Editorial Hit the Mark
Dear Editor: Your editorial (“The Border Crisis and NGO Misconduct,” Aug. 2) was an excellent piece on the subject of immigration as related to the Catholic perspective and common sense, one that should be more widely distributed.
I would like to add one more perspective that is fundamental for those of us who have lived to “old” age, or even halfway, and grew up surrounded by neighborhoods with a strong ethnic base: Chinatown, Little Italy, Irish, Norwegian, and Hasidic conclaves, to name a few.
While immigrants understandably sought out their own cultural surroundings, they did not seek to change the American social fabric. Hence, along with a vetting process that your article advocates, there needs to be an element of teaching the basic principles of assimilation and the American heritage that my generation and my children hold so dearly.
There cannot be a vetting process without the willingness of immigrants to assimilate.
Peter Purpura
Breezy Point
Thank You for Visiting the Northwest
Dear Editor: Your story (“Bishop Brennan, Priests Witness ‘Work of Human Hands’ in Yakima,” Aug. 9) showed great appreciation/ sensitivity of the local church in Brooklyn for the plight of others in a different state and in a different local church.
Joseph DaSilva
Meridian, Idaho
An Inspirational Story
Dear Editor: Blessings to Jacqueline Gallagher as she begins the process of entering religious life.
Congratulations to her and best wishes.
Mary Lou Galgano
Jackson Heights
Dear Editor: Jacqueline Gallagher (“Former St. John’s Track Star Hitting Her Stride as a Nun,” Aug 9) is another example of a St. John’s University alumnus giving of herself to the greater community.
May she have a happy and healthy vocation serving others and leading others to God by her example.
Robert Doud
Garden City, New York