February 12, 2010
Immigration reform postcard campaign launched in diocese
By PAUL R. LEINGANG (Message editor)
Parishioners throughout the Diocese of Evansville will soon be offered an opportunity to urge their U.S. senators and representatives that immigration reform legislation is needed.
Postcards will be available at many parishes, or alternately, names and addresses of senators and representatives will be listed so parishioners may express particular views about immigration legislation reform.
The postcards are being distributed by the diocesan office of Spanish Speaking Ministry with assistance from the diocesan office of communications.
The nation-wide postcard campaign was announced by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishop on Jan. 6 as part of a three-pronged effort for legislative action in 2010.
Bishop John C. Wester, bishop of Salt Lake City, Utah, and chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration, and Bishop Howard J. Hubbard, bishop of Albany, New York, and chairman of the International Policy Committee of the USCCB, made the announcement.
“It is our view, and that of others, that the American public, including the Catholic and other faith communities, want a humane and comprehensive solution to the problems which beset our immigration system, and they want Congress to address this issue,” said Bishop Wester.
The bishops’ announcement included the following:
- The launch of a nationwide postcard campaign under the Justice for Immigrants campaign.
- The launch of two Web sites, a new Justice for Immi-grants Web site with tools for parishes (www.justiceforimmigrants.org), and the National Migration Week Web site, which provides other resources (www.usccb.org/mrs/nmw/index.shtml); and
- A nationwide action alert asking for Congress to enact immigration reform as soon as possible.
In a teleconference Jan. 6, Bishop Hubbard said the bishops also want the legislation to address the root causes of migration and help enable people to make a decent living in their own countries.
“The first principle of the U.S. bishops with regard to immigration is that migrants have the right not to mi-grate — in other words, to be able to find work in their own home countries so they can support their families in dignity,” he said. “Migration should be driven by choice, not necessity.”
In the Diocese of Evansville, 10,000 sheets of postcards will be distributed, to be made available in parishes by Ash Wednesday for the parishes to return to the Catholic Center before the end of the month.
Each sheet includes four cards — one for each senator, one for the representative, and one to request more information for the sender.
Each card may be filled out with the writer’s name and address, and then addressed to Senator Evan Bayh, Senator Richard G. Lugar, and either Representative Brad Ellsworth in the 8th district, or Representative Baron Hill in the 9th district
The 8th district includes Daviess, Gibson, Greene, Knox, Martin, Pike, Posey, Sullivan, Vanderburgh and Warrick counties.
The 9th district includes Dubois and Spencer counties.
The pre-printed text on the postcards calls for “legislation that keeps immigrant families together, adopts smart and humane enforcement policies, and ensures that immigratns without legal status register with the government and begin a path toward citizenship.”