Blog

By: Marissa Flores Madden 

For over a decade as a high school campus minister I had the opportunity to accompany students on a number of immersion retreats featuring lessons on U.S. immigration and Catholic social teaching.  On one such retreat, one of our leaders likened the journey of migrants all over the world to a pilgrimage, often replacing the terms migrants and immigrants with pilgrims as he spoke with us.   

I am not an immigrant, but I have journeyed on a variety of pilgrimages, everywhere from Loyola and Rome to Lourdes and Santiago de Compostela.  All these official pilgrimages have helped me understand my life as a pilgrimage – a sacred journey on my way to returning to myself and my God.  St. Ignatius of Loyola, a 16th century mystic and founder of the Jesuits, wrote his autobiography in the third person referring to himself as “the pilgrim.”  Five hundred years later another Jesuit, Pope Francis, has recently proclaimed a year of Jubilee and encouraged us to be “pilgrims of hope.”  Both of these men recognized life as a pilgrimage.  As we begin to celebrate the Jubilee, we might keep in mind the unique pilgrimages of migrants which are often journeys of survival rooted in a bold hope. 

Hope is not optimism, not delusional thinking, not even the belief that everything will be alright.  Hope is an inherent virtue gifted to each of us.   It can be expressed as the confidence that God is with us on our journeys and that God sees us and accompanies us not only in our joy but in our pain, sorrow, and distress too. 

When I study U.S. immigration law, it is challenging to find hope within the processes and limitations placed on immigrants.  But when I encounter migrants in my office, my church community, and my family, hope abounds. 

In February of 2022, immediately following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, our Family Immigration Services office was flooded with calls from Ukrainians currently in the United States, worried and wondering how they could help friends and family members still in Ukraine.  Our office had worked with Ukrainians under a special program authorized by Congress, which for over three decades had provided refugees from the former Soviet Union the opportunity to reunite with family members in the United States.  Many of these former refugees have made their homes in mid-Missouri and they were the ones to reach out to us initially.  Our first response was not hopeful.  There was no law or policy in place that could provide instant support to Ukrainians fleeing the violence.  But then came glimmers of hope as Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) was announced. The U4U program allowed Ukrainians to be sponsored by people living in the U.S. for a period of two years with an option for an additional two years as the war continues.   As of right now, Ukrainians who entered the U.S. after the war began either qualify for the continuation of the U4U program or temporary protected status (TPS), both of which provide them the opportunity to live and work in the U.S. for a restricted period of time.  While these statuses are not permanent, they have given Family Immigration Services the ability to submit applications on behalf of our Ukrainian clients to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).  Thanks to these programs that have looked favorably on the plight of Ukrainians, for almost three years we have been able to encourage hope in the local Ukrainian community.    

 I witness this hope every day in my Ukrainian clients, who have left behind family, friends, communities, language, culture, and homes to start anew, safe from the threat of war. Many have been joyfully reunited with family members and spouses they hadn’t seen in years. Some have started new families here in the U.S., with couples tying the knot and welcoming children. Others have launched their own businesses or found work in various professions, building on the skills, education, and successes they brought with them—or, in some cases, learning entirely new trades. Some have even begun college, pursuing new opportunities for growth. Meanwhile, young children quickly enroll in school upon arrival, giving them the chance to learn English and often becoming fluent far more quickly than their parents. 

Ukrainians are enriching our communities and supporting the most vulnerable.  Many are active members of their church communities.  It is almost a daily occurrence that Ukrainians will offer either rides or interpretation services for other neighbors in need.  And we are lucky enough to have Ukrainians on staff at Catholic Charities who care deeply for our clients, and it is evident that their work is personal. 

Whereas so much of U.S. immigration law is not in line with Catholic Social Teaching, the U4U program got it right.  It has provided us with the legal immigration processes which uphold our moral responsibility to welcome the stranger, and we are not only a better department, agency, and Church for it, but a better country as well.  In this Jubilee year, may we continue our life pilgrimages not only offering hope to those we encounter on our journeys, but also by recognizing the hope that uniquely sustains those who are journeying to survive. 

Welcoming the Stranger: Stories of Hope from Family Immigration Services | The Catholic Missourian