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Special Partners Update - Accompanying Asylum Seekers
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October 3, 2022Dear Partners and Friends,
Earlier this week in a note to Archdiocesan priests, Cardinal Cupich shared an update on the efforts and plans in partnership with Catholic Charities for creating a coordinated Catholic response for asylum seekers arriving in Chicago as well as ways for local parishes to support this cause. With his permission, I am sharing the Cardinal’s correspondence with you to provide a better understanding of how to support our work today as well as what lies ahead as we accompany asylum seekers on their journeys. Since sending his letter, the Cardinal consulted with the Presbyteral Council about taking up a second collection at all Masses on a weekend in October, Respect Life Month, to support these efforts and the priests strongly endorse doing so.
I am grateful for the close partnership with Cardinal Cupich and parishes throughout the Archdiocese. I will share more information with you as it becomes available. In the meantime, if you have questions, please contact us at partners@catholiccharities.net.
Sincerely,
SallyDear Fathers,
Today, I write to you about our response to the asylum seekers entering Chicagoland. Over recent weeks, large cities in the U.S. have been experiencing an influx of asylum seekers; roughly 50% are families and 50% are individuals, primarily men. Most are fleeing their countries in Central and South America due to gang violence and political oppression related to the various drug and gun cartels operating in these countries. Some are fleeing overwhelming poverty.
Nearly 1,500 Venezuelan migrants have arrived at Chicago’s Union Station via bus in the past month. We know that even more have come via train and airplane in small groups – many parishes have been approached to help them.
- Over the next six months, the City anticipates welcoming up to 10,000 migrants, who are seeking asylum.
- Currently, 80-90% of migrants that we have welcomed report that they plan to stay in the Chicago area and will need support; because unlike other recent groups of migrants, most don’t have relatives in the States with whom they can live and learn as they build new lives.
The Catholic community has shown an outpouring of compassion for these travelers, embodying Jesus’ call to “welcome the stranger.” Churches, the orders and other ministries have opened their doors, and Catholic Charities has deployed a bilingual team to connect migrants with loved ones and conduct initial needs assessments. The Archdiocese of Chicago would like to create an even larger, coordinated Catholic response for how we might assist these asylum seekers; with 10,000, the need will be great. My hope is that, by working together across the Church, we might maximize the impact we can have for these people and families in crisis, as we bear witness to our faith. The aim is to create a plan for handling migrant housing needs centrally, so I would ask that parishes, for now, refrain from offering shelter to the migrants, thereby avoiding complications related to liability, obtaining permits and government regulations.
How you can help? I have asked Father Larry Dowling to assemble a Working Group for all priests, religious, and lay parish leaders who want to participate in crafting a Catholic response. Working Group members will meet two to three times over the next month to exchange information about the evolving situation, gather insights, and generate a plan for how we might best develop a collaborative, coordinated Catholic response. Anyone interested in being part of this dialogue should contact Tori Bawel (tbawel@catholiccharities.net) at Catholic Charities who is supporting Father Dowling in this work.
For those who want to contribute now, Catholic Charities is serving as a central gathering point for all donations toward this effort. There is a link on the Catholic Charities at www.catholiccharities.net where you can donate funding to support the Church’s response to the Migrant Crisis.
Next steps: I will be back in touch in two to three weeks to share the Working Group’s recommendations for how parishes can contribute to a more significant Church-wide effort. This will include additional information on our efforts to assist asylum seekers in finding rest, counsel, spiritual accompaniment, and needed resources as they progress on their journeys and rebuild their lives.
From my own personal experience of meeting with some of these newcomers to Chicago, I have come to learn first-hand the love they have for their families and the courage they have shown in taking on great risks to come to the United States. These brave people deserve our admiration and support and I ask your prayers for them. Let us come together as a Church to welcome and serve our brothers and sisters in need.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Archbishop of Chicago
CATHOLIC CHARITIES of the ARCHDIOCESE of CHICAGO
Catholic Charities partners with mission-driven people and organizations across Cook and Lake counties to witness a message of mercy and hope to a world in need. We are called to accompany anyone in need, regardless of faith, gender, race, or ethnicity.
