Cambodian refugees were resettled through the installation. USCCB, then called NCCB/USCCB, was the primary agency in charge.
When I started college in 2004 at the University of Dayton, I knew I wanted to do something with International Studies/Human Rights, given my upbringing. I had a wonderful professor, Theo Majka, who taught Immigration and convinced me that I also needed to be a SOC major. When my dad passed away in 2005, we came across these photos and chuckled at the similar paths we seemed to end up on.
Now, most recently, my sister Grace (with me in the bottom photo) became an intern with Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley (CSSMV), one of our subsidiaries. She is helping newcomers through the integration/orientation process. Also a product of our upbringing, Dayton’s Marianist values, and Professor Theo Majka’s influence…she seems to be on the same rewarding path.
I’m proud that serving refugees, immigrants, and other vulnerable people has become our family legacy.
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Want to share what #50yearsofMRS has meant to you and your organization? Please do!
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Bhutanese refugees are opening successful businesses in Cleveland, OH. Through hard work and patience the entrepreneurs are supporting local communities of refugees, as well as introducing Bhutanese cuisine and culture to their new hometown.
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In the DC area? Join us for a very special anti-trafficking mass on Sunday.
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Pope Francis Address to Catholic Charities USA Convening
I know that the work that you do in the United States of America in Catholic Charities in your local dioceses, and on the national level, on behalf of the poor person, the lonely single, the elderly shut-in, the young family, the homeless adult, the hungry child, the refugee youth, the migrant father, and so many others, allows them to know and experience the tremendous and abundant love of God through Jesus Christ. You are the very hands of Jesus in the world. Your witness helps to change the course of the lives of many persons, families and communities. Your witness helps to change your heart.
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What's going on, and where USCCB & MRS stand.
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First Vietnamese Refugee General in US Army, thanks to Catholic Charities Los Angeles
39 years ago, the Immigration & Refugee Division of Catholic Charities LA (then named the Catholic Welfare Bureau) ensured that Major Duong Xuan Luong, his wife, and their eight children, found a safe home in the United States. Michael Casey, a former US Marine, co-sponsored Major Luong and his family, having fought alongside Major Luoung, a former Vietnamese Marine. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles also sponsored the family, who attended Mass every Sunday at Our Lady of Loretto Parish on Union Avenue. When Major Luong passed away in 1997, after 22 years in the United States, his funeral was held there.
Major Luong's only son, Viet Luong, was ten years old when his family was resettled by Catholic Charities Los Angeles. Viet Luong attended the University of Southern California and joined the US Army after graduation. He served with the 82nd Airborne Bivision and the 173rd Airborne Brigade. After twenty years in the Army, he will be promoted on August 6th, in Texas, from the rank of Colonel to the rank of General. He will be the first Vietnamese refugee General in the US Army.
USCCB Migration and Refugee Services congratulates Col. Luong and his family.
Read Col. Luong's biography here.
The Army-Times has a great article from 2009 on Col. Luong's preparation for service in Afghanistan.
Thank you to Mr. Loc Nguyen, Director of Immigration and Refugee Department at Catholic Charities Los Angeles, for this information.
Photo from hood.army.mil/1stcavdiv/pages/leaders/dcgm.aspx
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Here’s how USCCB/MRS is helping with the humanitarian crisis of unaccompanied children—and how you can too.
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Join us! Stand with the Catholic Bishops on #immigrationreform. Questions? Check out this piece by Archbishop Wenski of Miami, writing the day of last week's #MassontheHill to pray for immigrants: http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/foreign-policy/207485-catholic-clergy-to-house-immigration-reform-now
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