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127  When President Bush announced that one of the top priorities of his second term was to reform the nation’s immigration policy by granting millions of undocumented workers the opportunity to attain legal status, the Catholic Church applauded the move but also knew that Republicans in the House, members of Bush’s own party, were staunchly against the idea or any other reforms that would establish a guest-worker program.1 With the realization that House Resolution 4437 was also gaining momentum and could threaten the way the Church served its parish and the community by prosecuting those who aid or help undocumented immigrants, the Church began a national campaign to educate its parishioners about these issues and engage them further in the immigration debate.2 In Houston, a battleground in the nation’s ongoing immigration debate, the Galveston-Houston archdiocese called on its priests to speak out on the issue, conduct workshops for its parishioners, and challenge their congregations to do more. The local Texas Catholic Herald also ran a series of articles that not only carved out where the Church stood on immigration but highlighted the threat new legislation, specifically House Resolution 4437, could pose to good Catholics engaged in acts of charity across the nation. At St. Catherine’s Catholic Church, a church with one of the largest and most diverse immigrant populations in the archdiocese,Father José made immigration the focus of several of his homilies throughout the year. On one Sunday, Father José dedicated the entire mass to addressing the immigration debate and HR 4437 specifically. Toward the beginning of the mass, Father José invited Bryan, a representative from the Justice for Immigrants organization, to the pulpit. While introducing Bryan, Father José told the congregation that it must be sensitive and think compassionately about the nation’s ongoing immigration debate. “I know this can be a sensitive topic, but we must address it with an open mind and then fill that mind with the understanding of what we as Catholics are charged c h a p t e r 7 PROTECTING FAMILY AND LIFE 128 Faith, Family, and Filipino American Community Life to do. We are bound by God to uphold and protect his family. God’s family and kingdom has no borders and does not require a visa or a passport.” Agreeing, as Father José stepped aside, Bryan began to talk to the congregation about what they could do to inform themselves better about what was going on and where the Church stood. Directing parishioners to the website for Justice for Immigrants for further information, Bryan then stated there were four simple steps everyone could take to help improve the lives of immigrants and stabilize the nation’s borders.3 First, he suggested that everyone should purchase “fair trade goods” that were produced with transparency and respect to the people who labored to make them. Second, he suggested that people should get to know their congregation and parish better by developing relationships with its diverse population. “Some of us here today are undocumented or live with the threat that our visas may run out soon—these people are our neighbors and our fellow parishioners . We must learn about their struggles or how these issues affect their families .” Third, following the same theme, Bryan suggested that anyone who knew an immigrant who was either struggling or in a desperate situation, should refer them to legal clinics such as those held at the St. Frances Cabrini Immigrant Legal Assistance Center.4 Fourth, and finally, he suggested that people should look in their own backyards.“Ask yourself, do you know or hire workers that are illegal?”5 The point of much of Bryan’s talk was not to cease giving charity to those in the parish or community who were undocumented immigrants, but to actually increase it despite the threat of HR 4437. He suggested that immigration affects us all economically, politically, and spiritually. “Under this new legislation Father José could get prosecuted for simply serving Holy Communion to his parishioners, but I know that is not going to stop him from doing what is right—we are one family under God.” Quoting Cardinals McCarrick and Mahoney, Bryan went on to remark, “Our diverse faith traditions teach us to welcome our brothers and sisters with love and compassion—this is our duty and responsibility as Catholics.”6 Bryan then concluded by singing a hymn in Spanish, accompanied by guitar, and passing out prepaid and...

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