December 12 is the
feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe: "The Catholic bishops of the United States
are encouraging Catholics to observe this Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe as a
day of solidarity with immigrants."
As we celebrate this feast today I
remember that I am the product of immigrants. My great grandparents all came
from Europe in the late 1800s in hopes of finding a better life. They didn’t
speak English and didn’t have much money. I wonder if they were welcomed by
those already here or if they were maligned for their efforts to give their
children and grandchildren more than they had. What is different today as many
in our country want to separate families by sending parents back to their home
countries, and make it harder and harder for those coming to the United States
to become legal members of our society? Where would I be if my ancestors had
faced similar treatment?
As some of you may
know, there were ICE (Immigration, Customs and Enforcement) raids on Dec. 6 in
Covington, Newport, Florence, Walton and Verona. ICE agents did NOT target
felons as was stated in the media. People going to work at places like Amazon were arrested. ICE entered homes
without warrants. Local police agencies were not informed.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, we ask that you take the needs of all who live in poverty and are vulnerable in our society to the Divine Maker. May they experience the Divine Love tangibly in their daily lives, and may all who work for justice on behalf of the poor grow in fortitude and humility. May each of us support those who need us as they seek a safer life for their families.
Sr. Nancy Kordenbrock, OSB
