Read the new blog at NCRonline.org/immigration
The National Catholic Reporter-sponsored Celebration conference on immigration reform, held in San Antonio Jan 12-14, highlighted the complexity of a crisis decisive for our nation and the future of our church. The existence of an estimated 11 million undocumented people living in the shadows of our economy and society for lack of coherent paths to legalization challenges us both in personal conscience and as a religious community that professes every Sunday at worship that all are welcome at God's table, that there are no aliens or strangers, only brothers and sisters.
We recognize there are many legal, economic and social issues to be faced and resolved to move the immigration issue forward. We also know that to do nothing or to postpone this challenge is to condemn millions of displaced people within our borders and billions more in the global community to lives of continued desperation and despair.
The purpose of this new NCR immigration blog is to help focus the immigration challenge through reporting and by inviting, you, our readers to share your stories, reflections and questions on this critical topic. Help us put a human face on this issue, to offer strategies to raise awareness, to catechize, to mobilize and to inspire one another to make our voices heard.
Please send your stories and reflections to immigration@ncronline.org. Be brief, preferably fewer than 750 words. Identify yourselves clearly. Photos are welcomed. Follow the postings on this site, helping us to build a stronger immigration network.
