Sharing Christ Across Cultures and Faiths
New Mission Blog Post: Recent Upheaval for Immigrants & Refugees and What Catholics Need to Know to Act
There’s a myth that it’s easy to immigrate the “right way” to the United States and that if people “just get in line,” they would be welcome to start new lives here with legal status. The U.S. immigration system is so outdated and complicated that few people can access legal pathways. When they can, the process often takes years or decades and costs tens of thousands of dollars. Under our current laws, there are only four main pathways for people to immigrate to the United States: family sponsorship, employer sponsorship, diversity lottery, and humanitarian protections. However, since taking office in January, President Trump has effectively shut down all humanitarian pathways for people to enter the United States. Humanitarian protections have historically included refugee resettlement, asylum, humanitarian parole, and Temporary Protected Status (TPS). His actions are in direct violation of current U.S. immigration laws. They contradict long-held humanitarian principles and our belief that Jesus calls us to care for vulnerable people. In a world in which more people have been forcibly displaced from their homes than at any other time in recorded history, closing these pathways isn’t just immoral – it’s out of touch with reality. It will only multiply humanitarian crises here and abroad.
Fr. Joeven Matugas, Coming from West Africa, Joins the Staff at The Missionary Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima
Fr. Joeven Matugas will join the staff at The Missionary Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima. From the Philippines, Fr. Joeven worked extensively in Sierra Leone, Africa, for about ten years. He will be arriving on April 5. Welcome Fr. Joeven.
The 21
A short film honoring the 21 Coptic martyrs killed by ISIS in Libya in 2015. The film is animated in the style of Coptic iconography and was produced in collaboration with the global Coptic community and a team of more than 70 artists from more than 24 countries. Subtitles are available in Spanish, French, Arabic, Russian, and Farsi – select your language in the Closed Caption (CC) setting at the bottom right corner of the film!
New Mission Blog Post: The Shared Wisdom of Sacred Hunger
The Multifaith Collaborative of the Open Spirit Center near Fatima Shrine recently held an Interfaith Iftar, or breaking of the fast of Ramadan, to which all peoples of all faiths are invited. One of our speakers was Dr. Sadik Kassim, a scientist specializing in Gene Therapy for Cancer and chaplain of the Taha Collective, a nonprofit organization established to serve the Muslim-American and spiritually curious community of the Boston metropolitan area. Here is his talk on fasting across religious traditions. Used with permission.
In every faith tradition represented in this room tonight, there is a moment when hunger becomes holy. For Muslims now observing Ramadan, dawn breaks with a prayer instead of breakfast. For Jews commemorating Yom Kippur, the body’s emptiness creates space for atonement. For Christians during Lent, each hunger pang whispers the story of forty days in the wilderness.
Contact admin@hollistoninterfaith.org or see our website at hollistoninterfaith.org
In the Church’s interfaith movement, one of our unique opportunities is our interfaith solidarity, religious and secular dialogue, and collaboration. We began this work in 2013 by gathering secular humanists and spiritual leaders at our conference center in Coatbridge, Scotland. We continued this work in 2015 by convening a similar conference at Rutgers University in New Jersey, with secular and religious voices seeking common ground. For the last eight years, we have gathered a MeetUp group of religious and secular friends once a month. Search here on our website for a recap of these events, church teaching on understanding the culture of unbelief, and blog posts and articles written for further study. Our conversations now take place directly on Zoom without using Meetup. Contact missionmedia@xaverianmissionaries.org for more information.
LISTENING TO THOSE WHO LEFT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
In America the landscape of the Catholic Church is changing dramatically, as is all religious communities and institutions. The new mission of the Xaverian Missionaries seeks to engage with our Catholic tradition to all outside of the church, Christianity, and even religion itself. The departure of those formed in the Catholic faith is felt in every parish. Disaffiliated families make up the majority of Catholic communities throughout the country.
We listen to those who left the church and sacramental practice lovingly and empathetically.
We root ourselves in these departure narratives, learning about their world and how they walk in it.
We gain deeper insight into the needs, longings, and desires of young people and others, and in dialogue with our tradition, we can change our pastoral maps and parish cultures, beginning in Catholic families.
Catholic Interfaith Solidarity
Check out the latest resources and opportunities for Catholics and others to share our lives, faith, and friendship with people of other faiths and traditions. Click here. Other resources for interfaith dialogue may be found here.
