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The Reason Behind: Why Serve Immigrants
By: Marissa Flores Madden
A few months ago, I received a phone call from an individual interested in the work we do at Family Immigration Services. He was a lifelong Catholic who wanted to promote the work of Catholic Charities. Having done some initial research, he inquired about the specifics regarding our policies and procedures when working with immigrants. We had a good conversation, and I assured him we always work within the legal framework to petition for immigration benefits for eligible immigrants. Then I suggested that if he hadn’t already, he might consider researching not just what we do, but why we do it. I was taken aback by his quick response, “Oh I don’t need to do that. I already know why. It makes perfect sense to me.” The confidence in his reply was convincing. We didn’t need to discuss the reason behind our work any further.
While the caller didn’t need further clarification, others might still be curious. The following is a brief, and certainly not exhaustive, explanation as to why Catholic Charities ministers to immigrants.
Catholic social teaching is at the heart of Catholic Charities’ mission. As defined by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, “The Church’s social teaching is a rich treasure of wisdom about building a just society and living lives of holiness amidst the challenges of modern society.” Even though Catholic social teaching is applied to modern political issues, the teaching itself is pre-political. Modern Catholic social teaching takes its cues beginning with Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum, but the teaching itself is rooted in the Hebrew Scriptures and affirmed in the Gospels. Our call to uphold the dignity and rights of all of humanity is an ancient calling with a modern praxis.
Consider these scripture passages:
“When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” Leviticus 19:33-34
“‘I was a stranger, and you invited me in…’ The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” Matthew 25:36, 40
While scripture is clear on how we are to treat migrants and immigrants, popes since Leo XIII have also regularly included the care and concern of migrants in their publications and preaching. In fact, well over a hundred years ago, Benedict XV inaugurated World Day of Migrants and Refugees which is still celebrated by Catholics today. And it was Pius XII and John XXIII who began to issue encyclicals which specifically addressed the right to migrate. Since these early days of modern Catholic social teaching, pontiffs have increasingly laid claim to the freedom of movement as a basic human right. This quick scan of recent Church history naturally leads to the present day in which Pope Francis has made migration a focus of his papacy, calling for compassion in what he has referred to as a “human tragedy.” As he preaches a culture of encounter, he regularly meets with those on the margins of society, and in 2016 he celebrated Mass in Ciudad Juarez – a liturgy which included migrants on both sides of the Mexico-U.S. border. In his homily that day, he described the situation at the border saying, “This crisis which can be measured in numbers and statistics, we want instead to measure with names, stories, and families.”
Beyond Church doctrine derived from scripture and articulated in encyclicals and pastoral letters, we have a rich history of Catholic religious orders putting this teaching into practice. For centuries in the U.S., Catholics have cared for newcomers. They founded schools, hospitals, orphanages, shelters, soup kitchens and more to care for immigrants. Since the beginning, immigrants have come to our country to escape dire circumstances in their homelands. Today is no different. That’s why the Church must continue to minister to immigrants.
Like the religious communities that nurtured our country’s growth with their commitment to immigrants, the staff at Catholic Charities Family Immigration Services have been personally invested in this ministry for years. We have over 150 years of combined experience working with immigrants. Three of our staff members are immigrants and even more of us have immigrant family members. Yes, it’s a scriptural mandate and a moral responsibility, but it is also a calling that has been placed upon our hearts.
Just as I encouraged the individual who called asking for clarity regarding what we do at Family Immigration Services, I invite you the readers to explore more about the Church’s ministry with immigrant communities. Come visit, take a tour, or volunteer at CCCNMO. You might just find a calling has been placed upon your heart as well.