The U.S. Catholic Church‘s National Migration Week ran last week. The focus this year was on children.
In a message to the public, Bishop Brendan J. Cahill harkened back to the work of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini. Colloquially known as “Mother Cabrini,” this Italian Roman Catholic nun was sent to New York by Pope Leo XIII to work with poor Italians who had immigrated to America. Mother Cabrini brought with her a group of sisters to this new challenge; she went on to open schools, hospitals, and orphanages.
The “Mother Cabrini” model is no longer viable in our globalized, easy transit world; we need a new model for the new world we find ourselves in. U.S. Bishops, churches, and charities need to go to the source in countries of origin. That is, it is time to reverse the order in which help to migrants and refugees is given: The Church must go to the source and stop waiting until they illegally arrive at our border. Better to work preventatively than palliatively.
Read the full essay at the Washington Examiner.