For eight weeks this past winter, I was privileged to join a group of 17 people interested in trying to understand the complex issue of immigration. We were men and women, first-, second- or third-generation immigrants, clergy and lay, familiar and unfamiliar with the issues of immigration. Most importantly, we were willing to open our hearts and minds to study the issues surrounding immigration and migration. Our facilitators used the JustFaith Ministries module, “Crossing Borders: Migration, Theology, and the Human Journey,” providing a framework to explore not only the contemporary immigration debate and public policy, but also the history of immigration and its ties to the Bible and Catholic social teaching.
We learned about immigrants through books, movies, readings, research, field trips, and most dramatically, through personal testimonies and group discussions, rooted in faith in God and the God-given dignity of all of God’s people.
Immigrants in 2011 are much like my ancestors who fled the potato famine in Ireland in search of opportunities to provide a better life for themselves and for their families. My ancestors crossed the Atlantic Ocean on a steamship, leaving behind family members and possessions, much like many of today’s immigrants from Mexico who risk their lives crossing the desert in the Southwest in search of a better, more dignified life, just over the horizon. The only real differences are the year and the ebb and flow of the tide of public sentiment regarding immigration.
Our faith-based discussions allowed us to look beyond the statistics and to look into the eyes and hearts of immigrants, to hear their stories. We realized quickly that there are no easy solutions; however, we found common ground when we focused on the dignity of the human person who wants to migrate. Our goal, as visible expressions of Jesus Christ, is to promote just immigration laws and to encourage all people to contemplate the immigration issue in a faith-based manner, encouraging them to open their hearts and minds to welcome the stranger who may already be in our midst.
The highlights of the course for me were three-fold and they all had to do with meeting “the stranger” face to face and hearing their stories.
We were blessed to attend a Haitian Baptist Church Service in February. After the church service we were invited to “hospitality” in the church hall where we feasted on a wonderful Haitian luncheon. We had the opportunity to speak with several members of the community and hear their stories of coming to the United States. We met courageous, multi-generational, hardworking families who could not do enough to make us feel at home in their church.
Secondly, we dined one Friday evening at a Mexican restaurant in Camden owned by Mexican immigrants who are good friends of one our classmates. Our hosts could not do enough to make us feel at home in their restaurant.
Thirdly, we took a field trip to Vineland where we spent an evening with a group of nuns who shared with us their ministry to the undocumented migrant farm workers in three South Jersey counties. The nuns relayed stories and shared the pain of the day-to-day existence of these men, who live in camps and work in the fields for meager wages, while living in constant fear of deportation.
In each of these three situations, we were welcomed with open arms. These experiences have made me more aware of the “strangers” in our midst and the plight that they have endured or are enduring to provide a better life for their families back home. We came to understand that, essentially, people migrate because they are hungry.
While we didn’t solve any immigration issues in eight weeks, we became more enlightened, better-educated Christians who are now open to entering into the immigration debate first and foremost from a faith perspective. The framework has been laid and we will never view the immigration debate or the immigrant person the same again.
Moving forward, we are going to explore the legal rights of immigrants, the resources available to immigrants, and legislative advocacy with the hope that somehow we can be a light shining in the dark. We hope that we will be able to “do our bit” to encourage conversion of hearts to join in solidarity with immigrants and migrants as they strive for a better life here in this country, filled with opportunity and hope.
If you or your parish is interested in forming a JustFaith community around the issue of immigration, call Larry DiPaul, director of Life and Justice at 856-583-6119.
Kathy Zipilli is a parishioner of Christ Our Light in Cherry Hill.
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