Last Post

The lack of functioning wifi in the apartment and the craziness of preparing so many presentations made keeping up with my blog nearly impossible. In case anyone is still interesting in how the rest of my summer went, here are just a few snippets of what occurred.

Visited the young adult group in St. Agnes of Bohemia across the street:

 

Fourth of July in the city:

 

Planning meetings for immigration advocacy:

 

Went to Chinatown:

 

Visited Father Don McNeil (founding director of the Center for Social Concerns) at Notre Dame:

Presented my final report to the Catholic Dreamers of Chicago:

Presented our final presentations to our organizations and the Institute for Latino Studies:

Went to Pilsen’s Fiesta Del Sol:

And danced almost every weekend!

Overall, it was an amazing experience and I feel immensely blessed to have been given this opportunity!

Journal #8

Incredible to think that this amazing experience has already come to an end. It feels like this last week has sped faster than normal as each day presented an opportunity to complete a project I’ve been working on all summer. Cleaning the apartment and running last minute errands before our departure on Saturday also led to us quickly realize that our eight-weeks in Chicago was nearing its finale. Although not looking forward to the completion, I was satisfied with all the new experiences I had and all the new friendships I had created.

The first presentation I completed took place last week on Friday. I presented to a Pastoral Migratoria group at a parish about the basic structure of American government, the legislative process, and lobbying and incorporated the immigration issue throughout it all. The group was extremely enthusiastic and interested throughout the entire presentation and asked many questions. I was very content to hear afterward that this information helped to clarify misunderstandings about the political system and that they would share this information with others. This made me so happy! This was a perfect opportunity to combine my two areas of study and I was glad to hear so much interest in it from others. It also made me aware of how much my Spanish has improved since first arriving in Chicago. I was able to answer questions and explain concepts a lot more easier than I had at the beginning of the summer. I have been asked by the Office for Immigrant Affairs & Immigration Education to return to Chicago several times to present this information to other parishes and I was more than happy to accept the opportunity to return to the city.

The second presentation occurred with members of the Catholic Dreamers of Chicago. Although the turn out was a lot fewer than I had hoped for, I was glad to finally receive the opportunity to talk to them about what I had discovered and what recommendations I had for them to continue as a group. I was a little nervous as I prepared to explain how I thought they should revamp the entire group, but the recommendations were well received and I’m eager to see what will happen with them. I hope that they will be able to reactivate the mission and create more programs and services for the undocumented youth in the area.

My third presentation was also regarding the Catholic Dreamers of Chicago, but this time to the Office. This coincided with my last day as well as a regular staff meeting. As my final project, I was given the opportunity to present my findings to the director and the rest of the staff. They had a lot more questions than the members did and I think my report ultimately allowed them to realize somethings about the group that were not obvious. One of my recommendations was geared toward the Office and they also seemed to receive it well. I’m curious to see how the relationship between the two groups will continue.

My final presentation was for all the supervisors and coworkers of the four interns, University of Notre Dame staff that help with the internship itself, and special guests. My roommates and I were able to speak individually about the summer. It was incredible to hear how this experience impacted us in such different ways. I discussed the concept of patience and how I have learned to have more of that quality in a whole range of issues. We were all surprised to hear that the experience that had shaped us so much for the future now had secure funding so more students will be able to have similar experiences.

As I finished my readings, I couldn’t help but think how all four presentations touched on a huge theme – community. In Compassion, the authors write, “Compassion always reveals itself in community, in a new way of being together.” This was manifested in all four presentations I did. Compassion was evident in the group becoming better educated about our political system and then sharing it with others to fight injustice and lack of human dignity. Compassion was shown in the Catholic Dreamers of Chicago who have worked so hard in bringing programs to undocumented young adults and are fighting to remain a part in this never ending fight for respect. Compassion was demonstrated in the staff at the Office for Immigrant Affairs & Immigration Education who, rooted in their strong faith, work everyday to help those struggling around Chicago and advocate on behalf of them all. Compassion shown bright in the staff and organizations that work to educate students in order for them to be enabled to continue dedicating their lives to improving the lives of others. It takes a community to make this all happen and I’m glad I was able to witness that.

 

Journal #7

This past week has been a tad bit stressful as I finish up my three presentations and begin presenting them one by one beginning with one for Pastoral Migratoria this past Friday. I have to prepare two separate presentations for the same assessment of the Catholic Dreamers for Chicago with one being for the members today and the other for the office I work for. The last presentation is for CCLIP and I’m becoming really excited to present and listen to the presentations of my three roommates. Altogether, though, I can’t help but feel a little overwhelmed as I prepare everything before my departure next week.

This past Thursday, I was asked to represent my supervisor Elena Segura and the rest of the Office for Immigrant Affairs & Immigration Education in a board meeting of the Interfaith Committee for Detained Immigrants with another coworker. This committee is made up of representatives from different faiths but are all extremely dedicated to those who are caught up in the complicated web of immigration laws and procedures. They ensure that those who are in immigration detention centers as well as their loved ones know their rights and services available for them. They also accompany those who are released from the detention centers, but do not have any housing. They offer temporary housing for them and assist with education and training and even volunteer opportunities as they make their way back into our communities.

I was amazed at the all the programs and services they have in place to truly ensure that immigrants are welcomed and respected in our society. All the representatives played integral roles in ensuring that everything they offered was available to as many people as possible. At the same time, however, we also heard about the difficulties that come along with the job that they are doing. They are in the process of building an actual house in Chicago to house some of the released immigrants on top of all the other temporary living arrangements already set up throughout the city. It was reported that city officials were not being cooperative as they added delays and other obstacles to its progress. The continuation of this plan now is uncertain. Additionally, at the detention centers where they accompany family members and speak to the immigrants themselves, the staff there has not been cooperating with members of the committee as visiting times are regularly changed, they fail to show all the detainees in order to speed deportation proceedings, and are now requiring all of them to complete new registration forms and exams before being allowed to enter the building.

In connection to our readings, there is a strong connection with the first chapter of Roots for Radicals entitled “The World As It is and The World As It Should Be.” Edward T. Chambers explores contradictory themes that we somehow need to manage to find and live in a middle ground. These themes include self-interest vs. self-sacrifice, power vs. love, and change vs. unity. The one that captivated me was imagination vs. hope. Imagination “lets us glimpse a world that has not yet materialized and move mentally back and forth between what was and what is, and what is and what might be” and hope “ignites action when the struggle for justice exposes intolerable gaps between the two worlds.” Finding the balance between imagining the loving welcoming of our immigrant brothers and sisters and creating that momentum toward trying to fit it in that image is difficult to do.

Harry Fagan in Empowerment tests the ability to find this middle ground by advocating for social action. We realize that their are problems and issues and imagine a world without them. Social Action, however, encourages us to change “an unjust practice or policy of an institution.” My favorite line that we must always keep in mind is, “Social ministers must discipline themselves to learn not to do a social action for someone, but only to do it with them.” The Committee works to bring immigrants shelters and basic services but converses with them and then see what their passions are in order to find activities that are suitable for them. They aren’t just throwing everything on their laps.

It is difficult to keep all these lessons in mind. There are so many items that community organizers and leaders must remember throughout their work on any type of issue. But reflections, like this, helps decipher what truly one is aiming for in their work.

 

Journal #6

Attention switched this week to the House of Representatives as the Office for Immigrant Affairs & Immigration Education hosted a meeting with representatives from all their networks to begin mapping out a course for future political action. Most of the representatives here in the area of Chicago are vocal supporters of comprehensive immigration reform especially Luis Gutierrez as a participant in the Gang of 8 (now turned into the Gang of 7) in the House. Even so, there are three representatives who will receive a lot of pressure in the coming weeks from Catholic constituents and immigrant advocates to push for them to voice their support for any good immigration legislation. Participation was extremely high as all involved conversed about the best possible route toward their goals in the political world.

The day before that, however, I was able to step back from the craziness in the political world to daily occurrences for our many brothers and sisters. I joined two summer volunteers who are also students but come Mexico City, study International Relations, and were in a program sponsored by Catholic Charities. For their last day working in the office, we were advised to take a trip downtown to the immigration courthouses and participate as Court Watchers. This program was established after immigrant advocates realized that some judges were unnecessarily harsh with some individuals who appeared before them, but often eased up a little bit when other people came into the courtroom to observe proceedings. Therefore, they ask volunteers to spend a couple hours and sit in while these cases occur.

We were scheduled to meet a graduate student from the University of Chicago at one of these court sites at 1pm. Due to transportation issues and complications in communications, we ended up arriving a little later than anticipated but were assured that it would be not be a problem. Once we entered the building, however, we immediately realized that this would not be the case. It seemed that impatience was a requirement for any one applying to be a member of the Homeland Security team stationed in that building. Our inquiries about the location of the courtroom were met by one women behind a window yelling confusing directions, one security guard stating complete disbelief of our lack of knowledge of court rules, and another guard completely frustrated that he had to call down to the basement to see if we were permitted to go down there. Through all of this, the three of us maintained composure and tried to be as friendly as possible.

We ultimately were not able to make it down to the courtroom although Angelica, the student we were meeting, ended up finding us and gave us a thorough explanation of the court processes. Afterward, I couldn’t stop thinking about how cold that place had been, though. I can only imagine how overwhelmed individuals coming in to listen in to their loved one’s court proceedings and meeting the horrible attitudes many of the individuals in the building had. It is quite an injustice that this must be a case in a government building like this where so many different services are supposed to be found but where people become afraid of those hired to serve them.

In An Introduction to the Principles of Catholic Social Thought by the Center for Social Concerns, the second section is devoted to “The Life and Dignity of the Human Person.” It states, “We believe that those who are weak, vulnerable, or marginalized deserve special respect.” In a different society where this statement is applied to every level of government, the center for immigration proceedings would not have the attitudes prevalent among the staff members there. They would have ensured that the people entering the building, who often are our brothers and sisters who are vulnerable and marginalized in our communities, be treated with tremendous respect and patience.

In the document entitled Justice in the World produced by the World Synod of Catholic Bishops they write about the experiences of migrants. They write, “They are often forced to leave their own country to find work, but frequently find the doors closed in their faces because of discriminatory attitudes, or, if they can enter, they are often obliged to lead an insecure life or are treated in an inhuman manner.” Again, an example of this in action is our present treatment of our undocumented immigrants in our communities. It is entirely possible that some of these same attitudes and sentiments have seeped into our governmental system and combines with enforcement and security policy to create an emotional appearance of animosity.

We are left waiting to see of the treatment of individuals will ever change, but I’m hopeful that it eventually will.

Journal #5

Although a short week due to the 4th of July holiday, I was kept extremely busy in my cubicle in the office. Three presentations and two reports need to be completed in these last three weeks as my summer here quickly flies by. The first one is for a Pastoral Migratoria group at a local parish who requested I do a presentation for them on how to talk to public officials. I’m planning on tying in lobbying and an overview on how a bill becomes law. With the immigration debate as our background and focus, it is not surprising that people want to become informed on what is going on and how they can help and I am thrilled I am able to help with that. I’m also working on my final paper and presentation for this seminar. I’m excited to fully reflect on how this experience has shaped me into a more conscious person. I’m also working on a paper and presentation for the Catholic Dreamers of Chicago Assessment I am completing for the office. This last one has been the center of most of my attention these past few weeks and I’m sure for the last few weeks as I try to synthesize so much information into some concrete recommendations for the Dreamers and the Office for Immigrant Affairs.

As part of this assessment, I spent some time conducting more interviews with Dreamers this past week. Again, I can not help but feel both motivated and frustrated at the same time. On the one hand, these individuals are exceptional people. They have built up strong leadership qualities and are beyond eager to complete a higher degree or find employment that will allow themselves to use the multiple talents they have gathered over time. On the other hand, I still continually hear complaints about our immigrant brothers and sisters as well as arguments based off unfounded facts and figures with the hope of derailing immigration reform. I am convinced that if these anti-immigrant individuals simply took the time to hear the inspiring stories of some of the young adults I have been interviewing, they would not only change their minds, but be more willing to act to push immigration reform through Congress. 

The idea that I have been grappling with the most this week is the concept of patience. Even with their own frustration built up over the years and witnessing misfortune among loved ones, these Dreamers and their supporters have learned how to become extremely patient. They see, or sometimes try to avoid, politicians debating their personal futures on television and it is currently the subject of most Spanish news programs. They hear insults thrown at them both directly and indirectly from some more conservative individuals fired up from all the debate. They celebrate the 4th of July like everybody else even though they are concerned that the American values they hold deeply within their hearts won’t be enough if the immigration reform debate grows sour. Yet, through all this, they patiently wait.

This concept can be applied to the situation of the Puerto Ricans, Salvadorans, and Guatemalans. In “Boricuas en Chicago: Gender and Class in the Migration and Settlement of Puerto Ricans,” Maura I. Toro-Morn talks about the “pioneering families” who arrived in Chicago and “encountered a hostile climate for community formation, yet through local clubs, church groups, and other organizations, a community developed along Division Street” (150). Patience allowed the Puerto Ricans to establish a welcoming environment for themselves and others like them even though they are United States citizens. Wilfredo Cruz says in “Guatemalans and Salvadorans”, “Both groups came fleeing deteriorating economic conditions in their homelands, the traumatic experience of civil war, repression, and violence in their countries” (145). Since arriving in Chicago, however, they have not been able to create their “own distinct neighborhoods,” are “often taken advantage of by employers,” and “most were renters as opposed to homeowners” (146). Even with all these troubles, both of these groups have been patient and have waited for their human dignity to some day be respected among citizens. 

Although there are many differences between these immigrant groups and the Cubans, patience is one of the strongest similarities. Wilfredo Cruz, in “Cubans”, discusses the anxiety as Cuban immigrants await the time they could return to their beloved homeland. Because of the political situation, they have realized that this may never occur but still patiently wait for a miracle. He tells the story of Angelica Garcia who left to Chicago but had to leave behind her husband. Even with the distance, they talk to each other about once a month and wait for a day they can be reunited in Chicago. 

After hearing all these stories, I feel sudden urges to call my representatives, write letters, and do everything I can to try to move the immigration debate faster. But, like all these individuals, I must remain patient and pray that something will be accomplished soon. 

Weekend Adventures

We started our week thinking that we weren’t going to do much. We were simply going to do a few things and use most of our free time to relax, run a few errands, and perhaps catch up on our reading and journal entries especially since the deadline was quickly approaching. Our weekend was far from that and I include a brief summary of most of the events here.

The weekend began Friday when the office hosted a final mass and reception for my now former supervisor Marilu. It was great to see so many different people offering their best wishes as she prepares for her next endeavor. We then prepared for a banda concert at a seafood restaurant in the city. Mayra’s coworker, Karla, invited us since her husband was in one of the four bands playing that night. Although I’m still not used to dancing tamborazo, it was cool to listen to yet another type of music and watch as people danced to the loud tunes.

After doing some cleaning and food shopping, we were getting ready to relax when Father Tom from across the street from our apartment informed us of four extra tickets for the White Sox game that was scheduled to begin in about an hour. He was taking several members of the parish’s youth group, but not everyone showed up. Deciding to take the opportunity, we geared up for what we thought was going to be a colder game since it had been cloudy all day. We arrived to a glaring sun and were able to enjoy the game while finally receiving the tan I wanted and badly needed. Our conversations with some of the youth revealed to us how much good the youth group does for the Little Village community. Afterward, we stopped for a little bit to a barbeque before gearing up for some dancing near downtown.

Although exhausted from the day before, we woke up early and made our way to the Pride Parade in the northern part of Chicago. We left two hours early hoping to find a spot somewhere along the parade route. The amount of people, however, allowed us to get there just as it was beginning. As I imagined, there was definitely a lot of craziness even before we arrived as we jammed ourselves onto trains filled with other excited and some inebriated fans. The pushing and shoving as visitors tried to make their way to the front of the crowds definitely was not fun but it was astonishing seeing the amount of people gathered to celebrate a segment of our community that definitely deserves more welcoming in our society. It was even more exciting with the recent Supreme Court decisions. Overall, the experience was great and I’m glad I had the opportnity to attend that ironically now as an intern for the Archidiocese of Chicago. We didn’t stay for the entire parade but managed to see most of it after the three hours we were there.

Our weekend experiences have been as diverse as the city of Chicago. From the Mexican community dancing to tamborazo, to enjoying some baseball with some youth and sport enthusiasts, and finally celebrating with the gay community and their allies, I am happy I am able to see all these things in the city. These are experiences I would not be able to have back in my small rural town in California. At the same time, I miss many of the people and things that I left behind in Kerman. For the time being, though, I will try to enjoy the last few weeks I have in the city.

Journal #4

My fourth week in Chicago was once again consumed with political action at the federal level as our Senators debated immigration policy. The Office for Immigrant Affairs & Immigration Education watched intently as we wondered how the final reform package would look like. We held our press conference calling attention to Senator Mark Kirk on Monday, heard of a final deal reached by Democrats and Republicans throughout the week, and were content with the final vote of 68-32 on Thursday. As a political science major, all of this fascinated me and even more so because it related to the immigration issue.

On a more personal side, however, this week was also consumed by one-on-one interviews I held with DREAMers and other undocumented young adults throughout Chicago. These are the youth who oftentimes arrived as children to the United States, but have been left without clear legal footing in the country and a murky future. This is all part of my assignment to create an assessment of the Catholic Dreamers of Chicago for the office where I am interning. I am planning on holding several more interviews in the coming weeks.

Each one of these interviews left me astounded by the level of passion and determination they all held in creating a brighter future for themselves even when confronting multiple levels of obstacles. They all had such large aspirations but are held back by the lack of proper documentation to be able to accomplish most of them. I left each interview full of stories of attempts to gain higher education, hours upon hours committed to community service projects, and uncertainty of what was to come. Most of these individuals have been able to receive work permits and driver licenses due to DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). Nevertheless, these only hold for two years and the possibility of the elimination require most of them to create backup plans. They hold high levels of optimism and are gearing themselves to continuing the fight for complete legal residency and eventually citizenship in the country they have grown to love.

I have grown extremely motivated to continue following the journeys of these young adults as the political debate continues in distant Washington, D.C. I have witnessed many young adults who have so many opportunities for furthering their education and acquiring a job they love, but let those opportunities fly by even though they hold legal status in this country. They refuse to vote or participate in any other form of service for the communities around them. Yet all the individuals I have had the honor to speak to thus far have not been deterred by lack of documentation. They push themselves through college even though they don’t have as many possibilities for financial help as others do. They become extremely involved in helping their communities in local parishes and organizations throughout Chicago. They have jobs that allow them to sustain themselves but doesn’t allow them to practice the countless skills they have acquired. And they have faced multiple problems but don’t let them deter them. I have felt pure inspiration from their stories of strong ambition.

Father Daniel Groody talks about social justice in Chapter 4 “A God of Life, A Civilization of Love” from his book Globalization, Spirituality, and Justice: Navigating the Path to Peace. The fight for social justice as it relates to the undocumented immigrants in this country is one that has raged for several years now but also one we hope to reach a small success soon. As Father Groody discusses the components of social justice, the one that related the most to the situations of the individuals I interviewed was the concept of dignity of the human person. In this section, he writes, “Catholic social teaching believes that human beings, created in the image and likeness of God (Gn 1:26-27), have by their very existence an inherent value, worth, and distinction.” However, the stories I have heard revealed that most of them did not believe their human dignity was being respected in the country. Instead, their potential was capped and their labor sometimes abused by others in the country.

The immigration issue was also addressed by a pastoral letter called “Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope” written by the Catholic Bishops of Mexico and the United States. A summary of the letter states that the bishops “encourage assistance so the journeys of migrants can be journeys filled with hope and culminate in a welcome of those migrants, who, united as brothers and sisters in Christ, are already strangers no longer.” The immigrants I was able to talk to discuss receiving a lot of assistance along their journey here in Chicago, but the ultimate assistance of a pathway to citizenship is still needed in our nation. They are, in fact, “strangers no longer” as they have been active in the community and eager to participate for the betterment of society. Many have been touched by their stories of perseverance and ambition, but now we wait for a culmination of welcome for our brothers and sisters in Chicago and throughout the country.

After hearing all these stories, I am eager to talk to many more participants of the Catholic Dreamers of Chicago and I wait in anticipation with them for a brighter future.

S. 744 – Political Frenzy

With the immigration debate in the U.S. Senate, my days have been filled with last minute attempts to persuade Republican Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois to vote in favor of the immigration reform bill. On Monday, June 17, I accompanied several priests, deacons, nuns, and members of the Office for Immigrant Affairs to deliver about 40,000 postcards which had been collected from throughout the Archdiocese of Chicago. Once arriving at Federal Plaza, we patiently waited to see if anybody from Senator Kirk’s office would come down to talk to us and take the postcards and a letter which requested a meeting with him as well as a response to the immigration issue. A really hesitant staff member came down and took the postcards from us with no assurances of when Senator Kirk would receive the postcards or when we would receive a response. We immediately began plans for a press conference with the expect of no response from Senator Kirk and with a final vote for the bill quickly approaching.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3cPJE7Etcw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vMxhkuiq0Y

On Monday, June 24, the Office for Immigrant Affairs & Immigration Education and the Priests, Brothers, and Sisters for Justice for Immigrants held a press conference on Federal Plaza outside of Senator Kirk’s Office. In it, they released a statement voicing their support for the immigration bill as well as announcing the lack of a response from the Senator. Many respectable news sources showed up and we hoped our anxiety would reach Senator Kirk. By this time, the Senator had announced his position that he would only support the immigration bill if border security was strengthened. It was unsure which side he would ultimately land on especially with everybody’s inability to be granted a meeting with him to discuss the immigration issue.

http://univisionchicago.univision.com/videos/video/2013-06-24/preocupados-religiosos-chicago

Finally, on Thursday, June 27, the final vote was taken and the Senate strongly voted in favor of the immigration bill, including one aye vote from Senator Mark Kirk. Although not a voting count we had hoped for, the 68-32 vote was enough to push the hot potato from the Senate chambers and into the laps of John Boehner in the House of Representatives. Additionally, Mark Kirk announced his decision for his vote in a video on his website shocking most of the pro-immigrant supporters who had been waiting until the last minute to see which side he would ultimately land on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JY7EpHEESnk

But far from the Senate chambers, the podiums, and the news cameras are the undocumented immigrants anxiously waiting to see if this attempt will produce anything substantive for themselves and their families. Thankfully, I was reminded of that with the many personal stories I will be sharing in a future blog post. From praying the rosary outside the immigration detention center in the Chicago area to interviewing motivated and amazing DREAMers, I was reminded that there are so many people who’s lives are really being juggled by our politicians. Our public officials are oftentimes more concerned about their own political future than the futures of so many of our relatives, friends, neighbors, classmates, and fellow human beings. The people who I’ve been having the pleasure of meeting are optimistic about the possibility of a comprehensive reform, but are cautious of being let down once again and are simply confused by our elaborate political system. Nevertheless, they wait and I wait with them.

Journal #3

My third week has been filled to the brim with immigration political news. I have not been able to retreat from watching online Senate proceedings on the comprehensive immigration proposal on CSPAN and it has been the subject of all the meetings I have attended as part of my internship. At this point, a deal appears to have been brokered between the Democrats and Republicans in the Senate and perhaps will help pass the legislation next week with a bipartisan majority. We can only hope this inspires some legislative action on the part of conservatives in the House of Representatives. From delivering 40,000 postcards to Senator Mark Kirk’s office to planning a press conference on Federal Plaza, this week has allowed me to successfully join the two areas I’m studying: Political Science and Latino Studies.

The experience that impacted me the most, however, strayed away from the political side and was more focused on the personal implications of our broken immigration system. I was invited my Marilu, my supervisor, to a weekly praying of the rosary held in front of an immigration detention center in the Chicago area. Its location keeps it out of sight for those passing by but is easily noticeable at 7am every Friday when many nuns, priests, other religious figures, and general supporters appear in front of the building. As we began praying, families began arriving with bags of belongings for loved ones before they were deported to their home countries. A local pastor would welcome them and offer spiritual support throughout the entire process. Although we aren’t allowed in the building, we were clearly able to see their emotions as they oftentimes came out of the center overwhelmed with grief. At the end of the service, we watched as the bus arrived which would soon be filled with departing mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, cousins, and other members of our society who were being forcibly removed from our country.

In particular, I was touched by the sight of Jasmine, a mother of three boys, who joined us after coming out of the deportation center. With her were her four, two, and one year old sons and inside was her husband and their father waiting to be deported. I watched as she shed tear after tear as she left the building and hugged her sons. She was soon comforted by several nuns who just recently returned from a bus tour throughout the Mexico-US border. These situations are not new to the nuns, but they nevertheless offered the family the same support and love that they probably gave the first family they witnessed torn apart. I felt the urge to go and comfort the victims, but I felt that my support could in no ways measure up to the support from the experienced nuns. I left the service with a renewed commitment toward helping continue the immigration battle.

In Chapter 7 – “Patience” of the book Compassion: A Reflection on the Christian Life by Henri Nouwen, Donald McNeill, & Douglas Morrison, the authors state,

“When we live by the clock we have no time for each other: We are always on the way to our next appointment and do not notice the person on the side of the road in need of help; we are increasingly concerned about missing something important and perceive human suffering as a disturbing interruption of our plans; we are constantly preoccupied with our free evening, free weekend, or free month and lose the capacity to enjoy the people we live and work with day in and day out.”

I found this extremely relevant to this experience due to all my other work activity the rest of the week. Admittedly, I was very caught up with all the legislative proceedings on immigration and catching up on what all the Senators were saying and doing. Along with that, though, I had been watching the clock and hoping it sped along so we could finally know the outcome of the vote. In the process, I was completely forgetting about those immigrants still suffering from the immigration issue. I was being impatient and not pausing to think about the personal lives being juggled back and forth by our political leaders.

In Chapter 1 of that same book entitled “God-with-Us”, the authors say, “…God is a God-with-us, a God who came to share our lives in solidarity. It does not mean that God solves our problems…God might do all of that, but the solidarity of God consists in the fact that God is willing to enter with us into our problems, confusions, and questions.” In this experience, I feel that we were praying, not necessarily so God completely answers the complex issue of immigration in a magical miracle arriving on Capitol Hill, but, instead, we ask God to accompany both us and decision makers. We hope we may acquire strength especially in moments of difficulty as we wait for a deal to be made that may take us an inch closer to a final vote.

Stephen Davis, Juan Martinez, and Stephen Warner in “The Role of the Catholic Church in the Chicago Immigrant Mobilization” discuss active priests in the Latino communities of Chicago who inspired political action for immigration reform among parishioners. During my time in Chicago, priests are obviously active in instilling a sense of urgency and dedication toward the immigrant communities. At this prayer service, however, Catholic nuns were out in force and obviously passionate toward the people and the issue as a whole. I was amazed by the dedication offered by women religious who respond to God’s call by assisting those who need it, regardless of their background.

This experience made the issue a lot more personal for me and enabled me to refocus my attention to where it should be.

Journal #2

This second week has passed by much faster than the first week did. Whereas I was intent on learning my surroundings and figuring out my place in my internship, this second week I was much more interested in completing all assigned tasks and really appreciating more my new, but a bit more familiar, environment. Besides attending a staff meeting, assisting with an immigration postcard campaign, and completing a training regarding computers and technology downtown, I was unexpectedly hit with the news that my supervisor was leaving her position at the end of the month and the Director of the Office for Immigrant Affairs & Immigration Education was now going to finish my term as my supervisor. Although definitely not something I had planned on, I have learned to cope with it and continue with the original task I signed up to do.

For my big learning experience, however, I return to the Pastorial Migratoria of which I described in my last journal. I again accompanied Marilu Gonzalez on a formation session on Thursday at St. Gall. The theme this time was on relational meetings (one-on-one meetings) and was presented by a woman named Imelda who works for the Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP). At the start of the workshop, she asked each of us to give a case in which we felt power. Although this could refer to many different kinds of scenarios, I was struck by the cases chosen by the participants. Many mothers expressed feeling a sense of power when, after feeling hurt by injustices caused by local school officials, acted by standing up for their children in various scenarios. This is particularly difficult, because school officials are individuals who we oftentimes look up to as authority figures and perhaps even experts at what they do. Another participant expressed feeling power when she crossed the border as an undocumented immigrant. She brought along her four year old daughter and took about one week to trek to safety. Although the question was vague and opened for many different types of responses, the participants brought out very personal stories that showcased who they really are.

I found this experience touching in several ways. The first is how trusting the group is with each other. They aren’t afraid to reveal very personal stories in the intimate group setting and have all formed very strong friendship with each other initially from Pastoral Migratoria but now outside of it. Additionally, the tone of their voice shifted dramatically when they began talking about their experiences. Where initially they were calm and steady, their voices became stronger and passionate as they expressed how powerful they felt in the various situations. Finally, the stories themselves. They really emphasized and demonstrate the fighting heart of immigrants who, although lack many rights and protections that we often take for granted, nevertheless fight for the human dignity all individuals deserve.

As I heard these stories I couldn’t help but feel pride. As community service oriented internships, one can’t help but sometimes feel that they are there solely to help others. You hope to provide assistance to those who need it the most and strive to use the talents one possesses in order to do that. But these are individuals who already have so many talents of their own and can sustain themselves with them. Although they may need assistance in some regards, they are no different from me who is need of aid sometimes as well. They possess the strength, perseverance, and the passion to find a better life for themselves and their families and won’t let any obstacles get in the way of their pursuit. And though they are constantly confronted with so many different types of problems on a daily basis, they find that power within themselves and within groups of loving friends and family to confront them.

This situation connects to my readings in two ways. In Chapter 3 “The Spatial Context: San Juanico, Illinois, and Chicago, Michoacan” of Racheros in Chicagoacan by Marcia Farr, the immigration narrative as it connects to Chicago is told. Although I do not know the past personal histories of every single one of the participants, previous conversations and discussions show that many of them came to the country undocumented just like the mother who came with her daughter. As the number of Latinos in specific communities rose rapidly, their ability to shift the image of their communities to one familiar to them has helped them adapt to an otherwise foreign setting. This may helped to lead to the mothers’ stories of having the courage to stand up for their children in local schools, something they may not have done if it wasn’t for the now more comfortable Latino environment.

On a much deeper scale, I can also connect it to the chapters from Out of Solitude by Henri Nouwen. In one section in which he describes what it means to truly care, he states, “Therefore, to care means first of all to be present to each other.” This is something I want to do for the group. They have happily allowed me to enter their trusting group and share with me and each other so many personal things that all I want to do is to care by being there for them now and in the future. He also says, “When we dare to care, then we discover that nothing human is foreign to us, but that all the hatred and love, cruelty and compassion, fear and joy can be found in our own hearts.” I felt every single emotion they each had as they told their individual stories. I cared. I look forward to more of these moments in the future weeks.