These immigrants, new to our shores, call us out of our unawareness to a conversion of mind and heart through which we are able to offer a genuine and suitable welcome, to share together as brothers and sisters at the same table, and to work side by side to improve the quality of life for society's marginalized members". (Welcoming the Stranger Among Us: Unity in Diversity. NCCB/USCC 2000.)
In each refugee, “forced to flee to safety, Jesus is present as he was at the time of Herod. In the faces of the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the sick, strangers, and prisoners, we are called to see the face of Christ, who pleads with us to help.” (Message of His Holiness Pope Francis for the 106th World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2020)
The community of Old St. Patrick’s is dedicated to radical inclusivity and transformative kinship. We are called to welcome the stranger and the marginalized, to counter the divisiveness of “us vs. them” and “us vs. the other,” and to see the face of God in all people. In that spirit, the Immigration and Refugee Ministry works to assist refugees and immigrants in three main ways:
In each refugee, “forced to flee to safety, Jesus is present as he was at the time of Herod. In the faces of the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the sick, strangers, and prisoners, we are called to see the face of Christ, who pleads with us to help.” (Message of His Holiness Pope Francis for the 106th World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2020)
The community of Old St. Patrick’s is dedicated to radical inclusivity and transformative kinship. We are called to welcome the stranger and the marginalized, to counter the divisiveness of “us vs. them” and “us vs. the other,” and to see the face of God in all people. In that spirit, the Immigration and Refugee Ministry works to assist refugees and immigrants in three main ways:
- Accompanying the Refugee – sponsoring refugee families and walking alongside them in support and friendship
- Educating – ourselves and our parish about the issues facing immigrants and refugees so we can be better informed Catholics and citizens; connecting our Catholic faith to immigrant and refugee issues
- Advocating – for just and compassionate policies around immigration, immigration reform, and refugee resettlement.
Refugee Families’ Wish List
OSP's Immigrant & Refugee Ministry is currently sponsoring four family households. Just in case you can give them a hand by donating one or more new or gently used items, here is a list of some of their needs/wants. If you have other items available in good condition, please let us know and we will determine if our families have a use for them. Please send a photo of your donation (include dimensions for furniture) to pennyd5225@gmail.com or text to 773-899-0288.
OSP's Immigrant & Refugee Ministry is currently sponsoring four family households. Just in case you can give them a hand by donating one or more new or gently used items, here is a list of some of their needs/wants. If you have other items available in good condition, please let us know and we will determine if our families have a use for them. Please send a photo of your donation (include dimensions for furniture) to pennyd5225@gmail.com or text to 773-899-0288.
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Twin sized platform bed frames (4) (no box springs; must have platform)
LR sofas (2 needed) LR chairs (smaller size) Ottoman Floor lamp New twin-sized sheets New twin-sized blankets Disney movie DVDs Microwave Air purifier Multi-purpose blender Diapers (size 3) Men’s Heavy winter coat (med size) Men’s Winter boots (size 9) Men’s scarf and gloves (sm-med) Services: A truck/large SUV owner who will occasionally donate his/her time to deliver a larger donated item as needed. |
If you are interested in supporting the IRM efforts as a volunteer or have any ideas or questions, please contact Kayla Jackson at kaylaj@oldstpats.org for more information. If you would like to make a donation: click on GIVE ONLINE (upper-right corner), select Immigrant & Refugee Fund from drop down menu.
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Journey to Emmaus Award to Old St. Pat’s
Keep Hope Alive 2020 Benefit
You are invited to KEEP HOPE ALIVE 2020, “15 Years United for Immigrant Justice”, an online benefit and celebration on Thursday, October 29, 2020, 6:30pm, supporting the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Immigration Ministry and its local and national Pastoral Migratoria. Featuring Cardinal Blasé J. Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago and Sister Norma Pimentel of Catholic Charities Rio Grande Valley, this virtual event will support the leadership formation and accompaniment of immigrants as protagonists of their own development and integration in parish communities as inspired by Pope Francis. Registration is free, and sponsorship and advertising opportunities are available. Visit www.KeepHopeAlive2020.org for more information and to register.
Journey to Emmaus Award
Old St. Pat’s will be honored with the Journey to Emmaus Award, which honors a leader or group whose contributions to the Immigrant Ministry demonstrates a commitment to our mission to welcome the stranger in our midst empowering immigrants to live in this country with dignity. Throughout Old St. Pat’s history, they have been a beacon of justice and healing. For nearly 15 years, Old St. Pat’s has supported Pastoral Migratoria not only in their words, but also in their actions through their continuous advocacy and education activities that create awareness on the current reality of immigration policies, including the impact of family separation within the country.
As a further example of welcoming the stranger, Old St. Pat’s has made the simple gestures of offering their church as a gathering/resting oasis for the numerous immigration marchers that passed by the church as well as hanging out their sign of solidarity that said: ”The immigrants of yesterday welcome the immigrants of today.”
Keep Hope Alive 2020 Benefit
You are invited to KEEP HOPE ALIVE 2020, “15 Years United for Immigrant Justice”, an online benefit and celebration on Thursday, October 29, 2020, 6:30pm, supporting the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Immigration Ministry and its local and national Pastoral Migratoria. Featuring Cardinal Blasé J. Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago and Sister Norma Pimentel of Catholic Charities Rio Grande Valley, this virtual event will support the leadership formation and accompaniment of immigrants as protagonists of their own development and integration in parish communities as inspired by Pope Francis. Registration is free, and sponsorship and advertising opportunities are available. Visit www.KeepHopeAlive2020.org for more information and to register.
Journey to Emmaus Award
Old St. Pat’s will be honored with the Journey to Emmaus Award, which honors a leader or group whose contributions to the Immigrant Ministry demonstrates a commitment to our mission to welcome the stranger in our midst empowering immigrants to live in this country with dignity. Throughout Old St. Pat’s history, they have been a beacon of justice and healing. For nearly 15 years, Old St. Pat’s has supported Pastoral Migratoria not only in their words, but also in their actions through their continuous advocacy and education activities that create awareness on the current reality of immigration policies, including the impact of family separation within the country.
As a further example of welcoming the stranger, Old St. Pat’s has made the simple gestures of offering their church as a gathering/resting oasis for the numerous immigration marchers that passed by the church as well as hanging out their sign of solidarity that said: ”The immigrants of yesterday welcome the immigrants of today.”
Sunday, September 6, 2020
Alrefaai family
Alrefaai Family Update
The Alrefaai family has come a long way since they landed at O’Hare Airport on Christmas Eve 2016 in Chicago’s freezing cold. They had left Daraa, a small city in southwest Syria, after their home was bombed twice in 2013. Their family of six, including an infant daughter, left everything and eventually fled to Jordan where they stayed in a refugee camp until they were notified they would be relocated to the U.S.
The newly formed Old St. Pat’s Immigration & Refugee Ministry (IRM) pulled the family into their fold. The committee has helped the family in many ways, most recently in assisting them to secure a safer and better-located three-BR apartment in Skokie. The move will improve transportation for their two older sons, Tarek and Amar, to attend new and better high schools: Tarek will be a junior at Niles West and Amar a freshman at Loyola Academy where he has qualified for a scholarship. Both boys are still understandably challenged by language limitations. Fortunately for Amar, Loyola Academy made the additional commitment of offering him dedicated guidance and tutoring through the O’Shaughnessy program.
Mohammed, a sixth grader; and daughter Rama, now in second grade, will both attend Skokie public schools. The younger children have flourished here as their English was learned at younger ages. The IRM has provided friendship, some iPads and computers, winter coats and other clothing, a sewing machine, Zoom ESL lessons, tutoring, used bikes and more.
Ziad, the father, is doing well at his night job at Home Depot, but it is difficult to find time to advance his basic English given his job commitments. He and wife, Dalya, a loving mom and great cook, always put their children first and are focused on providing the best opportunities for them to succeed here while also trying to survive on minimum wages. All of the family members have Green Cards and will be eligible for citizenship in a few years.
We welcome your help for the Alrefaai family. Suggestions include providing Dalya with some paid home-based sewing projects, career-path opportunities for Ziad (his background is installing cable and satellite dishes in Syria), Zoom math/reading/ESL volunteer tutoring, and any financial assistance for their significant school expenses (including $1,500 of Loyola tuition not covered by Amar’s scholarship), back-to-school clothing and supplies, rent, also some furniture—sofa, coffee table, lamps, artwork, etc.
If you are interested in supporting our efforts as a volunteer or have any ideas or questions, please contact Kayla Jackson at kaylaj@oldstpats.org for more information.
If you would like to make a donation, please click on Give to OSP (upper Right-hand corner). Click on GIVE ONLINE, and select Immigrant & Refugee Fund from drop down menu.
The Alrefaai family has come a long way since they landed at O’Hare Airport on Christmas Eve 2016 in Chicago’s freezing cold. They had left Daraa, a small city in southwest Syria, after their home was bombed twice in 2013. Their family of six, including an infant daughter, left everything and eventually fled to Jordan where they stayed in a refugee camp until they were notified they would be relocated to the U.S.
The newly formed Old St. Pat’s Immigration & Refugee Ministry (IRM) pulled the family into their fold. The committee has helped the family in many ways, most recently in assisting them to secure a safer and better-located three-BR apartment in Skokie. The move will improve transportation for their two older sons, Tarek and Amar, to attend new and better high schools: Tarek will be a junior at Niles West and Amar a freshman at Loyola Academy where he has qualified for a scholarship. Both boys are still understandably challenged by language limitations. Fortunately for Amar, Loyola Academy made the additional commitment of offering him dedicated guidance and tutoring through the O’Shaughnessy program.
Mohammed, a sixth grader; and daughter Rama, now in second grade, will both attend Skokie public schools. The younger children have flourished here as their English was learned at younger ages. The IRM has provided friendship, some iPads and computers, winter coats and other clothing, a sewing machine, Zoom ESL lessons, tutoring, used bikes and more.
Ziad, the father, is doing well at his night job at Home Depot, but it is difficult to find time to advance his basic English given his job commitments. He and wife, Dalya, a loving mom and great cook, always put their children first and are focused on providing the best opportunities for them to succeed here while also trying to survive on minimum wages. All of the family members have Green Cards and will be eligible for citizenship in a few years.
We welcome your help for the Alrefaai family. Suggestions include providing Dalya with some paid home-based sewing projects, career-path opportunities for Ziad (his background is installing cable and satellite dishes in Syria), Zoom math/reading/ESL volunteer tutoring, and any financial assistance for their significant school expenses (including $1,500 of Loyola tuition not covered by Amar’s scholarship), back-to-school clothing and supplies, rent, also some furniture—sofa, coffee table, lamps, artwork, etc.
If you are interested in supporting our efforts as a volunteer or have any ideas or questions, please contact Kayla Jackson at kaylaj@oldstpats.org for more information.
If you would like to make a donation, please click on Give to OSP (upper Right-hand corner). Click on GIVE ONLINE, and select Immigrant & Refugee Fund from drop down menu.
Sunday, August 2, 2020
“God put you on our path. You have been much help to me and my family. We give thanks to God because He made all this possible.”
(Taken from Maria Ramos’ thank you note to OSP following the birth of their newborn Isabella)
Almost two years ago the Old St. Pat’s Immigrant & Refugee Rights Committee sponsored the Ramos family through the Archdiocesan Refugee Resettlement Program. This family—at that time consisting of Ferney, Maria and their young son, Luis—had fled very difficult circumstances in their home country of Colombia, South America. They transitioned through Ecuador where they sought U.S. asylum, and were finally resettled in Chicago.
A baby sister, Isabella, born on June 9, has been a joyous addition to the Ramos family. Our Old St. Pat’s volunteers have supported generously in many ways—including a “virtual” shower outfitting just about all of the needs of the nursery and more.
Luis, now 10 years, will be entering 5th grade in the western suburb where they live. One of our volunteers continues to give him weekly piano lessons (even by phone during the Pandemic). He hopes to attend Religious Ed classes at Old St. Pat’s once life returns to normalcy.
Old St. Pat’s volunteers have also donated food baskets, a laptop, sewing machine, bicycle as well as providing assistance in getting their Green cards, English as a Second Language lessons, and much more. The Ramos family has shown enormous gratitude for this help. They have also made great strides and shown much resourcefulness on their own. Their good attitude is greatly enhanced by their faith in God and practical problem-solving skills, despite the many challenges that they’ve faced. We’re all very proud of them.
If you are interested in supporting our efforts, as a volunteer, please contact Kayla Jackson at kaylaj@oldstpats.org for more information. If you would like to make a donation, please click here and Select Immigrant & Refugee Rights from Fund dropdown menu.
(Taken from Maria Ramos’ thank you note to OSP following the birth of their newborn Isabella)
Almost two years ago the Old St. Pat’s Immigrant & Refugee Rights Committee sponsored the Ramos family through the Archdiocesan Refugee Resettlement Program. This family—at that time consisting of Ferney, Maria and their young son, Luis—had fled very difficult circumstances in their home country of Colombia, South America. They transitioned through Ecuador where they sought U.S. asylum, and were finally resettled in Chicago.
A baby sister, Isabella, born on June 9, has been a joyous addition to the Ramos family. Our Old St. Pat’s volunteers have supported generously in many ways—including a “virtual” shower outfitting just about all of the needs of the nursery and more.
Luis, now 10 years, will be entering 5th grade in the western suburb where they live. One of our volunteers continues to give him weekly piano lessons (even by phone during the Pandemic). He hopes to attend Religious Ed classes at Old St. Pat’s once life returns to normalcy.
Old St. Pat’s volunteers have also donated food baskets, a laptop, sewing machine, bicycle as well as providing assistance in getting their Green cards, English as a Second Language lessons, and much more. The Ramos family has shown enormous gratitude for this help. They have also made great strides and shown much resourcefulness on their own. Their good attitude is greatly enhanced by their faith in God and practical problem-solving skills, despite the many challenges that they’ve faced. We’re all very proud of them.
If you are interested in supporting our efforts, as a volunteer, please contact Kayla Jackson at kaylaj@oldstpats.org for more information. If you would like to make a donation, please click here and Select Immigrant & Refugee Rights from Fund dropdown menu.
From Chicago Religious Leadership Network
Urge Congress and Midwest Regional ICE Field Office Director Robert Guadian to stop implementation of ICE's Citizens Academy
ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations plans to run a 6-week 'Citizens Academy' – "Citizens will participate in scenario-based training and exercises conducted in a safe and positive environment, including, but not limited to defensive tactics, firearms familiarization,and targeted arrests." Is this how we want our nation to treat God’s family? CRLN, Organized Communities Against Deportations (OCAD) and the Inter-Faith Committee on Latin America in St. Louis (IFCLA) have put together a sign-on letter. Use link below to read the letters and add your names.
www.crln.org/ice-citizens-academy/
Urge Congress and Midwest Regional ICE Field Office Director Robert Guadian to stop implementation of ICE's Citizens Academy
ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations plans to run a 6-week 'Citizens Academy' – "Citizens will participate in scenario-based training and exercises conducted in a safe and positive environment, including, but not limited to defensive tactics, firearms familiarization,and targeted arrests." Is this how we want our nation to treat God’s family? CRLN, Organized Communities Against Deportations (OCAD) and the Inter-Faith Committee on Latin America in St. Louis (IFCLA) have put together a sign-on letter. Use link below to read the letters and add your names.
www.crln.org/ice-citizens-academy/
Sunday, May 10, 2020
“Like a Bridge Over Troubled Waters...” Keeping Our Refugee Families in Our Hearts
by Maureen Hellwig
In the context of this current pandemic and our stay-at-home rules, our Immigrant and Refugee Rights Committee wants to assure our parish community that we are in communication with our refugee families. We are providing food, as needed – and it is. This has been made possible through the OSP Covid-19 Relief Fund and the generosity of our committee members... (To make a gift to support this fund, please use the OSP giving link, bit.ly/givetoosp, and select COVID-19 Relief from the drop-down menu.)
We are working to make sure our families have the devices they need to facilitate continuation of their efforts to learn English, and so the children don’t miss their online school lessons. A BIG THANKS to our David Ryan and Kevin Kelly of the OSP Men’s Group for assisting with a Chromebook donation. Our newest committee member, Penny Davoren, also donated an ipad. Their donations have been much appreciated.
Some of us will be helping with reading over the summer. Tarek, one of the teens in the Alrefaai family, is working hard on his English with the help of tutors from Loyola Academy including Loyola teacher, Margo Stack. His younger brother has been accepted and will begin his freshman year there in September. Committee member, Kate Bergin, has shared how helpful Fr. McGrath has been in giving these young men an opportunity for a great high school education.
On the joyful news side, Maria Ramos is expecting a baby in June. We had been planning a baby shower earlier in April, another event cancelled by the pandemic. However, committee member, Giovana Quigley, worked with Maria, through multiple emails and photo exchanges, to set up a gift registry at Target. Maria says she has been delighted with the array of gifts she has received, and all is ready for Baby Ramos’ arrival.
And believe it or not, Pat Hamill has continued piano lessons with Luis Ramos over the phone!
Mike Schubert, Committee Co-Chair, has been working on a proposal for the purpose of presenting our mission to potential donors, to ensure that we will continue to have the resources we need to support our current families, and perhaps, take on one more.
Committee member, Sharon O’Brien, has been in touch with Azimah and Norham of our Rohynga family as they begin the holy season of Ramadan. Fortunately, Norham’s job is still secure, so they are doing OK.
Our Congolese brother, Gapira, has not been so fortunate. So, committee member, David Gross, has been helping him fill out his unemployment benefit application. Gapira’s older brother, Emile, has moved to Kentucky.
Last, but not least, at our last meeting via Zoom, the committee agreed on an advocacy strategy on behalf of immigrants and refugees in the US, using some tools sent to us by Catholic Charities. To put this in context, federal policies and legislation, like the CARES Act and other measures to support those in need during the pandemic, have excluded most immigrants and refugees. While the Gospel would not support such exclusion, it has also struck me that so many of the faces of health care workers and academics helping the governor use data to best calculate what lies ahead, have the faces and voices of Indians, Asians, Middle Easterners, Latinos, and Europeans. These current or former immigrants and refugees are keeping us alive. Then add to that the many other essential, low-wage workers, very often people of color, who are helping us get by.
Please join us by participating with the information that follows. You can help by sending a message to our Congressional Representatives that we #StandWithRefugees. Then, take a moment to email your Representatives by visiting, https://democracy.io/#!/. This link makes it easy to send your message efficiently, without having to look up any contact information. I think it took me all of three minutes.
Let them know you are a member of a faith community who stands with refugees and wants to make sure that COVID-19 relief:
• Provides funding to strengthen the resettlement infrastructure
• Provides no-cost testing and treatment for all
• Ensures cash payments to ALL refugees
Thanks for making advocacy part of your work to support those we serve and in praying with words from Fr. Richard Rohr:
O Great Love, thank you for living and loving in us and through us. . . Knowing you are hearing us better than we are speaking, we offer these prayers in all the holy names of God. Amen.
To contribute to Old St. Pat’s Immigrant and Refugee Fund, please use the OSP giving link, bit.ly/givetoosp, and select Immigrant & Refugee Fund from the drop-down menu. We thank you in advance for your generosity.
We are working to make sure our families have the devices they need to facilitate continuation of their efforts to learn English, and so the children don’t miss their online school lessons. A BIG THANKS to our David Ryan and Kevin Kelly of the OSP Men’s Group for assisting with a Chromebook donation. Our newest committee member, Penny Davoren, also donated an ipad. Their donations have been much appreciated.
Some of us will be helping with reading over the summer. Tarek, one of the teens in the Alrefaai family, is working hard on his English with the help of tutors from Loyola Academy including Loyola teacher, Margo Stack. His younger brother has been accepted and will begin his freshman year there in September. Committee member, Kate Bergin, has shared how helpful Fr. McGrath has been in giving these young men an opportunity for a great high school education.
On the joyful news side, Maria Ramos is expecting a baby in June. We had been planning a baby shower earlier in April, another event cancelled by the pandemic. However, committee member, Giovana Quigley, worked with Maria, through multiple emails and photo exchanges, to set up a gift registry at Target. Maria says she has been delighted with the array of gifts she has received, and all is ready for Baby Ramos’ arrival.
And believe it or not, Pat Hamill has continued piano lessons with Luis Ramos over the phone!
Mike Schubert, Committee Co-Chair, has been working on a proposal for the purpose of presenting our mission to potential donors, to ensure that we will continue to have the resources we need to support our current families, and perhaps, take on one more.
Committee member, Sharon O’Brien, has been in touch with Azimah and Norham of our Rohynga family as they begin the holy season of Ramadan. Fortunately, Norham’s job is still secure, so they are doing OK.
Our Congolese brother, Gapira, has not been so fortunate. So, committee member, David Gross, has been helping him fill out his unemployment benefit application. Gapira’s older brother, Emile, has moved to Kentucky.
Last, but not least, at our last meeting via Zoom, the committee agreed on an advocacy strategy on behalf of immigrants and refugees in the US, using some tools sent to us by Catholic Charities. To put this in context, federal policies and legislation, like the CARES Act and other measures to support those in need during the pandemic, have excluded most immigrants and refugees. While the Gospel would not support such exclusion, it has also struck me that so many of the faces of health care workers and academics helping the governor use data to best calculate what lies ahead, have the faces and voices of Indians, Asians, Middle Easterners, Latinos, and Europeans. These current or former immigrants and refugees are keeping us alive. Then add to that the many other essential, low-wage workers, very often people of color, who are helping us get by.
Please join us by participating with the information that follows. You can help by sending a message to our Congressional Representatives that we #StandWithRefugees. Then, take a moment to email your Representatives by visiting, https://democracy.io/#!/. This link makes it easy to send your message efficiently, without having to look up any contact information. I think it took me all of three minutes.
Let them know you are a member of a faith community who stands with refugees and wants to make sure that COVID-19 relief:
• Provides funding to strengthen the resettlement infrastructure
• Provides no-cost testing and treatment for all
• Ensures cash payments to ALL refugees
Thanks for making advocacy part of your work to support those we serve and in praying with words from Fr. Richard Rohr:
O Great Love, thank you for living and loving in us and through us. . . Knowing you are hearing us better than we are speaking, we offer these prayers in all the holy names of God. Amen.
To contribute to Old St. Pat’s Immigrant and Refugee Fund, please use the OSP giving link, bit.ly/givetoosp, and select Immigrant & Refugee Fund from the drop-down menu. We thank you in advance for your generosity.