News from the Congregation June 22, 2018
From the Vicar
Dear Members and Friends of the Congregation of Saint Saviour,
I am interrupting your summer vacation to bring you news about the moral emergency happening at the border and how you can help.
All at the Cathedral and the Congregation have watched in horror as images from the border of traumatized children ripped from their parents by ICE agents flood our news feeds. Bishop Dietsche has issued a statement you can read here. While we reach out to local organizations, including Catholic Charities in New York where some of these children were transported, to learn their needs, we offer you the following list of other ways to help.
ABA Children’s Immigration Law Academy
The Young Center for Children’s Immigrant Rights
In September, as part of a new Congregation speaker series we are offering in collaboration with the Cathedral, José Quiñonez of the Mission Asset Fund will be coming to speak on the topic of "Immigrants Out of the Shadows" on Wednesday, September 12 at 6:30 PM in the Chapel of St. James. Mr. Quiñonez is a 2016 MacArthur "Genius Grant" Fellowship award winner who is doing inspiring work in the immigrant community. He himself was also an undocumented immigrant before receiving legal status through President Ronald Reagan's 1986 immigration reform bill. Many thanks to new vestry member Dr. Fred Wherry for putting together this series.
Finally, I would be remiss if I did not remind you (and me) that our actions of protesting, advocating, educating ourselves on the issues, even donating money, are actions all concerned citizens engage in, but for those of us who are followers of Jesus, we are called to do more.
I would ask that you pray for the children who have been separated from their parents, some of whom are being held just a few miles away from our Cathedral in the Bronx, and for their grieving parents, some of whom are now thousands of miles away.
Blessings,
Steven