Nuns on the Bus — a group of Roman Catholic nuns — are touring the United States this month to push for immigration reform.
By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
Widian Nicola could be the poster child for immigration reform.
Ms. Nicola was 8 years old when her family immigrated to the United States from the Middle East in 1990, in search of what all immigrants want — a better life for themselves and their children.
Although Ms. Nicola graduated from high school and college and now holds a job as a social worker at St. Francis Medical Center, she only recently received a work authorization card because technically, she is an undocumented worker.
Ms. Nicola and her family are considered to be one of the millions of the so-called “undocumented” or illegal immigrants living in the United States. Her father was deported when she was 12 years old, but was allowed to return. One of her brothers was deported five years ago and has been unable to return to the United States.
It is exactly for persons like Ms. Nicola that the Nuns on the Bus — a group of Roman Catholic nuns — are touring the United States this month to push for immigration reform. The nuns expect to travel 6,500 miles between May 29 and June 18, when they roll into San Francisco, Calif.
The nuns stopped at The Church of St. Ann last week to make the case for reform.
Bishop David O’Connell welcomed the nuns, who were invited to speak by The Church of St. Ann’s Center for FaithJustice. The bishop said there are many issues and concerns — “some that unite us and others that create differences and divide us. The issue that brings the nuns here (is one that) joins us.”
”The immigration system is broken and it is badly in need of reform. The challenge remains how to do it in a comprehensive way. Now is the time to take action,” Bishop O’Connell said, adding that the New Jersey Council of Bishops has issued a call for reform.
The Catholic Bishops of New Jersey’s letter, issued May 21, called for “a path to citizenship for the undocumented that is achievable, is set within a reasonable time frame, includes the maximum number of persons.”
Immigration reform should allow low-skilled migrant workers to enter and work in the United States safely and legally, and to provide them with an opportunity to seek permanent residence and, eventually, citizenship, the bishops’ letter said.
The principles espoused in the bishops’ letter, Bishop O’Connell said, flow not from politics, but from the Gospel. The Roman Catholic Church has always been “pro-life, pro-family and pro-poor,” he said. Now is the time to act, he said.
Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of NETWORK — a national Catholic social justice lobby — told the attendees that “there is a narrow window of time to get this (immigration reform) done.” It has to be accomplished in Congress before the fall, when the elected officials’ attention will likely turn to budget issues, she said.
”We have a dramatic sense of urgency to get this done. The only way it is going to happen is if we speak up, and that’s the point of the bus. There are seven of us (nuns) on the bus,” Sister Simone said. There are about two dozen nuns participating on the tour and taking turns riding on the bus.
Sister Elaine Betoncourt, one of the seven nuns on the bus, told the attendees that she was “thrilled” to be taking part in the tour. A longtime member of NETWORK, she said she wants to be more active and that it has become clear to her that “to raise my voice for systemic change is something I need to do.”
When Sister Marti McCarthy took to the podium, she told the attendees that she comes from a mixed Czech and Irish immigrant background. She said her grandparents were attracted to the United States because they believed in the American dream — “if you worked hard, you could make a decent living.”
Sister Marti said she chose to ride the bus because she comes from a rural county in northern California. The immigrants try to support their families on meager pay, she said, adding that she wants legislation that will move them out of the shadow economy and that also allows families to stay together without fear of being deported.
Sister Mary Reilly, who is one of the founding members of NETWORK, told the attendees she is grateful for all of the people who have touched her life. Through her work with the Sisters of Mercy, which is the religious order to which she belongs, Sister Mary said she became aware of her calling to help the poor and the sick.
Sister Mary spent six years working in Central America where she said she saw “real poverty” for the first time. She said that when she returned to the United States and saw the Statue of Liberty, it had a different meaning for her.
”Either we ignore it or we live up to it,” Sister Mary said of the poem carved on the base of the Statue of Liberty — “Give me your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores, send these, the homeless tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”
Wrapping up the event, Sister Simone said “there is a lot of work to do. In a democracy, all of us need to use our voices. We are people of faith and we need to speak out. Fear not. We are a nation built by immigrants. It is the story of our past and it is the story of our future.”
Sister Simone urged the attendees to contact their U.S. senators and Congress members to push for immigration reform. They must speak out and create momentum “or it is not going to happen,” she said, pointing out that families are being torn apart as some members are being deported.