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A Recap of our Cathedral Presentation on Catholic Social Teaching
This last Tuesday, 16 April, 2013, I had the pleasure of sharing some reflections on Catholic Social Teaching with wonderful people at the Cathedral of Saint Raymond Nonnatus. Of course, in forty minutes it is quite difficult to present thousands of years of history, practice, and documentation that feeds into our Catholic Social tradition. However, I did explain that the principles of Catholic Social Teaching enumerated in the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, viz. human dignity, the common good, subsidiarity, and solidarity, are rooted in common reason and also can be extracted through simple exegeting of the first two chapters of Genesis. After going through some of Aristotle's metaphysics and ethics, I explained the consistency of the Church's practice and teaching on matters of life and dignity. We concluded by affirming one's love of neighbor and working for the well-being of all people as the most appropriate response to loving and knowing God. Keith Michael Estrada
Senate Immigration Bill
Finally, we have been presented the Senate's comprehensive immigration reform. CBS reports The 844-page proposed bill includes provisions requiring 90-percent effectiveness at the US Border, a 13-plus year pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and policies that would clear visa backlog and protect workers from abuse.
The Catholic Legal Immigration Network has published this summary of the bill (see it here). Keep the conversation going and continue calling for compassion and fairness in immigration reform. Come to an Immigration 101 panel this Monday to learn more (see below).
Keith Michael Estrada will lead a panel presentation and discussion titled "Immigration 101: Welcoming Strangers with Justice" touching on the Catholic Church's position immigration and comprehensive immigration reform hosted at Christ the Servant Church in Woodridge. This panel will take place Monday, April 22, 2013 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm. Please click here for the flyer.
This
Summer, Join Us in Reading the
Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church in
90 days
The Compendium of the
Social Doctrine of the Church (CSDC) is a document
prepared and published by the Pontifical Council for
Justice and Peace. Using scripture, conciliar
documents, encyclicals, letters from the Pontiff,
etc., the CSDC provides her readers a complete but
general overview of the Church's position, and her
rationale on the positions, of social matters and
ethics, along with principles on how to apply those
positions to the concrete situations we face today.
The CSDC is quite a lengthy document. However, it is
crucial for understanding the foundation of the
Church's social teaching. To make life easier, and to
keep you busy this summer, we have broken the CSDC
into small, manageable reading blocks averaging six
paragraphs per day over a ninety-one day period.
Starting 1 June and ending 30 August, you can sign-up
to receive a small portion of the Compendium so that
you can have the CSDC under your belt in a short 91
days.
Please encourage everyone you know to sign-up
here for free: paxjoliet.org/91
Email Keith Michael Estrada at
kestrada@dioceseofjoliet.org with any questions.
**********
At
our planning meeting last evening the count was
at 650 people who have made commitments to join
us for the Rally and March tomorrow. We believe
that there are many more who will turn out who
have not contacted us directly. This is shaping
up to be the
largest demonstration for human dignity in
the history of the City of Joliet.
We need a huge turnout not only to stop this
prison in Joliet, but to send a message to
I.C.E., C.C.A., and all elected officials of
cities and towns throughout Illinois, that
For-Profit Immigrant Prisons will not be
tolerated in our state. Let's put an end to this
now. For Human Dignity, for the Unity of
Families, I ask you, please join us tomorrow. Come be a part
of history. Come witness the Reign of God
breaking through!
*****************************************
Immigrant
Prison Opposition Rally and March
A
rally and march are planned by various community
organizations and churches in opposition to the
proposed For-Profit Immigrant Prison in Joliet
on Saturday, April 6 at 1:00. We will
march from Azteca de Oro (1013 Collins Street
next to the old Joliet Prison) to the County
Clerk's office where we will show our elected
officials we are going to mobilize our community
to vote in the local municipal elections. March
Today, Vote Tomorrow! A delegation will
present 4500 gathered petitions to the mayor and
members of city council at a later time.
Representatives
Bill Foster and Luis Gutierrez are scheduled to
participate in the event; Congressman Foster
because he represents many of the people of
Joliet, and Congressman Gutierrez because of his
national leadership on immigration reform.
Please
make your voice on this issue known and join
with clergy, civic leaders, and your fellow
parishioners in this important event. This will
be a clear sign of the Church's solidarity with
our Latino brothers and sisters and of our moral
opposition to for-profit prisons. It will also
be another opportunity to stand with our bishops
in calling for comprehensive, compassionate
immigration reform.
New Justice and Peace
Coordinator Announced
As of February
19th, Keith Michael Estrada began his work with as
the Justice and Peace Coordinator within The
Office for Human Dignity.
Keith Michael, a San Diego, California native,
studied philosophy with a concentration on
bioethics at the Franciscan University of
Steubenville, Ohio.
After having discerned the religious life for
several years with the Congregation of Jesus and
Mary (the Eudist Fathers), Keith Michael became
more actively involved in the field of justice and
peace.
Keith Michael is the founder of Students for a
Fair Society, a student-run organization
established at Franciscan University dedicated to
authentically promoting the doctrine of the
Catholic Church.
"In years past," he says, "I was very much
involved in promoting the Church's doctrine on
matters of abortion and marriage. However, I
realized the circles I was in had begun to
underemphasize matters that were also pertinent to
the dignity of the person. Since then, I have been
working to understand and promote the fullness of
the Magisterium's teaching on life. I very much
look forward to working within the Diocese to
promote justice and peace with the end of
establishing a 'Civilization of Love.'"
Please join us in welcoming Keith Michael to this
important ministry. Your prayerful support as he
takes on this new responsibility is very
appreciated.In Christ,
Thomas Garlitz
Director
Bishop R. Daniel
Conlon statement on Immigration Reform
January
29, 2013
I
am very encouraged by the proposal for comprehensive
immigration reform that has been put forward by a
bipartisan group of U.S. Senators. It appears
to recognize the realistic circumstances and
humanitarian needs of 11 million undocumented
persons living in this country, while at the same
time respecting the legitimate claims of law and
public safety. I ask the people of the Diocese
of Joliet to pray that our national leaders will
seize this opportunity to act for good of our nation
and the welfare of God’s children.
USCCB
Chair Calls Senate Immigration Framework
Important First Step, Seeks Bipartisan
Cooperation For Just, Humane Legislation
January 28, 2013
An important first step in process and tone,
says Archbishop Gomez
Promises bishops' support for system to
protect human dignity, homeland
simultaneously Plan gives hope to millions
of fellow human beings
WASHINGTON-Archbishop
José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, chairman of the
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee
on Migration, welcomed principles set forth by a
group of eight U.S. Senators as a blueprint for
reform of our nation's immigration system.
"I welcome the introduction of a bipartisan
framework to help guide Congress on immigration
reform," Archbishop Gomez said January 28."It is
an important first step in the process and sets
a bipartisan tone."
The framework released by the "Group of Eight"
working group would include a path to
citizenship for the 11 million undocumented in
the nation. It also would reduce family backlogs
in the immigration system, which requires family
members to wait years to reunite with their
loved ones.
"It is vital that the framework includes a path
to citizenship, so that undocumented immigrants
can come out of the shadows and into the light
and have a chance to become Americans,"
Archbishop Gomez said. "It gives hope to
millions of our fellow human beings."
Archbishop Gomez noted that the framework leaves
room for improvement, as it fails to restore due
process protections to immigrants lost in the
1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant
Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) or address the root
causes of migration, such as the absence of
living-wage employment in sending communities or
protection for refugees fleeing persecution.
Nevertheless, he pledged the support of the
USCCB in pushing sound immigration legislation
forward and working with Congress to create an
immigration system which respects basic human
rights and dignity while also ensuring the
integrity of our borders.
"A reformed system can protect human dignity and
the homeland at the same time," he concluded.
In their 2003 pastoral letter, "Strangers No
Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope," the
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)
outlined several policy goals for immigration
reform, many of which are consistent with the
framework outlined today by the U.S. Senate:
A
path to citizenship for the 11 million
undocumented in the nation
The
protection and enhancement of the family-based
immigration system, including the reduction in
backlogs and shortening of waiting times for
husbands and wives and their families
A
program which allows low-skilled migrant workers
to enter and work in the United States legally
and safely and includes appropriate wage and
worker protections
The
restoration of due process protections for
immigrants removed by the 1996 Illegal Immigrant
Responsibility Act
Policies
which address the root causes, or push factors,
of irregular migration, such as the absence of
living wage jobs in sending communities and
persecution.
Community Gathers to Learn about proposed Immigrant
Prison
Organizations and citizens from
Joliet and the surrounding area will gather at Our
Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish in Joliet at 6:30 on
December 13th to learn about the proposed Private,
For-Profit ICE Detention Center, an Immigrant
Prison, and to organize in opposition to it.
The Diocese of Joliet Office for
Human Dignity, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and
Refugee Rights, Mt. Zion Tabernacle, Collins Street
Neighborhood Council, Sacred Heart Church, Mexican
American Coalition of Will County, FEDECMI-Casa
Michoacán, Familias Unidas por la Educación, Nuevo
Horizonte, Spanish Community Center, Our Lady
of Mt. Carmel Church, Southwest Suburban Immigrant
Project, Pax Christ -Illinois, Pax Christi Seed
Planters, and The Universalist Unitarian Church
of Joliet are among the organizations planning
this
event.
One of the lead organizers, the
Diocese of Joliet Office for Human Dignity issued
the following statement.
"We oppose the building of a Private, For-Profit
U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
Detention Center in Joliet by Corrections
Corporation of America
The detention and deportation policy of ICE
divides families, often separating individuals
from spouses and children who are U.S. citizens.
The division of families through detention and
deportation places more of our citizens at risk,
increases the number in poverty, and even forces
many children into foster care.
What we need is comprehensive and compassionate
immigration reform. We call for a moratorium on
detention and deportation until such policy can be
developed. Presently U.S. citizens and legal
permanent residents must endure many years of
separation from close family members who they want
to join them in the United States. The backlogs of
available visas for family members results in
waits of five, ten, fifteen, and more years of
waiting for a visa to become available. This
system is cruel and inhumane, and only increases
the numbers who live in the shadows, not wanting
to endure the separation of loved ones. We call
for a reduction of the pending backlog and more
visas available for family reunification purposes.
Until such action can be taken, detention and
deportation serve only to inflict punishment and
harm on families, families who are contributing to
the economic and social well being of our
communities. The City of Joliet should not
participate in unjust, unproductive, economically
harmful policies by allowing the building of an
ICE detention center."
All residents of Joliet are strongly
encouraged to attend this meeting.
Announcing the Office for Human
Dignity
New director, new name, new
configuration, same Gospel
July 2012
After months of planning, Bishop R.
Daniel Conlon has initiated the reorganization of
several diocesan offices. I am happy to announce that
I will serve as the director of the newly created
Office for Human Dignity. This office will serve as an
umbrella agency integrating the diocesan efforts in
the areas of Respect Life, Missions, and Justice and
Peace.
Jesus said, "I came that they may have
Life, and may have it abundantly." In a very real
sense, this scripture verse could serve as our vision
in this ministry. Our purpose is to defend the Right
to Life itself, and to secure for all peoples those
things which bring meaning and abundance to this life.
I speak here of the freedom to love and serve God, the
right to the basic human needs of food, health care,
education, and housing, the protection of the
environment so that we have a beautiful place in which
to live and breathe, and all of this in the context of
a world enveloped in peace. All these things are
necessary for us to realize the fullness of Human
Dignity. This is what God's heart intends for us. As
the newly appointed director of the Office for Human
Dignity, I look forward to continuing my work in the
Church of Joliet in this expanded capacity, and
particularly to joining with those in the Respect Life
Community who have labored so long and diligently in
this Gospel call.
Over the coming weeks and months you
will see a number of changes, from our social media,
to a major website re-design, to new programming and
staff. But with all the changes, the strengths and
integrity of each of these ministries, Respect Life,
Missions, and Justice and Peace, will be preserved,
even as we look for new energy and creativity to come
from the synergy of our collaboration.
We appreciate your prayers during this
time of change and growth.
In Christ,
Tom Garlitz
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