Archdiocesan
News Archive
Posted on Thursday April 29, 2010
Cardinal Mahony Launches "Faces Of Immigrants"
On his blog this morning, Cardinal Roger Mahony introduced a new website: www.facesofimmigrants.org. The site features the first three in a series of personal conversations Cardinal Mahony has had with immigrants in and around Southern California.
“Immigrants are our neighbors, co-workers, students, and friends—and they contribute greatly to our nation and to our communities,” said Cardinal Mahony. “Instead of being side-tracked by heated rhetoric and political posturing, all of us should take the time to open our minds and hearts to hear the actual stories of the immigrants themselves. Who are they? Why are they here? How is our current immigration system failing them? How do their experiences impact our local communities and our nation?
“Please listen carefully to their stories, look into their faces. The more we come to know immigrants as individual people like ourselves with the same longings and yearnings for themselves, their families, and our countries, the more we will understand the need to reform federal immigration laws to help bring these people along a path to legal recognition.”
Facesofimmigrants.org is part of an ongoing outreach effort by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to inform Catholics and the general public about the human impact of current immigration policies and the need for comprehensive immigration reform.
“These stories are representative of the experiences of some 12 million undocumented immigrants living in our country today,” explained Cardinal Mahony. “We will be adding more stories in the coming weeks so that all of us can put a human face on these brothers and sisters—rather than reprimand them with judgmental rhetoric.”
This weekend, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles is joining dioceses across the nation in the national Justice for Immigrants Campaign’s “Pray for Immigrants Weekend.” The Justice for Immigrants Office of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has called on the 19,000 parishes in the United States to include in their Masses, on May 1 and 2, prayers for immigration reform that respect Catholic values including human life, human dignity and family unity.
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