Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), on January 5, 2018, offered a National Migration Week message to the nation. The observance is January 7-13, 2018.
Cardinal DiNardo cited Pope Francis’ message for World Day of Peace for January 1, 2018. In that message, issued November 24, 2017, the Holy Father said that peace is a “profound aspiration for everyone.”
Peace is sought “for each individual and all peoples, and especially for those who most keenly suffer its absence.” Francis said. And he stressed: “I constantly keep in my thoughts and prayers, I would once again mention the over 250 million migrants worldwide, of whom 22.5 million are refugees.”
He called on the United Nations to take action on the migration issue during 2018, by creating two Global Compacts: one for safe, orderly and regular migration; and the other for refugees.
Cardinal DiNardo also recommended families reflect on the stories on the Share the Journey website.
Cardinal DiNardo’s statement as follows:
“On Sunday, the Catholic Church across the United States will celebrate the beginning of National Migration Week. For nearly 50 years, this week has been a time of prayer and reflection on our history as a migrant Church and nation. In these five decades, the face of the immigrant may have changed – European, Asian, South American, and elsewhere — but their faces reveal a common desire to secure the great blessings of American opportunity.
Pope Francis, in his statement on the World Day of Peace on January 1, 2018, advises us that if we view the situation of migrants and refugees through the wisdom of our faith ‘we discover that they do not arrive empty-handed. They bring their courage, skills, energy, and aspirations, as well as the treasures of their own cultures; and in this way, they enrich the lives of the nations that receive them.’
This week, I invite everyone to reflect on the Holy Father’s words as well as on your own family’s immigration story. Please also join me in prayer for all families, as together, we ‘Share the Journey ‘ toward a better life.”
