“True Hospitality is welcoming the stranger on her own terms. This kind of hospitality can only be offered by those who've found the center of their lives in their own hearts.” ~ Henri Nouwen

SSJ Public Statement on Immigration

In full harmony with the Gospel proclamation “that all may be one” and the charisma of the Sisters of Saint Joseph to unite neighbor with neighbor and neighbor with God, we the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Rochester, urge Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform. 

  • We support immigrants in their wish to come to the United States and work.

  • We support suspension of the current emphasis on punitive action against undocumented workers and their families.

  • We support the right of laborers to receive a just wage and to be treated with dignity and respect.

Welcoming the Stranger Locally

Study:

Find resources at: Ignatian Solidarity Network and Justice For Immigrants

Watch: A personal plea for humanity at the US-Mexico border

Watch Living Undocumented on Netflix

Facts & Figures from The Social Justice Resource Center

Take a 5-session mini course offered by the PEW Research Center, —  a nonpartisan, non-advocacy fact tank that has been studying immigration for more than a decade. Topics include:

  • Who are today’s U.S. immigrants?

  • Who are legal immigrants, and how do they come to the U.S.?

  • Who are unauthorized immigrants in the U.S.?

  • What is immigration’s impact on the U.S. population?

  • What do Americans think about immigrants?

Read the encyclical,  ‘On Fraternity and Social Friendship.’

“FRATELLI TUTTI”. With these words, Saint Francis of Assisi addressed his brothers and sisters and proposed to them a way of life marked by the flavor of the Gospel. Of the counsels Francis offered, I would like to select the one in which he calls for a love that transcends the barriers of geography and distance, and declares blessed all those who love their brother “as much when he is far away from him as when he is with him.” In his simple and direct way, Saint Francis expressed the essence of a fraternal openness that allows us to acknowledge, appreciate and love each person, regardless of physical proximity, regardless of where he or she was born or lives.”

Discern:

Read the U.S. Catholic Bishops: Five Principles to Guide Immigration Policy slowly and with attention. Where does it speak to you? Where does it challenge you?

From Catholic Climate Covenant: Who is My Neighbor in a Climate-Threatened World?