February 2025
Numbers at All-time Low
During the week of January 20 to 24, our Migrant Ministry Mornings on Tuesday and Thursday reached an all-time low with 17 people on Tuesday, January 21 and 46 on Thursday, a total of 63. The temperature on Tuesday was -5 degrees which certainly contributed to the low number. But another reason was the concern shared by our migrant brothers and sisters that they might be targeted at Centro San Edmundo by the new Executive Order which went into effect the day before increasing the number of people being deported and shutting off new arrivals at the border.
We will continue to accompany our migrant friends but recognize that we need to reduce the donations of clothing and toiletries to those that are critical. Those include blankets, sheets, towels, and men’s warm winter clothing and coats. Effective February 3, 2025, until further notice, only these items listed above will be accepted at the Monday morning donations. If the numbers start to rebound we will open donations again and make a general announcement.
The Migrant Ministry would not be possible without volunteers and your generous donations. We are in great need of volunteers as many of our regular volunteers head south for the winter.
Questions? Email us at [email protected]
Deportation
For the past 18 years a Prayer Vigil has taken place at the Broadview Processing Center (previously known as the Broadview Detention Center) at 7:15 am on Friday mornings. The prayers are for those being deported, those in detention, their families and to pray for reforms to the immigration system. It is done in person and via Zoom. The participants carry a photo of Our Lady of Guadalupe and rosaries. And watch buses and vans filled with migrants who are being deported leave for the airports. Sometimes family members come to say one last goodbye to a loved one or to bring a suitcase of items they might need when they arrive at their destination. Often this is to a country they left in fear.
Many years ago boarding the buses was possible but that is no longer allowed. The photo of Our Lady and the rosaries are held up as the buses leave in hopes that those on the bus understand they are being prayed for. The departure happens very quickly. The buses and vans pull out and they are gone leaving behind families and friends, some own property or businesses and are now going to countries they may have left as infants. Some don’t even know the language. If you are interested in joining the Prayer Vigil contact Sr. JoAnn Persch at 773-597-5394 or [email protected].
MIGRANT MINISTRY:
Know Your Rights
With the coming changes to the administration our migrant families, along with their mentors, the Immigration Support volunteers and our volunteer lawyers, we are beginning preparations to ensure they have all the necessary documents. We are particularly focused on ensuring that the children will be protected.
Many of our mentors have been to Know Your Rights training programs. A binder of information will be available at Centro San Edmundo and copies will be on our Immigrant Ministry Google drive. We will begin to track asylum applications through the court system to be sure appointments are not missed.
We ask for your prayers for our beloved families that we are able to journey with them to full citizenship.
The Migrant Ministry would not be possible without volunteers and your generous donations. We are in great need of volunteers as many of our regular volunteers head south for the winter.
If you wish to donate clothing or personal hygiene products, Updated Donation List
Migrant Ministry: A Painting Worth a Thousand Words
Esteban Garrido left Ecuador in October 2023. Drug cartels and climate change had turned his once thriving democratic homeland into a land torn apart by violence and economic collapse. After eight days of walking, he arrived at the border between Colombia and Panama. With his artist’s mind, he looked out upon the ocean and contemplated his future. It was dangerous. He could not return to Ecuador yet he knew the journey ahead of him would be subject to life-threatening forces. He was aware of people drowning trying to cross into Panama by boat and others in the surging rivers of the Darien Gap. He would face difficult terrain, disease, extortion, human trafficking, and unsafe transportation on his way north, and once there, life would still be difficult.
But Esteban’s deep faith propelled him forward and he was able to cross into the United States, eventually making his way to Chicago and to Centro San Edmundo. Esteban is one of the single men whom the Migrant Ministry is accompanying as he learns to navigate life in this country. It was with Esteban in mind that the 3rd floor art room of the former St Edmund School was restored.
In gratitude, Esteban recently gifted the Migrant Ministry with a painting that captures his emotional turmoil as he began his journey north. As he explained to the volunteers gathered before starting a Ministry Morning, there was light in the midst of turmoil. For him, the Migrant Ministry has been part of that light.
The Migrant Ministry would not be possible without volunteers and your generous donations. We are in great need of volunteers as many of our regular volunteers head south for the winter. We are closed now for the holidays, opening again on January 7, 2025. We open for LIMITED DONATIONS on Monday, Jan 13. PLEASE CONSULT THIS LIST.
December 2024
The resettlement volunteers for Migrant Ministry have been working since 2022 to find housing for migrant families and then to furnish it and help with all the items needed to turn an empty apartment into a home. We are pleased that right before Christmas we will be resettling our 15th family. This does not include the 3 individual men we have resettled and several other families we have assisted with a few months of rent when they ran into financial issues. It does not include the other families who have received household goods and furniture items.
We appreciate Catholic Charities paying for a few months of rent for some of these families through their Parish Family Partnership Program. We ensure the landlords that rent will be paid through the first year and try to have the family start paying a part of that expense within six to nine months. We are only able to do this because of your generous donations.
We appreciate the volunteers who find apartments, furniture, review leases, interview new families, store household items, and make the moves happen. Then the mentors take over and walk with the families to make them feel at home. Welcome home, Family #15. We are so happy that you will be part of our community just in time for Christmas.
We are grateful for the generosity of so many donors. Questions? Email us at [email protected]
A migrant straightens his shoulders and stands a little taller as he looks at himself in the mirror. He’s trying on a nice set of clothes and he’s quietly pleased with how he looks. His eyes tear up a bit, and he comments to the volunteer that it has been so long since he felt good about himself.
The Migrant Ministry is filled with these quiet victories. Parents select warm winter coats for themselves and their children. A newly-arrived migrant finds a new pair of shoes to replace the pair he wore out on the long trip north. Leaving an overcrowded shelter, a family moves into an apartment and begins to build their new life in the U.S. With the help of the legal team, a young man submits his asylum application. Another young man learns enough English to fill out a job application himself—and gets a well-paying job at O’Hare. A couple that has been living together for many years is finally able to be married.
These stories and so many others are possible because of the willingness of our parishes’ leadership to open the former St. Edmund School building to the needs of our migrant brothers and sisters, and to the generosity of our volunteers and donors with their time, talent, and treasure. We join the nearly 13,000 migrants who have been served by the Migrant Ministry since June 2023 in expressing our deepest gratitude.
MIGRANT MINISTRY UPDATE: Did you know?
Our data collection has not always been as good as it is now; however, we estimate that since we started Migrant Ministry Mornings we have assisted 13,000 migrants. That is thanks to your help and donations. We know that the breakfasts are all donated food and that the cost is over $3/person. That is a lot of food. The first 6 months of 2024 we were serving about 1,000 migrants/month. That went down to about 500 migrants/month in September. With the colder weather the numbers have started to increase. During the 2nd week of October we helped about 500 people, most seeking winter gear.
Other data:
40% of adults who registered this month were coming for the 1st time.
33% of adults who came have been in the US less that 2 months.
62% of adults coming live in shelters.
The percentage of Venezuelans has dropped from 70% to 60% but Ecuadorians has increased from 12% to 23%.
We have given away a lot of shoes.
Thanks to Don Woznica for all this information.
MIGRANT MINISTRY UPDATE: Need help with asylum applications
It’s crunch time for many of the migrants we serve. The migrants enter this country legally as asylum seekers, protected under international law. They have one year to submit their asylum application. For many migrants who crossed the border during the surge last fall, their time is running out and many have sought assistance from Centro San Edmundo.
If you are an attorney willing to volunteer a few hours once a month with our migrant brothers and sisters, we could use your help. A specialty in immigration law is not required. We can provide an interpreter. There are two ways you can help:
- Thursday morning Legal Assistance Clinic which consists of 15-minute consults to help migrants understand their legal documents and the next steps. A bilingual support team assists with interpretation and translation of documents.
- Once-a-month Asylum Application Workshops. This is a traveling team headed by a bilingual immigration lawyer from Ascension-St Eds. A team consisting of the immigration lawyer and support personal help migrants who have completed their application in Spanish finish the process by having the lawyer review the application and then get it translated.
A week ago we hosted an Asylum Workshop at CSE. We had more than 20 applicants attend with about half of them completing their asylum application. With a second attorney we could have doubled that number. If you are able to help, contact us at [email protected].
Migrant Ministry Update
Once again we want to share some stories from the families resettled by the Migrant Ministry of Catholic Parishes of Oak Park:
Having come to us only last August, all of the families (there were 3 sharing a house) are just about independent, and all of them express such gratitude for helping them get to this point. One couple found a new place all on their own, negotiated the lease and got utilities hooked up with virtually no help, and managed their move. The two other families will continue to share the house they all were in and can cover rent because all the adults are working. The little girls are learning English at a fast clip and the baby boy is happily in a childcare setting and thriving. Everyone is moving forward with their immigration cases. These families are a testament to what an enormous difference the Migrant Ministry support can make in a very short period of time as well as the ripple effect these investments make.
One family member starts Morton Collège this week. He took a tour and was offered ESL and GED classes at no charge and two years of credit classes at no charge after completing GED.
One mother shared with us a photo of her son on his way to kindergarten. When he arrived in Chicago he was having trouble with speech and Migrant Ministry was able to find housing for the family and then provide speech therapy sessions for the son. His mom says in a text: “I am very grateful to you because without you, none of this would have been possible. God bless you all. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for what you are doing for us.”
If you would like to help with resettling a family, email us at [email protected] You could help by paying for all or part of the rent for a year, or you could help by mentoring a family. To donate online through GiveCentral use the link below OR send donations to St. Catherine-St Lucy and St. Giles Parish, 1025 Columbian, Oak Park, IL 60302. Include a note that the donation is for the “Migrant Ministry”. Thank you for your generous heart!
https://www.givecentral.org/customizable-online-giving/580/event/3869
August 2024
• Assistance to start the asylum or TPS application
• Translation of birth certificates or other documents
• Change of venue for immigration court dates
• ITIN Applications
Later in the summer we hope to also include a visiting immigration attorney on a rotating basis.
If you would like to volunteer to help with this important new service please contact us at the email below.