Serve Asylum Seekers Arriving in Chicago
CALL TO ACTION! |
Our friends at Fourth Presbyterian Church have found themselves graciously hosting migrants from Central and South America. Approximately 370 migrants arrived last week via Texas and are currently being offered a place to stay at the former Tremont Hotel on Chestnut Street. Fourth Presbyterian was not given advance notice of the migrants' arrival, and in turn, is looking for the Chicago community's help to welcome these asylum seekers.
The Fourth Presbyterian Social Service Center and Meals Ministry are working with these families to provide them with food and clothing. Donations of clothing, blankets, winter coats/gloves/shoes, and food are greatly appreciated. |
Here are ways to help:
Volunteering
If you, or someone you know, speaks Spanish and can help with translation, please consider signing up for a volunteer shift HERE. Bilingual volunteers are needed Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 am -12:00pm to assist with registration, helping in the food pantry and clothing shop, and speaking with families to assist with resource distribution.
Volunteers are also needed Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 am -12:00pm to help with processing donations in the Food Pantry and Share Shop-- Spanish is not required for this role, please consider signing up for a volunteer shift HERE OR by contacting Lynn Milligan at lmilligan@chicagolights.org
Donations
Donated items can be delivered/ dropped off at Fourth Presbyterian Church (126 E Chestnut St, Chicago, IL 60611) between the hours of 8:30am and 4:00pm. Use the Chestnut Street entrance.
You can use their lists of preferred food items from Amazon, Target, Walmart, and Costco. You can also purchase new clothing items and have them sent directly to The Social Service Center via Amazon. These lists are set up to ship directly to Fourth Church sales-tax free: just click, pay, and ship!
General Questions? Please contact Theresa Thornburg at tthornburg@chicagolights.org
Let's work together to create communities of welcome, hospitality, safety and hope for our immigrant brothers, sisters and siblings in Christ.
Volunteering
If you, or someone you know, speaks Spanish and can help with translation, please consider signing up for a volunteer shift HERE. Bilingual volunteers are needed Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 am -12:00pm to assist with registration, helping in the food pantry and clothing shop, and speaking with families to assist with resource distribution.
Volunteers are also needed Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 am -12:00pm to help with processing donations in the Food Pantry and Share Shop-- Spanish is not required for this role, please consider signing up for a volunteer shift HERE OR by contacting Lynn Milligan at lmilligan@chicagolights.org
Donations
Donated items can be delivered/ dropped off at Fourth Presbyterian Church (126 E Chestnut St, Chicago, IL 60611) between the hours of 8:30am and 4:00pm. Use the Chestnut Street entrance.
You can use their lists of preferred food items from Amazon, Target, Walmart, and Costco. You can also purchase new clothing items and have them sent directly to The Social Service Center via Amazon. These lists are set up to ship directly to Fourth Church sales-tax free: just click, pay, and ship!
General Questions? Please contact Theresa Thornburg at tthornburg@chicagolights.org
Let's work together to create communities of welcome, hospitality, safety and hope for our immigrant brothers, sisters and siblings in Christ.
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:
You are invited to journey with us as we welcome the stranger. Check out this webpage for updates on our sponsored refugee families, education opportunities, and bulletin articles. For more information, contact Kayla Jackson, Coordinator of Social Justice Ministries, kaylaj@oldstpats.org.
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.
You are invited to journey with us as we welcome the stranger. Check out this webpage for updates on our sponsored refugee families, education opportunities, and bulletin articles. For more information, contact Kayla Jackson, Coordinator of Social Justice Ministries, kaylaj@oldstpats.org.
Since early September, parishes, priests, religious sisters and brothers, church ministries, and Catholic Charities have shown an outpouring of concern for these travelers. A coordinated Catholic response is underway so we can maximize our collective impact. We are providing pastoral care and considering options such as transitional shelter and parish family sponsorship opportunities.
How You Can Help
How You Can Help
- Make a financial donation at Mass on November 6th, when a second collection will directly support this collective response. You can also donate directly by going to the Catholic Charities website: www.catholiccharities.net or by calling (312) 655-7525. Join response efforts by contacting our OSP Immigration and Refugee Ministry to join efforts at kaylaj@oldstpats.org.
- Pray for our brother and sister asylum seekers arriving in Chicago. Pray for these mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, that they are welcomed and embraced with Jesus' compassion — and pray that those serving them are sustained by God's grace. We will keep you informed, and welcome your questions, support, and prayer.
Immigrant & Refugee Ministry Updates
Immigrant & Refugee Ministry
IRM’s first refugee resettlement of 2023… took in February 2023—helping a family of four (a mother and three children, ages 8-13) from Myanmar (formerly Burma) settle into an apartment on Chicago’s north side. Heartland Alliance found the apartment for the family and will assist them with the rent for several months, in addition to help with enrolling the children in school, learning English, and employment. Thanks to the generous donations of many of you to January’s “household shower,” several teams of IRM members were able to clean up the apartment, and outfit it with everything they will need--new towels, bathroom supplies, new comforters, sheets and pillows, pots/pans and dinnerware—and much more for their 2-BR apartment, as well as to leave a generous supply of groceries in their refrigerator and pantry.
Our partner, Chicago Furniture Bank (CFB), serves as an intermediary between Chicagoans who have extra furniture and those who need it. For a modest fee, CFB provides furnishing packages to our families that includes a sofa, armchairs, dressers, tables, rugs, lamps and more, helping them to sleep in their own new bed and share a family meal at a kitchen table. (Note: You can do some good with your unwanted furniture items by scheduling a furniture donation pick-up with them. Since the CFB gives the furniture to needy families, there is a “suggested donation” based on the size of the pickup. Tax receipts are available. In 2022 CFB helped to furnish 4,000 homes—some of them for our refugee families. See more info at www.chicagofurniturebank.org)
Our Honduran family enjoys another milestone.
Baby Ian turned “1” last week and IRM members Lisa Burkhart and Peggy Burke were invited to his birthday party. The family continues to do well—dad Juan Carlos has a new job at WeatherTech in Bolingbrook, son Denilson is learning English and son Oliver has been delighted to finally begin to use the snowblower for his fledgling business that was donated to him by IRM member, Maureen Hellwig. Happy birthday, Ian!
Welcome Corps—new federal program introduced to let small groups of private citizens sponsor refugees …
Last month the State Department launched a program, which will enable everyday Americans to help refugees adjust to life in the U.S. These small groups of five (or more) can apply to privately sponsor refugees to resettle in America, and be responsible for raising their own money to help the refugees during their first 90 days in the country. Assistance would include everything from greeting refugees at the airport to finding them homes and getting kids enrolled in school during their first 90 days in the U.S.
This initiative will roll out in two phases. In phase one, launched in the first half of 2023, private sponsors will be matched with refugees already approved for resettlement. In the second phase, private sponsors would be able to identify refugees abroad they’d like to help and then refer those people to the Refugee Assistance Program and assist them once they arrive in the U.S. Its goal is to line up 10,000 Americans who can help 5,000 refugees during the first year of the program. Find more information--including weekly emails and a Zoom orientation--at https://welcomecorps.org.
The Immigration & Refugee Ministry (IRM) is so grateful to Old St. Pat’s members for their generous, ongoing support of our efforts—a sincere thanks to all. The need is great. Please go to oldstpats.org. Click on GIVE TO OSP (upper right-hand corner). Click on GIVE ONLINE and select IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE FUND from the drop-down menu. 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.
IRM’s first refugee resettlement of 2023… took in February 2023—helping a family of four (a mother and three children, ages 8-13) from Myanmar (formerly Burma) settle into an apartment on Chicago’s north side. Heartland Alliance found the apartment for the family and will assist them with the rent for several months, in addition to help with enrolling the children in school, learning English, and employment. Thanks to the generous donations of many of you to January’s “household shower,” several teams of IRM members were able to clean up the apartment, and outfit it with everything they will need--new towels, bathroom supplies, new comforters, sheets and pillows, pots/pans and dinnerware—and much more for their 2-BR apartment, as well as to leave a generous supply of groceries in their refrigerator and pantry.
Our partner, Chicago Furniture Bank (CFB), serves as an intermediary between Chicagoans who have extra furniture and those who need it. For a modest fee, CFB provides furnishing packages to our families that includes a sofa, armchairs, dressers, tables, rugs, lamps and more, helping them to sleep in their own new bed and share a family meal at a kitchen table. (Note: You can do some good with your unwanted furniture items by scheduling a furniture donation pick-up with them. Since the CFB gives the furniture to needy families, there is a “suggested donation” based on the size of the pickup. Tax receipts are available. In 2022 CFB helped to furnish 4,000 homes—some of them for our refugee families. See more info at www.chicagofurniturebank.org)
Our Honduran family enjoys another milestone.
Baby Ian turned “1” last week and IRM members Lisa Burkhart and Peggy Burke were invited to his birthday party. The family continues to do well—dad Juan Carlos has a new job at WeatherTech in Bolingbrook, son Denilson is learning English and son Oliver has been delighted to finally begin to use the snowblower for his fledgling business that was donated to him by IRM member, Maureen Hellwig. Happy birthday, Ian!
Welcome Corps—new federal program introduced to let small groups of private citizens sponsor refugees …
Last month the State Department launched a program, which will enable everyday Americans to help refugees adjust to life in the U.S. These small groups of five (or more) can apply to privately sponsor refugees to resettle in America, and be responsible for raising their own money to help the refugees during their first 90 days in the country. Assistance would include everything from greeting refugees at the airport to finding them homes and getting kids enrolled in school during their first 90 days in the U.S.
This initiative will roll out in two phases. In phase one, launched in the first half of 2023, private sponsors will be matched with refugees already approved for resettlement. In the second phase, private sponsors would be able to identify refugees abroad they’d like to help and then refer those people to the Refugee Assistance Program and assist them once they arrive in the U.S. Its goal is to line up 10,000 Americans who can help 5,000 refugees during the first year of the program. Find more information--including weekly emails and a Zoom orientation--at https://welcomecorps.org.
The Immigration & Refugee Ministry (IRM) is so grateful to Old St. Pat’s members for their generous, ongoing support of our efforts—a sincere thanks to all. The need is great. Please go to oldstpats.org. Click on GIVE TO OSP (upper right-hand corner). Click on GIVE ONLINE and select IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE FUND from the drop-down menu. 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.