Ministries of Mercy - Life Ministries at 6363 9th Avenue North , St. Petersburg, FL 33710 US - Justice for Immigrants Workshop  View photos from the event. Click here.

 

Before guest speaker Antonio Cube, national manager of the Justice for Immigrants Campaign, could get to his second PowerPoint slide, one of the 40-member audience members raised his hand to challenge the idea of helping immigrants, illegal or legal, when it takes jobs away from Americans.

 

“Let’s view this from our lenses as Catholics, not as Americans,” Cube said. “It is hard for a lot of people to get past. At the end of the day, we’re still all brothers and sisters.”

 

While ruffling a few feathers in the crowd, the gentleman left, not hearing the rest of the presentation. However his comments served to remind those gathered that perspective is key.

 

The Justice for Immigrants Campaign was started in 2004 by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops as the Catholic campaign for comprehensive immigration reform. The Saturday workshop was an education tool to inform parishioners about the immigration issue and empower them to take action on immigration reform.

 

“The historic tradition of the church is to look after people to help them provide for families and children,” Cube said. “Immigrants don’t come here to break laws. They come for a better future.”

 

Hosted by the offices of Life Ministry and Multicultural Ministry, the Justice for Immigrants workshop was held at St. Timothy Catholic Church and included a prayer service for the people in Colombia where residents struggle against corruption and drug wars.

 

“It’s always important to raise awareness because there are so many people living in shadows,” said Piedad Aristizabal of the Multicultural Ministry office. “As a church, we need to recognize the dignity of the person. We are called to be peace makers.”

 

Many of those at the workshop were immigrants, representing a broad spectrum of countries from Ireland to Morocco to Mexico and parishes from several counties.

 

Helen Granado-Boesel was born in Trinidad and Tobago. About 35 years ago, she came to the United States to study chemistry before returning to her country to get her pharmacy degree.

 

She came back to U.S. where she practiced as a pharmacist and felt the burden of being an immigrant with a decrease in her wages compared with her white, male counterparts.

 

“We were not trusted. We were not equally paid. We were second-class citizens,” said Granado-Boesel, of St. Thomas Aquinas in New Port Richey. “If that can happen to one at the level of a professional person, what can happen to poor people who have no voice?”

 

To learn more, visit the Justice for Immigrants campaign at www.justiceforimmigrants.org. To get involved locally, contact Sabrina Burton Schultz at (727) 344-1611, Ext. 325 or e-mail sab@dosp.org.  

 

- Since 2000, the U.S. has had the richest ethnic and cultural diversity in its history.

- Since 2000, more than 30 million immigrants began lives in the U.S.

- 33 million Americans are foreign born.

- 600,000, or 6 percent, of undocumented immigrants arrived from Europe. About 400,000, or 4 percent, are from Africa.

 

Antonio Cube, national manager of the Justice for Immigrants Campaign, said for comprehensive immigration reform legislation to be truly workable, the legislation should:

- Provide a pathway to legalization for the undocumented

- Create a viable guest worker program

-  Keep families united

-  Address the root causes of migration

-  Implement border security measures in conjunction with the other stated comprehensive immigration reform components.