Immigration System Needs Repairs

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, The issue of immigration reform has surfaced now in the 113th Congress as a priority of both President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner. It is important that we understand this issue from a Catholic perspective. The interest of the Church in the issue of immigration is […]

Boston Murders Have No Bearing on Immigration

by Patricia Zapor Without getting into specifics, a panel of bishops said April 22 that a comprehensive immigration bill introduced the week before is on the right track, though they alluded to some aspects they would like changed. In a teleconference about the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013, or S. […]

Path to Immigration Reform

While it is far too early to know if a substantive outcome can be expected, the Senate initiative toward immigration reform is a welcome start. The draft introduced last Monday by a bipartisan team of eight Senators outlines four foundational pillars upon which the reforms will rest. Specifically, the plan addresses four points to overhaul […]

Bishop Presents Local Human Development Grants

by Marie Elena Giossi  Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio held an awards reception Oct. 18 to honor local recipients of this year’s national Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). Grant recipients were personally congratulated by the bishop as well as Msgr. Alfred LoPinto, diocesan vicar for human services; Robert Siebel, CEO of Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens […]

Immigrants Honored as Our Shining Stars

Deacon Chris Barber, who serves at St. Clare’s parish in Rosedale, is a special guy. You could say he was special because he was the only boy in a family that included nine sisters. You could say he was special because he once thought of being a priest and studied at Cathedral Prep Seminary, Elmhurst. […]

Diocese Renews Efforts to Protect Immigrant Workers

Earlier this year, representatives of the diocese’s Catholic Migration Services met with government officials to renew an alliance that has been promoting the rights of immigrant workers since 2009. Catholic Migration Services operates Linea Laboral, a toll-free workers’ rights hotline, in collaboration with the Consulate General of Mexico in New York, the U.S. Department of […]

Busy News Week Offers Variety of Reactions

It’s been a busy news week. The biggest story of the week – the Supreme Court ruling on the Affordable Health Care Act, better known as ObamaCare – happened after The Tablet went to press. That’s the problem with a weekly newspaper. You’re always catching up. We will have complete coverage of church-related reactions to […]

Abuse of Immigrants Also Occurs Here

by Robert McCreanor Much public outrage has been generated by reports of inhumane working and housing conditions for employees at the Foxconn production site in China.  The revelation that our iPhones, iPods, and various other wonder gadgets may be assembled by Chinese men, women and children who toil in dangerous workplaces, sustain crippling physical injuries […]