By Sister Pat Murphy & Sister JoAnn Persch
On the third Wednesday of the month, phone lines and computer screens are lighting up from California to Maine and from Detroit to the Southern Border. For many years, the Immigration Advocacy Group (IAG) has met on this day to share the ministry and the challenge of our response to our critical concern of immigration. Women of Mercy and our co-ministers share the extensive response to this challenge and how Mercy is walking, in ministries across the United States, with the two feet of love in action – justice and charity.
The actions of the group include direct service at the border as well as across the country. All of this service happens because we all believe that each man and woman is a child of God, therefore, our sister or brother. Each person deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. Ministries include housing, medical services, legal help, detention visitation, accompaniment to court, education, and more. Each IAG participant accompanies immigrants using their own gifts and talents.
The other foot, justice, is so important. We know that the lives of our immigrant sisters and brothers will not become more secure, and immigrants will not be treated with dignity and respect, until our broken system is changed. So, it is important to also work for compassionate immigration laws and programs. To make this happen our voices must be heard, especially those whose own lives are touched by our immigrant sisters and brothers. Stories need to be told. That is why the IAG group also works for systemic change by using our Mercy voices to speak for those immigrants whose voices cannot be heard.
Immigration is a major challenge of our time. This was not true in Dublin in the time of our Mother Catherine McAuley. And yet, she is always the model and the strength for the issues we tackle today. Catherine always read the signs of the times and responded with both feet of love in action. She provided tender loving care to the poor, sick, and uneducated. We know she also spoke out about the injustices that caused the need for care; she worked to change the system.
Even though immigration was not an issue in Dublin, it is amazing to think that many of our earliest sisters became immigrants themselves as they left the security of their home country to grow Mercy. As early as 1839, six sisters, led by Catherine, emigrated to London. In later years, others emigrated to Birmingham, Newfoundland, and then Frances Warde led six sisters to Pittsburgh. We all know the stories of how the movement continued. Surely, these sisters experienced some of the same sorrows and hardships that our immigrants do today. Their presence was a gift to immigrants they served who had also left their homes. The presence of the sisters was the biggest gift. Of course, they provided for the needs of the immigrants they served and took big risks to help build the new communities.
Ministry with immigrants is not easy. Being a loving presence, working to help the families become independent, helping them fight their way through our broken system, hearing their stories and pain, all of this is hard to witness. But those of us who do the direct service wouldn’t trade our gift of working with immigrants for anything. Our lives are so enriched as we accompany them.
Each sister, associate and companion in some way has reached out to follow our critical concern of standing in solidarity with our immigrant sisters and brothers. It reminds us of a story we saw recently on a card. It was entitled “The Shawl of Mercy”. The story told of Catherine carrying a newborn back to Baggot Street after the mother died in childbirth so that the child could sleep in Catherine’s own room. She carried the baby in her own black Mercy shawl. The story was followed by this quote, “To share one’s shawl is to reach out, side by side, and embrace the shoulders, life and needs of another.” This story and quote credited to our dear Sister Mary Sullivan. Thanks to each of you for the ways you share the shawl of Mercy with our immigrant sisters and brothers.
Happy Mercy Day!