I apologize for the length of this post, but I wanted to share my notes from UDMC this year. It was a great conference.
University of Dallas Ministry Conference
28-29 October, 2011
Session I: Developing Lay Ecclesial Ministry by Francis
Cardinal George (born in Chicago in 1937,
1st native Chicagoan to become bishop of Chicago)
· Cardinal
George wishes to address 4 points
- Ecclesiology/Theology
of the Church: we must start with relationships
- Integrate
Ministries into mission: take a look at the relationship between Church
and the world. In Vatican II, the Church is called the “Sacrament of the
Unity of the Human Race.”
- Culture:
Sacraments, Community, Ecclesiology
- Lay
Ecclesial Ministries
· The
development of the Lay Ecclesial Minister is a “Sign of the Times.”
· In
our culture, there is an idea that what you do equals who you are, this is
inaccurate.
· “Ministry
begins not with control, but in going to others on their terms.”
· Cardinal
George wants to avoid the term cleric—a cleric is someone who is not
accountable to a superior and so as Catholics we shouldn’t use this term.
· Relatedness
is primordial; we are in relationship before we understand the concept of “I.”
· Only
relationships are eternal.
· “Communio”
is basic and important to Vatican II. It is used many times. We miss this in
English because they use several different words to translate it.
o It
is used more than 200 times in Lumen Gentium.
· We
have to rethink community if we are going to be Vatican II Catholics.
· Vatican
II wanted to understand the Church as relationships, not worried about the
state as an institution but the culture of the people.
· How
does the Church address the world in order to change the world?—this is our
mission.
· We
don’t want to be isolated, sectarian.
· The
purpose of Vatican II was not to just change the Church, it was to change the
Church so that we could change the world. It was to enable us to clean up our
act so that we could convert the world.
· It’s
not shaping the state, it’s shaping the culture that we must try to do. [I
would argue that in shaping the culture of a republic like the US, we would be
shaping the state.]
· Cardinal
George discussed the protestant background of the US
· This
protestant background still shapes us, which impedes us in our own faith lives.
· The
Church’s voice is inside, it’s a mother’s voice—it teaches us, tells us how to
think, what to do.
· A
gift is a commodity with a person attached, you accept the gift but also the
person.
· We
share the gifts of Christ.
· The
purpose of ministry is to share the gifts.
· Our
ministries should be welcoming.
· Sacraments
create a new world.
· If
you can’t govern and can’t care for people, don’t become a priest.
· Start
with Christ as pastor and that explains everything else.
· You
cannot be a priest without a people.
· We
all have titles—that title involves the relationship. To think of only the
title without the relationship negates the title.
· Lay—of
the world; Ecclesial—of the Church; Ministry—bringing people closer to Christ.
· Lay
Ecclesial Ministry—Participation in pasturing without the sacrament of Holy
Orders.
· In
Lay Ecclesial Ministry, we are the Church relating to the Church. Disciple relating
to disciple, not head to body.
· You
need a call from the head of the Church, calling you to be Christ not just to
the world, but to other disciples.
· It
is a vocation within a vocation.
· Formation
in Lay Ecclesial Ministry has four components:
- Invisible—the
Call from God. This is an urgency, a sense that God is calling me to serve
beyond what I’m already doing.
It is a call to be in relationship to other disciples to make them
holier.
- Skills
acquisition—Academic. This should not be the most important part, but you
cannot be a good Lay Ecclesial Minister without it.
- Along
with that, personal formation is important. “Together in God’s Service” is
the formation program in Chicago. Personal formation is as important as
academic formation. Lay Ecclesial Ministers are also accountable to the
Bishop, just as a priest is.
· In
Chicago, they do the formation and academic eductionation along with the
seminarians so that there are less divisions between the two groups.
· 80%
of the Lay Ecclesial Ministers in Chicago are women.
· Examples
of Lay Ecclesial Ministers: DREs and Pastoral Associates
- Commissioning—Lay
Ecclesial Ministers are commissioned by the diocese. If the parish can’t
afford a Lay Ecclesial Minister or cuts the program, the diocese sees to
it that the Lay Ecclesial Minister is reassigned. Ministry for the sake of
mission.
Session II: Called to be Prophets and Poets by Dr. Robert
McCarty
· We
must look at our ministry through the lenses of prophet and poet.
· Without
the prophetic core, we lapse into stagnation. Without the poetic core, we lapse
into self righteousness and exhaustion.
· Objectives:
o Discipleship
as call to be prophet and poet.
o 3
skills that a Prophet and poet needs
o The
good news that motivates us
· Prophet:
o Prophets
are the audible voice and the visible sign of the invisible God’s love and
compassion.
o A
prophet reminds the establishment what it was established for, reminds us of
our mission.
o The
prophet takes the inaudible God and makes him audible.
o Tells
the stories of the marginalized.
o Who
is telling the stories of poverty in the US?
o Prophets
are usually reluctant. We’re not born prophets, not born courageous—we become
prophets, we become courageous.
o What
excuses do we make?
o Five
step movement in prophesy:
1.
Assess the situation:
o look
around, see the injustice, name what we see, avoid the conspiracy of silence.
o The
last century was split by the holocausts, epidemics, wars.
o The
prophet has to see it and name it.
o Oscar
Romero was considered safe and middle of the road. They thought he wouldn’t be
a problem for the government. It took a friend’s death to make him see.
o Thomas
Merton—we should always read with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in
the other.
2.
Characterized by speech: no, never, never again.
o hypersensitive
to evil
o not
afraid to speak the truth to power.
o they
ask the hard questions: “How do we…” “Why is it…”
o “Prophets
are a pain in the neck.”
o Jesus
was annoying because of what he says.
o This
is what prophets do—they see and speak out.
3.
Prophesy is anchored in mission and flows from mission
o Prophets
are not judged by their success but by their staying true to the word.
4.
Pathos: Prophesy is characterized by tears.
o Injustice
can seem overwhelming.
o compassion
for the human condition
o having
a moist heart—combination of compassion and tears (a Native American saying)
5.
Leads to a new situation
o The
prophet is transformed by hope
o “Hope
has two lovely daughters: anger and courage.” -Augustine
o Harness
the anger on behalf of change
o Prophets
have to be believed or killed.
o “To
be truly involved in life is prophetic. To be a prophet without experiencing
the pain of rejection, failure, and being misunderstood is impossible.” –Robert
Wicks
o We
also shouldn’t care about that rejection. Keep going anyways.
o Dr.
McCarty was asked by a High School student, “Why did Jesus get whacked in the
first place?” – this is the essential question.
o If
we don’t get this, we don’t get anything.
o Jesus
gets whacked because he redefined the kingdom: “The first shall be last…”—he
ticked off the first.
o We’re
part of the first!
o Jesus
was radical compassion.
o How
much do we love those who seem unlovable?
o Reflection
Questions:
o Where
in your ministry do you feel like a prophet?
o What
are the costs?
o What
are the payoffs?
o Who
have been prophets who spoke to you, challenged you?
· Poet:
o It’s
not enough to do for Jesus, we also have to be in Jesus.
o A
bishop was once asked, “Which do you love more: working for the kingdom of God
or God?” Afterwards, he added another hour of prayer to his day.
o The
prophet emphasizes the work on behalf of the kingdom, the poet emphasizes
relationship with God.
o If
our commitment to Jesus is complete, then our lives will be lived in holy
communion with Him.
o Only
when there is genuine conversion will justice win.
o Don’t
just do something, sit there… this is the ministry of being.
o “The
Christian of the next century will be a mystic or nothing at all.” Karl Rahner
o Our
mystics and not our theologians will be the better chance of relating to our
young people.
o Learn
to sit in the presence
o The
Ministry of Being
§ “I
do mission.” – Prophet
§ “I
am mission.” -Poet
o Just
sitting and waiting with people who are hurting is part of the mission
o To
be a poet, we must practice Sabbath.
o We
must recapture Sabbath theology
o To
live in Sabbath time means to be attuned to the holiness in time.
o Poets
talk about time in terms of the second act, the third stanza… their language is
different than hours and minutes.
o It’s
about being in time so we can stop and listen to what we are called to do in
time.
o Being
present to the moment
o Are
we living fast or are we living deep?
o It’s
challenging to be in the moment right now.
o Unconditional
love is a part of the poet
o Our
culture encourages us to run form experience to experience. We become
experience junkies who collect experiences without dwelling on them.
o We
must be a person of prayer in order to live deep.
o We
will not encounter love by living fast.
o To
practice Shavat:
§ Learn
to stop.
§ Busyness
can cause blindness (or death).
§ Become
attentive.
§ Leisure
is closely allied to Sabbath.
o Let’s
put ourselves in time out.
o To
practice Sabbath is to practice re-creation: creativity, artistic expression
§ Recreation
in community
§ festivity
and delight
§ people
of joy
o Sabbath
repairs the world.
o We
put a limit on Sabbath joy, but this should not be so.
o Remember,
the only thing that Jesus makes for dinner is reservations.
o We
have this idea: “Don’t be too happy, it’s clearly got to be sinful.”
o Only
Catholics could have invented Lent (they were probably Irish Catholics), but
only Catholics could have invented Mardi Gras (the French).
o Our
wonder quotient: when did we last experience wonder and awe?
o Reflection
Questions:
§ When
in my ministry do I most feel like a poet?
§ What
have been the costs?
§ What
have been the payoffs?
§ Who
are poets for me?
· Prophet
and Poet: When we put these two together, we get holiness.
o Mary
and Martha—we need to be both Mary and Marth to be holy.
o Holy
Thursday—breaking bread and washing feet
· We
are called to be a both/and kind of people.
· People
of devotion and people of Catholic Social Teaching. People of Paul/Peter;
Gentile/Jew; Great Cathedrals/Great Soup Kitchens; Progressive/traditional.
· Prophet:
Good Friday and the Crucifixion, Poet: Easter and the Resurrection.
· 3
Skills:
· Pay
Attention. It is heroic to pay attention. Name the false idols and false
values.
o Redefine
the kingdom.
o If
you are not outraged, you are not paying attention.
o Success
is a false message.
o If
relationships are only about use, it’s not a relationship.
o Failure
to notice the false messages leads to corruption.
o There
is a cost to being a true Christian: Romero, MLK Jr.
o In
2009, 23 Catholic missionaries were murdered for their faith.
o But
pay attention also to the good, to the presence of God.
o Collect
moments of grace—those moments are clearly sacramental.
o The
consequences of the moment
· Speak
the Truth gently.
o Speaking
gently as opposed to speaking forcefully and egotistically
o What
truth can the poor speak to us?
o The
spirituality of the oppressed—the call to conversion
o “I
tell you this so that you might have life and have it abundantly.”
o Oscar
Romero said that the poor are preaching in El Salvador and their truth shall
set us free.
o How
we treat the powerless is the real test of the Christian.
o Jesus
named the evil, called for repentance.
o The
call to conversion: turning away and turning towards.
o Through
word and witness
o As
gentle as Mother Teresa was, her message was not gentle.
o We
are called to speak the truth by what we say and what we do.
· Get
a dream.
o It’s
all about the size of your dream.
o The
societal dream versus a dream worthy of reckless abandon
o We
must have a dream that’s worthy of reckless abandon, that’s worth grabbing
onto, worthy of an adventure.
o Remember
the power of the faith of a mustard seed.
o We’ve
been sold the wrong dream, the dream of a culture of death.
o The
Jesus dream—Jesus reading from Isaiah. He announced the reign of God and signed
his death warrant.
o The
reign of God is the Jesus dream, that’s the message.
· To
speak about God is one thing, but to dare to speak for God requires great
arrogance and great humility.
· There
is a challenging and transforming aspect of the Good News.
· Are
we afraid that the Gospel has lost its power?
· We
must proclaim clearly with a prophetic and poetic voice that darkness doesn’t
win.
· Are
we more joyful? Are we more loving? peaceful? forgiving? courageous?
· If
you want to be happy for an hour, take a nap. If you want to be happy for a
day, go fishing. If you want to be happy for a month, get married. If you want
to be happy forever, serve God. [I’m not sure how I feel about marriage only
bringing a month of happiness… but he did laugh when he said it.]
Session III: Teaching on Tough Issues: Practical Tips for
Helping God’s People Embrace Challenging Truths by Ken Ogorek
- Never mistake resistance on your
part for error on the Church’s part.
- When
we feel discomfort, we take this discomfort and then automatically think
the teaching needs to change.
- We
have to ask God for help to understand the reasoning and to change
ourselves.
- God
reveals some of his preferences to us—we are not groping blindly in the
dark.
- For
instance, God’s preference for forgiving sin is in the sacrament of
confession. While this is the preferred way, it’s not the only way. We
can’t put God into a box.
- Fullness
of truth is important
- God
loves us so much that He blesses the Church with his fullness of truth.
- The
hierarchy of truths is taught poorly and then sounds like it says that
moral relativism is okay.
- If
the hierarchy of truths is taught poorly, it leads to being a Cafeteria
Catholic.
- If
it’s in the CCC, it’s all true.
- The
truth of the trinity is necessary to teach baptism in the name of the
trinity. Hence, it’s core.
- Never
mistake a clever argument for the truth.
- There
is no higher authority than an individual’s INFORMED conscience.
- There
are moral absolutes.
- An
act can be intrinsically evil where there can be no set of circumstances
where it isn’t evil.
- It’s
so easy to believe something is okay if our end is good.
- Not
only do our goals have to be good, but our means do as well.
- Sexuality
is a beautiful gift from a loving God. We have to look at the gift as it
is given to us, how it comes naturally.
- Coins:
the gift of sexuality has two sides just like a coin. One side is unitive,
the other is procreative. When you separate the two sides of a coin, it is
no longer a coin.
- Every
use of sexuality should respect both sides.
- JPII
imagined this like a diamond with four points. The four points are free,
faithful, fruitful, and total.
- Faithful—exclusive
- Fruitful—open
to new life
- total—not
holding back on any aspect of who you are.
Session IV: Leading With Soul by Dr. Lee Bolman (professor at UMKC)
Note: This lecture was not at all what I expected after
reading the description, however, it was an enjoyable session.
· Wrote
the book Leading with Soul for business
leaders who are trying to be leaders addressing the soul as well as the
business world. Leadership Spirituality
· The
book is not addressed to a particular religious faith
· Modern
leaders do not know how to talk about faith and morals.
· How
can we talk about leadership spiritually but ecumenically?
· Qualities
of Great Leadership
o Focus—a
clear sense of direction
o Passion—rooted
in love. When you love your work, the people you’re with, and the place you’re
at, it’s easy to be passionate.
o Courage—even
leaders who aren’t in danger of getting killed face real risks.
o Wisdom—to
decide what to do.
o Integrity—People
only follow those they trust.
· Extraordinary
leaders are people of extraordinarily powerful, deep faith.
· For
many people, that deep faith is a challenge.
· What
is soul?
o CCC
on soul—“Soul signifies the spiritual principle in man.”
o His
preferred definition: a bedrock sense of self—who you are, values, what I
really believe in
· The
search for soul as a lifelong journey.
· So,
in this definition of soul, it can be characteristic of a couple.
· This
idea of soul could also apply to an organization.
· Soul
makes a huge difference in whether an organization succeeds.
· Soul
as a core ideology.
· Companies
should have a core ideology.
· You
should focus on something deeper than the bottom line in business, something
deeper and more important than the profit.
· For
companies, profits should be like oxygen—necessary, but not the purpose.
· Poem
by Rumi:
All day I think about it,
then at night I say it.
Where did I come from,
and what am I supposed to be doing?
I have no idea.
My soul is from elsewhere,
I'm sure of that,
and I intend to end up there.
· Questions
about origin, purpose, meaning, destination…these are the basic spiritual
questions.
· The
twin faiths of technology and consumerism are not making us happy.
· There’s
got to be something more to life than shiny new technology.
· Joseph
Campbell—The Hero’s Journey
· There’s
really only one story people care about and they care about it so much that
they keep retelling it.
· 3
Parts of the spiritual journey
- Leaving
home—escaping shackles of convention
- The
Quest—entering the wilderness, plunging the depths, confronting demons
- Returning
Home—Armed with gifts earned on the quest
· Clip
from The Lion King: Simba following
Rafiki through the woods to see the reflection
· Antonio
Machado
· Walt
Whitman—Passage to India
· Leadership
gifts that we as leaders can give to others:
o Authorship: helping other paint their own canvas. Art is important
because of the making f it and the pride in being able to make, produce, and
create. As parents or leaders, we sometimes do things for others that they
really should do themselves.
o Power: enabling others to feel they make a difference. We
make others feel they can make a difference.
o Love: Caring, compassion… we must choose the person or
the relationship over the meeting.
o Significance: Find meaning in contribution; is what we’re doing
important? What the heck is it all about?
· Clip
from Ghandi… a leaders gives all four of
these in two minutes to a total stranger—redemption is possible.
· “I
know a way out of Hell…”
· Ghandi
showed compassion
· Rather
than judging, he asks why
· Penance
and reconciliation
· another
Rumi poem
In this world you have three companions:
One is faithful, the others are
treacherous.
The latter are friends and
possessions;
the faithful one is excellence in
deeds.
Your wealth won’t come with you out
of your palace;
your friend will come, but only as
far as the grave.
When the day of doom comes to meet
you,
your friend will say, “I’ve come
this far, but no farther.
I will stand a while at your
grave.”
Your deeds alone are faithful: make
them your refuge,
for they alone will accompany you
into the depths of the tomb.
Session V: What Does the Catholic Church teach about
Evolution? by Dr. John Norris (UD Theology
professor)
Note: I took a class with Dr. Norris on this topic, so my
notes are pretty bare. If you want more information, I’ll have to get you my
class notes. Sorry!
· We
live in a two truth world: science and faith
· Evolutionary
Theory: Random mutations at the genetic level were passed on through offspring.
These random mutations help the individual with these traits to survive more
than others. Eventually the variation is distinct enough that there is no
interbreeding and there is a separate species.
· Evolutionary
problems for theology:
o What
role does randomness mean in evolution?
o How
does survival of the fittest describe human existence?
o In
what sense is God no longer necessary to help understand the world? Is God just
the God of the gaps?
· Philosophical
Materialism—Dawkins: God as a God of the gaps… in this theory
o random
mutation denies any kind of divine causality or creation
o God
is merely a God of the gaps and is no longer necessary when the gaps are
explained.
o Science
is a primary means of knowing.
· Principles
for a Catholic Approach to the relationship between faith and science
o Truth
does not contradict truth.
o Revelation
and Theology come from God.
o Church
teaching is inspired by God.
· We
can sort of have a playroom together for scientists and theologians.
· Dei
Filius—problems arise from theology making
claims that are faulty or beyond its competence… same thing from science. Both
have their own domains, methods, and limitations.
· Barbour’s
4 models of interactions between faith and science: Conflict, Independence,
Dialogue, and Integrations
· Growth
and Change in Catholic theology
o John
Cardinal Newman
o Semper
Idem—always the same… this is not true in Catholic history.
o There’s
a continuity, but also authentic development
o Recognition
of proper authority of levels of teaching
Session VI— Catechist as Witness: Embracing Jesus, The
Way, The Truth, and The Life by Dr. Diana Dudoit Raiche, Ph.D.
· John
14:6… Judas has just left the last supper and Jesus says that he must go where
they cannot go.
· Who
is Jesus? Who is Jesus for me? When did you become aware of Jesus as the Son of
God?
· It
is the relationship with Jesus that is critical for every catechist. It
invites, calls, propels us to become leaders.
· We
do it because it is Good News and we’ve been called.
· My
teaching is not my own, but it is from the one who sent me. Christ said this
and so do we.
· 1
Corinthians 15:3
· NDC
calls for witnesses to the faith
· CCC
states that at the heart of Catechesis is Jesus (CCC 426)
· Catechesi
Tradendae
· As
human beings, we mirror the actions of Judas, Peter’s denial, Thomas’ doubt,
John’s loyalty, Mary Magdalene’s awe.
· Each
of us carries within us a way of understanding Jesus was given to us.
· The
Jesus we know and experience is the only one we can share with others.
· We
have four lenses to look at Jesus:
- Mystery
- Myth
- Messiah
- Man
· As
we think, we believe. As we believe, we act.
· Jesus
as Mystery:
o Mark
4:11—Jesus says the mystery of the Kingdom has been granted to you.
o Dr.
Raiche always begins her classes with a discussion of the Kingdom of God.
o You
can’t not believe in heaven if you’re with a dying person who has deep faith.
o The
key to grasping mystery comes through experiencing it in history. –Karl Rahner
o Modern
day search for mystery—we look in all the wrong places.
· Jesus
as Myth:
o When
we consider Jesus as myth, it’s when we take Jesus off the cross. We want a
tame Christ. (He’s not a tame lion. – C.S.L.)
o When
we think of the myth of scripture, it must be grounded in a firm faith.
· Jesus
as Messiah:
o The
woman at the well attests to Jesus as the Messiah
o Jesus
as Lord… he receives this title on many, many occasions.
o Every
good Catechist shares their faith story. How did you come to understand who Jesus
is and who he is for you?
· Jesus
as Man, the son of Mary and Joseph:
o Central
theme of Christian anthropology… grace
o Catechesis
is a work of evangelization. Jesus is the context of that evangelization.
o We
must guard our truths very carefully… blood was shed in the streets to
establish our doctrine.
o once
we accept Jesus, we can be catechized.
o You
cannot give to someone what they are not willing to accept.
Session VII: Together on the Journey of Hope: Reflections
on the Responsibilities of Lay Catholics for treatment of Migrants and
Immigrants by Dr. John Norris
· USCCB
document, “Strangers No Longer” (published January 22, 2003) is the source of
much of this talk.
· VII
and Cardinal George recap
o Remember
his definition of church as the sacrament of the unity of humanity.
o We
have to get the Church’s act together so that it can make a difference in the
world for the better.
· Catholics
and immigration reform—is there an awareness of Catholic principles among
Catholic people? [From what I’ve seen, that would be a resounding no.]
· How
can we best teach people about Catholic teachings on immigration?
· Authority
Level of social justice teaching
o Some
think that because this teaching isn’t infallible or longstanding, it’s not
important for Catholic teaching
o There
are principles that are part of Catholic dogma included in social teaching… for
example, human dignity.
· Prudential
Application—there is a lot of spectrum for how one applies principles of dogma.
· Those
who seek to migrate are suffering.
· Many
are tragically dying
· Human
rights are being abused
· Catholics
must be concerned about this
· We
believe human being have rights that are inherent to their dignity… these
rights are being abused.
· Families
are being kept apart.
· Racist/xenophobic
attitudes
· John
XXIII
· Principles
of Catholic faith are looked at as a means for arguing for reform. Examples:
VII and the Church in the modern world, Common good and natural law theory.
· Some
think we are just supposed to be individuals and not ask for systematic reform…
this is wrong
· Our
government is not working right and we have a responsibility to speak out. This
is part of our call to be prophets mentioned in session II.
· It
is a Lay Responsibility to make these reforms happen—make a difference in the
world.
· Lumen
Gentium emphasizes that all Christians are
Christ-like and so called to be prophet and king.
· We
must see the injustice and stand up, do something about it.
· In
this process, we have to accept that people of good faith can have different
visions and disagree.
· Exodus
23:9—You shall not oppress a resident alien.
· We
must be grateful for things we did not earn—we did not earn being American.
· Matthew
25:35-36
· Christ
welcomes the stranger
· If
we’re going to be Christians and think all human beings have human dignity, we
must be welcoming
· Gaudium
et Spes
· This
is the heart of the Church in the modern world and we must protect it.
· Emphasis
on personal charity in the pastoral letter:
o Economic
Theory
o Political
Responsibility
o Universal
Human Rights
o International
Accords
· Persons
have the right to migrate to support themselves and their families.
o Like
Thomas Aquinas’ understanding of private property—it is considered moral to
steal bread if you have no other way of feeding yourself.
o Private
property is not an absolute right.
o Neither
are government boundaries.
· All
the goods of the earth belong to all people.
· Sovereign
Nations have the right to control their borders, but not merely for the
purpose of acquiring additional wealth.
· The
human dignity and human rights of undocumented migrants should be respected.
· Focus
on the term “undocumented,” not “illegal.”
· Government
policies that respect human rights of undocumented migrants are necessary.
· The
USCCB’s vision is balanced. They recognize protecting rights of US families and
workers, recognizing rights to protect borders, but also recognizing the rights
of the migrant.
· The
sovereign state may impose reasonable limits on immigration
· Nations
able to receive migrants should do so whenever possible.
· There
are people called to prophesy and people called to diplomacy… not necessarily
to both.
· Prophets
must not overstate their case and must not be disrespectful.
· We
have to be careful what we say as prophets—some of the stupid things said at
rallies and marches have hurt the cause more than helped.
· The
Bishops’ call:
o support
for migrant and immigrant families
o hospitality,
not hostility for migrant families along their journey
o Migrant
shelters that provide appropriate pastoral and social services.
o Work
with community to address the causes of undocumented migration—1st
world nations like the US enter into development of these countries, but we
only do so for our own benefit.
o Help
newcomers to integrate
o Special
attention for migrant and immigrant children—educational support for undocumented
young people.
o Dedicate
resources to provide pastoral care for migrants who are detained or
incarcerated.
o Encourage
local diocese to sponsor pertinent social services for migrants.
o encourage
local parishioners to be home missionaries.
o Earned
Legalization
§ for
foreign nationals of good character
§ create
a path to citizenship
o Future
worker program to permit foreign born workers to enter the country legally and
safely
§ should
include safeguards against displacement of US workers
· Questions
to consider:
o How
are we prophets?
o Do
we profit from the work of migrants?
· Alabama
Law—criminalizes anyone who has any contact with a migrant worker who does not
turn him/her in.
· This
is not right. Christian religions must have the opportunity to provide charity
and help.
· Comparison
to Nazi Germany at the beginning…
· Change
should be welcoming and Christ-like, not losing our identity.
· Change
should be slow and communal.
· A
lot of times what we’re doing is accommodating and separating. That’s not
communal.
