Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

CABRINI Film to Debut on March 8th International Women’s Day

March 6, 2024

In celebration of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, the long-awaited and much-anticipated CABRINI movie will make its debut tomorrow in theaters across the United States.

The story of our patroness, Mother Cabrini, is being brought to life through a film directed by Alejandro Monteverde and Executive Producers. J. Eustace Wolfington and Eduardo Verástegui.

The movie tells the story of Mother Cabrini, who after witnessing disease and poverty in the slums of New York, embarks on a daring journey to persuade the hostile New York City mayor to provide housing and healthcare for hundreds of orphaned children.

Cabrini film producer Jonathan Sanger said he wants [people] to keep this thought in mind as they view the film:
“The lesson of the movie is that we all need to do more. She became the [patron] saint of immigrants and we’re living in a situation and a time where immigration is a huge issue worldwide. The movie is very contemporary…it’s about exactly what’s happening today, as much as it was a lot about what was happening at the turn of the century.” ~ WKBW 7 ABC Buffalo

To watch a trailer of the film, click here

Leadership Training for Advocacy

February 1, 2024

In recent months, Cabrini Immigrant Services-NYC (CIS-NYC’s) Justice for Immigrants Program (JFI) has been actively engaged in advocacy and community-building initiatives.

Six JFI members successfully completed a four-part leadership training program, where they worked to develop skills, such as sharing personal narratives for media engagement. Following the first workshop, our members went to a rally where three members were interviewed by local press and PBS on the topic of right-to-shelter laws.

The second workshop focused on government structures and legislative influence, ending with a trip to Albany for the New York Immigration Coalition’s member congress, where JFI members spoke with state senators and assembly members on issues like language access and housing vouchers. One of our members spoke at the press conference, giving her testimony on the importance of passing the Working Families Tax Credit.

This month JFI also took part in national advocacy, visiting Washington DC to support asylum laws with twelve of our members.
JFI members have shown their commitment to community involvement through their participation in membership meetings and workshops, including a writing workshop with Uptown Stories where members shared immigration stories with their children. Looking forward, JFI has plans for two visits to Albany this month to advocate for campaigns that are important to our membership. We are excited to share more of our experiences and photos!

CIS Hosts Parenting Workshop

January 31, 2024

Cabrini Immigrant Services (CIS), Dobbs Ferry, NY, offered a workshop for parents of toddlers. Betsy Suarez, LMHC, presented: “Effective Strategies: How to Get Your Children to Listen to You More Consistently.”

Our clients from CIS as well as some of the asylum seekers from neighboring towns joined us for the workshop. They discussed achievable goals when raising young children and different ways of achieving the goals. As a group, they discussed what worked with their child and what needed improvement. Betsy assured them to be patient with themselves. She reminded them that no one is an expert.

While the parents were attending the workshop, our social work intern kept the toddlers entertained with puzzles, coloring and different toys. It was very evident that toddlers have an enormous amount of energy!

Catholic Migrant Shelter in Mexico offers Respite, Solidarity

January 31, 2024

~ by Julieta Valdez, National Catholic Reporter

The Archdiocese of Monterrey, Mexico, founded Casanicolás in 2004. “Just as the Mexican government demands a just treatment of our emigrants in the United States, it should respect the rights of those who come from Central America,” Msgr. Luis Eduardo Villarreal, then director of social ministry for the archdiocese, said at the time.

Casanicolás provides shelter, medical and legal support to thousands of Central and South American migrants every year.
Casanicolás is an apostolate of the parish of Saint Frances Xavier.

Casanicolás, named after St. Nicholas of Tolentine, includes 130 beds across three buildings, one for women and two for men.

Monsignor Luis Eduardo Villarreal, ordained 42 years ago, has been the parish priest of the Church of San Francisco Xavier, a few blocks from Casanicolás.

“Our migrants arrive in Casanicolás worn out and traumatized by the mistreatment they receive in national territory. Here in Mexico is where the migrants suffer the most on their journey. Extortion, kidnapping, robbery, beatings, threats…it’s hell,” Villarreal said.

The priest is also a professor at Universidad Libre de Derecho, a law school, where he teaches socioeconomic problems of Mexico and oversees an immigration law clinic.

“The migrant is a good person who contributes work, culture, and life projects to places where he or she arrives; the rest are myths and not realities,” he said.

“Casanicolas’ vision is to humanize human mobility,” said Philippe Stoesslé, professor-researcher of law and social sciences at the University of Monterrey.

“I admire Monsignor Luis Eduardo. Having achieved so much, he is an extremely humble person. He is very close to his parishioners and the migrants at the shelter,” he said.

“Villarreal has taught me a deep understanding of Christian mercy, which includes welcoming migrants, but also one that includes protection, security, warm human treatment, guidance and spiritual accompaniment, knowing the people by name and not just as numbers.

“He has a vision of mercy, empathy, infinite compassion and human rights. He is sensitive to the protection and promotion of human rights, which goes hand in hand with his Christian profile of guaranteeing dignity to all human beings,” Stoesslé said.

From 2019 to 2023, Casanicolás has sheltered 4,000 to 7,700 migrants per year. Since 2021, the number of adults accompanied by minors has increased.

Villarreal told NCR that Casanicolás’ fundamental purpose is theological.

“We want to give a response to the Gospel, because we believe in the project of the Gospel,” he said. “A project of brotherhood and solidarity between one and other. And this shelter is a sign that it is possible that the last shall be the first.”

To read the full account, please click here

In Heated Political Season, Religious Sisters Urge Empathy on Immigration

January 25, 2024

~ by Rhina Guidos, National Catholic Reporter

As immigration becomes a hot-button topic in the upcoming U.S. presidential election, women religious and other Catholics urge a compassionate Christian response toward people feeling perilous situations in record breaking numbers.

“If we changed what was being preached at our pulpits and talked about a God who migrates towards us, we’d have a different understanding of what people on the move, migrants, are about,” said Sr. Lisa Buscher, of the Society of the Sacred Heart, in a January 8th interview with the Global Sisters Report (GSR).

In December, authorities documented more than 225,000 migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border, a record for monthly encounters. It was not a surprise since the government had released figures two months earlier of more than 2.4 million apprehensions at the southern border in the 2023 fiscal year which ended in September.

Some Republican state leaders have transported migrants from border cities to localities run by Democrats, spurring politicians on both sides of the aisle urging the federal government to do something to stop the flow. Some have publicly voiced their frustrations, and Republican and Democrats in the Senate are working together on an agreement: Their deal would grant the Biden’s administration request for money for Ukraine if it agrees to limit a temporary status called humanitarian parole, which has allowed a large number of migrants — including from Ukraine and Nicaragua — to stay in the United States.

For women religious like Sr. Buscher, who work with migrants and refugees in the San Diego area, it’s hard to understand the sentiments.
Sr. Buscher urged people to look more critically at global migration. Conflicts such as Russia’s war against Ukraine; conflicts in place such as continental Africa; economic and political conditions in Latin America; and climate change and hunger, she said, have spurred a global flow of people with the U.S. one of many destinations for migrants.

“These are ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. It could be any one of us,” she said.

In the Catholic tradition, she said, the Holy Family had to deal with similar challenges as Joseph and Mary fled their homeland to protect the baby Jesus from being killed by King Herod.

Sr. Maria delos Dolores Palencia Gomez, of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Lyon, who works with migrants in Mexico, said it’s hard to know what she’d say to U.S. politicians who boast about their Christianity yet “use” anti-immigrant sentiment to attract voters.

“I don’t think it’s possible, as Catholics, to feel exempt from reaching out to a brother or sister. It’s enough to look at [the Gospel of] Matthew, which clearly tells us: you clothed me, I was a foreigner and you welcomed me,” Palencia told GSR during a press conference in Bogotá, Colombia Nov. 24.

To read the full account, please click here

Editor’s note: Global Sisters Report launches a new series, “Welcoming the Stranger,” which takes a closer look at women religious working with immigrants and migrants. The series will feature sisters and organizations networking to better serve those crossing borders, global migration trends and the topic of immigration in the upcoming U.S. presidential election.

A Very Busy December at CIS-NYC

December 13, 2023

A Very Busy December at CIS-NYC

On Friday, December 1st, we had a busy day at CIS-NYC. In the morning, we collaborated with volunteers at Kearney, (a global management consulting firm) to host a career development workshop for some of our Angel Fund Scholarship recipients and other young clients. The group learned about career planning, how to build a resume, and how to prepare for an interview. They were able to engage with and learn from and inspiring group of professionals from Kearney. Our students left motivated to pursue their dream careers!

On Friday, we also hosted a legal clinic in collaboration with Saint Michael’s Church in Brooklyn. At the clinic we were able to assist 17 individuals with applying for Temporary Protected Status, a program which allows migrants whose home countries are unsafe the right to live and work in the United States for a temporary, but extendable, period of time. In recent months, our legal team has been working hard to ensure all of our clients who are eligible for this status are able to apply.

On December 5th, members of Justice for Immigrants at CIS-NYC marched in solidarity to City Hall alongside various organizations advocating for New York’s Right to Shelter law. Our members shared their experiences and perspectives with a PBS reporter. It was a powerful display of unity and advocacy, and a collective voice demanding justice and shelter for all in our community. If you would like to join us in defending New York’s Right to Shelter policy, you can sign this petition: https://p2a.co/axh2luo CIS-NYC

On Saturday, December 9th we held the first session of our leadership development training, where Justice for Immigrants members did a deep dive into community organizing and storytelling. Participants delved into the art of crafting and sharing personal narratives, equipping themselves with powerful tools for advocacy. Together, we learned how to foster a community-driven approach to amplify voices and create meaningful change. The following week, participants put their learning into action as they mobilized for a moving action to advocate for the Unemployment Bridge Program. This legislation would create an unemployment benefit program for excluded workers, such as undocumented immigrants.

Lastly, on December 10th we had the opportunity to celebrate our wonderful Food Pantry volunteers with a festive volunteer appreciation lunch! Our Food Pantry would not be able to serve hundreds of families each week without the support of our volunteers.

CIS-NYC Hosts 1st Legal Clinic

November 8, 2023

On Saturday, November 4th, Cabrini Immigrant Services of NYC hosted our first legal clinic to assist clients in applying for Temporary Protected Status. In September, the Department of Homeland Security announced the extension and redesignation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans for 18 months. This means that eligible Venezuelan nationals who entered the United States before or on July 31st, 2023, can now apply for TPS, which will allow them to reside and work legally in the United States. Upon learning this news, CIS-NYC staff went straight to work to ensure that all of our eligible clients have the opportunity to apply for TPS. At our clinic on November 4th, we were able to successfully complete 43 new TPS applications! All of our staff from our various programs pitched in to make this event a great success.

In addition to planning and running our own legal clinic, CIS-NYC’s legal team has been supporting our partners in New York City and upstate to meet the overwhelming need for immigration legal services for newly arrived migrants. Our attorneys and DOJ Accredited Representatives have volunteered their time and skills in person and virtually at clinics to help clients complete applications for both TPS and asylum. We are very proud of the hard work and commitment our team has demonstrated in response to the urgent need for services in New York!

Asylum 101

October 11, 2023

Asylum 101

On October 5, Cabrini Immigrant Services-NYC and St. Frances Cabrini Shrine hosted Asylum 101, a program designed to help our neighbors untangle what’s going on with immigration.

The program began with CIS-NYC attorney Ariana Salas defining what asylum is, and discussing common myths about asylum-seekers. She described how the process works and told the audience the extent of the logjam in processing cases.

Tiburcio Segoviano, a CIS-NYC social worker, then gave an overview of how Cabrini Immigrant Services supports new migrants and helps them adapt to life here. Community advocate Amelia Scodoris finished up the program by speaking about ways people can volunteer or advocate for change. She also invited them to sign up to for an upcoming advocacy training session to be held at the CIS-NYC offices.

It was a lively, engaging evening, and our guests had a range of opinions and many questions. We were fortunate to have an immigration case manager from Congressman Adriano Espaillat’s office in the audience. His perspective from a Federal level complemented the expertise of the presenters and led to animated but thoughtful discussion. We look forward to continuing to engage our broader community in topics related to immigration.

End of Summer Updates from CIS-NYC

September 28, 2023

As we enter the Fall season, CIS-NYC is reminiscing about the many exciting activities we held throughout the summer! We hosted events to educate our community members about their rights, brought clients together to build community and solidarity, and continued to provide vital services to immigrants throughout NYC.

July at CIS-NYC

On July 21st CIS-NYC held a family trip to a water park in West Berlin, New Jersey. Fifteen families with a total of 53 people had the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful day at the pools. Our goal was to bring families together and to offer them the chance to enjoy themselves without the stress of everyday life.

The following week, we held a volunteer appreciation barbeque outside of our office to acknowledge the incredible work of our Food Pantry volunteers. Without them we wouldn’t be able to provide healthy food to hundreds of families each week!

August at CIS-NYC

In August we were able to provide some of our families with tickets to see the New York Giants play! We also held a celebration for our Justice for Immigrants members where we played games, shared food, and said goodbye to our wonderful intern, Gabi, before she headed back to college.

Later in August we held our Angel Fund Scholarship award ceremony. We were very proud to award scholarships to 10 impressive students this year. Recipients and staff enjoyed getting to know each other and celebrating this great achievement! We look forward to supporting each of these students throughout their studies and seeing their growth this year.

On August 25th we were able to collaborate with our partners at Sant’Egidio to host a legal workshop for their French-speaking clients, most of whom recently arrived in the US.

September at CIS-NYC

In September, our Justice for Immigrants Program partnered with the Hamilton Grange Library to host a resume building workshop for our members.

Finally, last week we were honored to host New York State Senator Robert Jackson and his team at our office. Senator Jackson presented CIS-NYC with an award of $17,500 to support the vital work of our Immigration Legal Services Program.

Thank you to our donors, volunteers, and collaborators, without whom we would not have been able to hold these (and so many more!) wonderful events this summer

Following Title 42’s Demise, Sisters and Church Regroup to Better Help Migrants at the Border

July 12, 2023

~ by Rhina Guidos, Global Sisters Report

U.S authorities have been content, of late touting the latest statistics showing lower numbers of migrants entering the country at the southern border. Instead of increasing, as some had predicted following the end of a Trump-era health rule, unlawful entries between ports of entry along the U.S. southern border decreased 25% from what they were a year ago, U.S. Border Patrol said on June 20.

TITLE42-END-AFTERMATH

After the projected migrant crisis on the U.S. side failed to materialize, members of the Catholic Church, including many sisters, are reviewing the numbers to better assess how to help migrants and to talk about what they have learned and how to go forward post-Title 42.

The numbers may have decreased on the U.S. side, but in the border town of Piedras Negras, Mexico, “the number of migrants who have arrived and who keep arriving have increased” after Title 42, Franciscan Sr. Isabel Turcios said in a June 22 Zoom webinar to mark World Refugee Day.

“We’re in a difficult situation on the border,” she said during the presentation. “We’re facing a big task.”

Before Title 42, sisters at the Piedras Negras shelter put together lists they shared with authorities on the U.S. side, singling out some families who might qualify for asylum, as well as adults or children with special needs in their shelters. Many of them were able to enter the U.S. But when Title 42 expired and authorities pushed the use of the CBP One app to apply for asylum, “reality changed,” Turcios said.

“It’s like the lottery,” said Patrick Giuliani, policy analyst with El Paso’s nonprofit Hope Border Institute, who participated in the webinar. “There are people who secure a date [to book appointments to seek asylum in the U.S.] in a matter of days and others never get a date. You have people with sick children waiting for a chance (to enter the U.S).”

In El Paso, as in other parts of the country, Catholic sisters have continued to pray for migrants and for their legal woes as other barriers have been erected to keep them out, Turcios said. All the while, many sisters continue to oversee work of shelters so that travelers have food, clothing, water, and sometimes a word of comfort or legal advice. But it’s getting tougher to help them keep their spirits up given the rapid changes and the difficulties faced by those stuck on the Mexico side, she added.

The sisters’ work at the border with migrants at the El Paso diocese has been invaluable, said Bishop Mark Seitz in Spanish during a May 15 prayer service at the city’s Cathedral of St. Patrick.

“I’ve always said the work of religious women with immigrants has been the backbone of our response,” Seitz, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Migration Committee, told Global Sisters Report. “They have been so well-attuned to the needs, so loving to those who are suffering, and they are willing to give of themselves so generously that they have been irreplaceable in terms of our response. Our people here are generous and willing to help, but the sisters bring an ability to lead and organize. I’m grateful.”

To read the entire account, please click here