Pax Christi Summit

Will your name be among those demanding an end to immigration detention for profit?

2011-12-06T21:13:00.005-05:00

Tomorrow night hundreds of concerned New Jersey residents are expected to participate in an "Occupy the Freeholders" action. At the Essex County Freeholders regularly scheduled meeting we will deliver a petition started on Change.org that has garnered more that 3,000 signatures on-line and over 1000 in hard copy in opposition to an expanded contract with a local jail that houses immigrant detainees for profit.

Will your name be among those who demand an end to the incarceration of immigrants for profit?

If you haven't already, please sign this petition to revoke the ICE contract in Essex County

And then join us in Newark...

December 7th, 2011
Rally at 4pm at Military Park
& Marching to 456 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Room 506
For 7:30 pm Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholder Meeting.

The Essex County Freeholders need to stop selling out to the 1%
Immigrants are not commodities.
Immigrants are the 99%!

Stop Understanding, Start Feeling

2011-12-02T14:49:00.005-05:00

As I sat down to write this blog post, about our upcoming protest on December 7th in Newark over the for-profit immigration detention contract, I was tempted to lead with statistics about the percentage of foreign born residents in Essex County. Then I remembered a quote from a book on racial justice by Father Bryan Massingale. "We act justly not because we are intellectually convinced, but because we are passionately moved. Compassion moves the will to justice."

As a movement and as individual activists, there is a tendency toward providing facts, data and statistics that support just immigration policy. There is the belief that if only we could effectively combat the tremendous body of misinformation we would prevail. The problem is that one of the primary tactics of the campaign against immigration reform is an attempt to dehumanize an entire group of people.

However, it becomes obvious, that what is fueling the anti-immigrant movement is anything but rational. The statistics are simply a justification for a deep seated fear of people who are in some way different. It is a deep seated fear that these new people will upset the social order.

I am often asked why I am an advocate for immigration reform. After all, being an advocate for social change of any kind does not win a person any popularity contests, particularly not in New Jersey’s suburbs. I can only describe it as a conversion after encounters with people who were suffering under the injustice of our immigration system. These were moments where, as Catholic and a Christian, I recognized the face of Jesus in the suffering of the people before me and I felt their pain in a deep and profound way. At these times I was able to see that it was merely by luck of my birth and circumstances that I was spared their suffering.

Perhaps that is why I am transfixed by this video. I do not understand the words that Frank uses to describe the plight of immigrants in detention or the injustice of the system that imprisons them for-profit… I feel them.

We need to stop pinning our hopes for change to an intellectual exercise where we ascribe economic value to the lives of people who are immigrants. By doing so, we only contribute to their dehumanization. We need to talk about immigrants as people with innate value as human beings. We need to elevate their lives and their stories, flawed and imperfect though they may be.

Until we have the courage to stridently proclaim, not that some are deserving because they can contribute, but that all are entitled to the basic necessities of life because they are human, we will not prevail.

I hope you will watch Frank’s video as I have, over and over, and share it with your friends. I believe with all my heart and I feel in my soul that the very passion and the power of the emotion that he expresses is our path forward as a movement.

We must stop trying to understand and open our hearts. We must start feeling the pain of our brothers and sisters who are immigrants. Our compassion for their suffering is what will motivate us to act in solidarity for justice.

If you can, please join us in Newark on December 7th, beginning at 4:00 pm in Military Park and later at 7:00 pm at the Essex County Freeholders meeting. If not please sign the petition to revoke the ICE contract in Newark and start putting people before profit.

Stop Incarcerating People for Profit - Occupy the Essex County Freeholders

2011-12-01T17:08:00.005-05:00

Immigrants are being incarcerated for profit in Essex County thanks to the help of the Essex County Executive and the Board of Chosen Freeholders who have decided to sell the liberty of 1250 people to ICE for $108/person/day.

Join us December 7 beginning at 4:00 pm with a rally & press conference in Military Park and then march with us to the Hall of Records to Occupy the Freeholders at their meeting at 7:00 pm. We will be presenting them with thousands of signatures on a petition to revoke the ICE contract and tell them to STOP INCARCERATING PEOPLE FOR PROFIT!

For years, Essex County has been partnering with the private for-profit company Community Education Centers (CEC) to negotiate a contract with ICE to detain 1250 people in the Essex County Jail and the neighboring privately run Delaney Hall. The agreement between ICE & Essex County was signed and approved earlier this fall.

After Essex County secretly negotiated with ICE, making representations to ICE that CEC would be the subcontractor, Essex County put the sub-contract up for public bid. Surprise, surprise CEC was the only bidder in two separate rounds of RFP's.

It just so happens that CEC has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the campaigns of Essex County politicians.

It just so happens that one of CEC's primary lobbyists was Chris Christie.

It just sot happens that Bill Palatucci, Chris Christie's close friend and political confidant, is currently a Sr. VP for CEC.

As we know, the system is rigged to line the pockets of corporate interests while working class people suffer. This is just one more example.

Wall Street Execs destroy the economy & get a bailout. Immigrants work hard & end up in jail. Immigrants are the 99%.

Wells Fargo - Dump the Prison Stock! Invest in Humanity

2011-11-02T11:21:00.009-04:00

"We’re responsible for being leaders to promote the long-term economic prosperity and quality of life for everyone in our communities. If they prosper, so do we."

That's what Wells Fargo says about its "goal for social responsibility" but their investments say otherwise.

Wells Fargo has a major presence in New Jersey's urban centers and neighborhoods. It's marketing strategy includes a significant outreach to minorities and immigrants. However, it is one of the largest investors in private prisons. Their investments include GEO Group which owns Delaney Hall and Corrections Corp of America (CCA) which owns and operates the Elizabeth Detention Center.

Wells Fargo and its investors are making billions while people suffer as these for-profit prison operators squeeze every last dime out of the facilities they run. This means smaller food portions, denial of access to medical care, inadequately and poorly trained guards, limited access to personal hygiene items, more prisoners to a cell, etc.

These conditions exist in a system with limited oversight which is further shrouded by corporate secrecy. This focus on profit over human rights creates an environment where abuse is overlooked, tolerated and, in the most egregious cases, justified.

GEO Group is a multi-national corporation with a long record of riots, verbal, physical and sexual abuse at the facilities that it runs. It has paid tens of millions of dollars resulting from lawsuits including suits alleging wrongful death.

CCA also has a highly blemished record. The Elizabeth Detention Center gained national notoriety when the NY Times published a series of articles about the under-reported deaths of people in immigration detention. The series included several stories about Boubacar Bah a Guinean tailor who died from severe head trauma after being denied medical treatment by CCA staff for 13 hours.

Meanwhile CCA & GEO are using their profits from lucrative government contracts to lobby through groups like the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) for stricter criminal sentencing guidelines and harsher immigration enforcement.

It is time for Wells Fargo to be true to its message. They need to dump the prison stock and invest in humanity. That is exactly what the National Prison Industry Divestment Campaign is trying to do. Enlace is leading a national grassroots effort to force Wells Fargo to stop investing in the for-profit prison industry. The campaign is tailored to each community, in San Franciso they are holding rallies outside of Wells Fargo's national headquarters, in Colorado individuals are signing pledges to remove their funds from Wells Fargo branches.

There is some discussion about bringing the national campaign to NJ. How will it look here? Organizers are not quite sure yet, but stay tuned because details are sure to follow.

For more information about the National Prison Industry Divestment Campaign click here. or contact Enlace info@enlaceintl.org or 213-284-3802.

All She Asked Was That Her Brother Be Treated Humanely

2011-10-18T15:14:00.004-04:00

"Please we need help from each & every one of you." the sister of a man held at Delaney Hall, a for-profit immigration detention center in Essex County said.

On October 9th outside of Delaney Hall, the private, for-profit correctional facility that is housing ICE detainees as part of a deal with Essex County, protesters met a woman who had waited an hour and a half to see her brother only to be turned away. She told us how badly her brother was being treated and with tears in her eyes she begged for help.

Remarkably, she did not ask that he be represented by a lawyer, or for him to be set free, all she asked was that he be treated humanely.

Sadly, that is not a given in Essex County or anywhere else that immigrants are being held on behalf of ICE in the United States.

Please watch the video and share it with everyone you know.

And then sign the petition to revoke the ICE contract in Essex County

Then ask your friends to do the same.

…Because we need help from each and every one of you.

Special thanks to Gabriela Garcia from Change.org and Frank Lopez from The Peace Poets for putting this video together.

An Invitation for Abuse in Essex County

2011-10-08T14:14:00.000-04:00

This past August, the Essex County Executive, Joe DiVincenzo, entered into an inter-governmental services agreement (IGSA) with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to increase the number of ICE detainees held in Essex County to 1250. The contract is being touted as a way to generate huge revenue for the county, which may, in turn, benefit some property owners. However, serious questions regarding whether the county will experience any net benefit from the contract, and the effect that incarceration for profit will have on already inhumane conditions remain. We are also left with the overarching question of whether or not using the incarceration of people as a way to make money is an acceptable way for Essex County to raise revenue.

Unfortunately for Essex County's coffers, the prison business is labor intensive and one where economies of scale do not easily apply. The $50 million per year the County Executive claims Essex will receive is significantly overstated. Essex County has admitted, through written communication, that this is both a gross revenue number and one calculated using an absolute best case scenario of all 1250 beds being filled at all times at the full $108/day reimbursement rate.

Though Essex County claims that "all appropriate analysis have been done," it has been less than forthcoming about the costs associated with the contract. We know from published reports that the subcontract with Community Education Centers (CEC), the politically connected, for-profit firm that runs Delaney Hall, alone will reduce this number by at least $8-10 million.

No calculation of the increased cost of additional guards, or required improvements to the facilities has been provided and Essex County is claiming that despite repeatedly promoting the increased training that all guards would undergo as a result of the new contract there are no costs associated with this training. Despite repeated requests for information, all the Essex County Administration will say so far about the costs of the contract with ICE is that they are "fixed based on our operational costs." Although, the costs associated with running a public facility is public information, Essex County has yet to divulge what those costs are.

Essex County Freeholder Ralph Caputo who is chair the penal committee for Essex County says the new contract between the county and ICE is "unpleasant but useful" because it will raise revenues. Joe DiVincenzo has called the agreement between Essex and ICE a "homerun" and. says it will "help reduce the financial burden on our taxpayers." However, the county has no control over property taxes. That is up to the individual municipalities to decide. In fact, Newark just announced a 4.6% property tax increase for the coming year despite the fact that Essex County presented a balanced budget for 2011 that included projected revenues of $27.5 million from the ICE contract.

This past June, after months of testimony from advocates, service providers and community members, Freeholder Caputo announced that Essex County would investigate charges of violations of the NJ Administrative Code and other civil & human rights violations. He invited advocates to join this effort to oversee the jail. Essex County has since reneged on this offer.

It appears that Essex County is either not being realistic about costs associated with running an immigration detention facility or they are going to be running a facility that is woefully unprepared to adequately meet the needs of the expanding immigrant detainee population.

The Essex County Executive and the Freeholders want us to believe that they can spin the misery of the immigrants in their custody into gold for the rest of the residents of Essex County, but by perpetuating an environment in which profit is the primary motivator while shirking their responsibility for oversight, they are inviting abuse.

Please join at Peter Francisco Park in Newark tomorrow at 1:30 pm as we demand that the Freeholders revoke the new ICE contract and institute a community oversight board for the jail and Delaney Hall.

Whether or not you can come please sign the petition.

NY/NJ Coalition Mobilizing Against Detention for Profit

2011-10-07T10:18:00.001-04:00

***PRESS RELEASE***

NEW JERSEY RESIDENTS AND FAITH LEADERS HOLDING EVENT TO OPPOSE EXPANSION OF IMMIGRANT DETENTION AT JAIL ACCUSED OF INHUMANE CONDITIONS

Residents of New Jersey To March to the Essex County Jail to protest freeholders decision to Put Revenue Before Human Rights in approving a contract to house immigrant detainees at controversial Essex County Correctional Facility and Neighboring Delaney Hall.

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ – Concerned New Jersey residents including members of Pax Christi NJ and more than 20 immigrant rights and religious organizations from New York and New Jersey will march from Peter Francisco Park in Newark, NJ, to the Essex County Correctional Facility on Sunday in opposition to a new contract with Essex County that would expand immigration detention at the jail and the neighboring privately run Delaney Hall to house up to 1,250 immigrant detainees. The jail has been accused of inhumane conditions including proximity to active polluters and toxic waste sites; restrictions on visits from family, lawyers, and clergy; concerns about adequate food and general safety; and a denial to access of medical services.

WHAT: March and Rally in Opposition to Inhumane Conditions at For-Profit Detention Center in Toxic Waste Corridor
WHERE: Beginning at Peter Francisco Park (Adjacent to Newark Penn Station) in Newark, NJ, and marching to Essex County Correctional Facility & Delaney Hall, 356 Doremus Ave., Newark, NJ
WHEN: 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM, Sunday, October 9, 2011

“The Essex County Executive and the Freeholders want us to believe that they can spin the misery of the immigrants in their custody into gold for the rest of the residents of Essex County, but they are perpetuating an environment in which profit is the primary motivator while shirking their responsibility for oversight,” said faith leader Kathy O’Leary, who launched an online campaign on Change.org. She and Pax Christi NJ, the organization she represents, are a part of a statewide coalition of organizations which has been engaging the chosen freeholders in private and public meetings since January, consistently asking that the no new contract with ICE be approved prior to completing a thorough investigation of allegations of human rights abuses and violations of NJ law at the jail and instituting a community review board to ensure facilities comply with all applicable standards.

Participants and the coalition members are hoping to send the message that New Jersey residents are upset with the Freeholders’ decision. A large coalition of faith groups is asking that the Freeholders ensure visiting hours that include evenings and weekends; contact visits for family members; no restrictions on visits, phone calls, and other contact with lawyers and clergy; adequate mental and physical health care; healthy food that complies with dietary restrictions and religious observances; unrestricted access to communal religious services; and regular outdoor recreation free from exposure to hazardous environmental conditions. The online petition on Change.org has already garnered more than 2,000 signatures.

Sunday’s event is the third major protest outside the Essex County Correctional Facility and Delaney Hall since Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced its intention to partner with Essex County. The event is also the 13th annual protest against immigration detention by the immigrant rights group IRATE & First Friends, traditionally held outside the Elizabeth Detention Center. However, the protest is moving to Newark this year along with the detainees. The event is to take place just days after ICE completes transferring hundreds of immigrant detainees from the Elizabeth Detention Center to Delaney Hall and two years since ICE issued a report that was supposed to transform immigration detention from an unfairly penal system to one of humane civil detention.

ICE is saying the move to Essex is an attempt to improve conditions, but advocates disagree. “The policy of mandatory immigration detention is bad enough, but what ICE is holding up as the model of immigration detention for the entire country is a jail and a hastily partitioned penal facility next to active polluters and toxic waste in the middle of what is known as ‘chemical corridor.’ How is that an improvement? How can anyone call that more humane?” said Cynthia Mellon Environmental Justice & Community Organizer for the Ironbound Community Corporation.

The campaign is catching on and it is attracting the attention of national groups. “Kathy O’Leary and Pax Christi NJ’s campaign to demand more humane conditions for immigrant detainees is impressive,” said Jackie Mahendra, Change.org’s Director of Organizing for Immigrant Rights. “Change.org is about empowering anyone, anywhere to demand action on the issues that matter to them, and it’s been really incredible to see this campaign take off.”

Live signature totals from the Kathy O’Leary and Pax Christi NJ’s campaign:
http://www.change.org/petitions/oppose-expansion-of-immigration-detention-at-a-jail-accused-of-inhumane-conditions

Featured Speakers:

· Carol Fouke-Mpoyo –Chairperson, Sojourners Immigration Detention Center Visitors Program

· Cynthia Mellon –Environmental Justice & Community Organizer, Ironbound Community Corp.

· Daniel Cummings – Monmouth County Coalition for Immigrant Rights

· Ed Martone –Executive Director NJ Association on Correction

· Maristela Freiberg & Moacir Weirich – St. Stephan's Grace Lutheran Community Church

· Anabela Moura Silva – Wilson Avenue School parents group

· Sally Pillay – Coordinator Intern Program, IRATE & First Friends

Live music performed by the Catholic Worker Band and spoken word/hip-hop ballads performed by The Peace Poets

The event is co-sponsored by: Action 21; Action for Justice Community Church of NY Unitarian Universalist; American Friends Service Committee, Immigrant Rights Program-Newark; Bergen County Branch/People's Organization for Progress; Casa Esperanza; Casa Freehold; CEUS; Community of Friends in Action, Inc.; Immigration Task Force, Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of New Jersey; Felician Sisters of Lodi; Ironbound Community Corporation; Middlesex County Coalition for Immigrant Rights; Monmouth County Coalition for Immigrant Rights; NJ DREAM Act Coalition; Pax Christi NJ; Riverside Sojourners Immigration Detention Visitor Project; St. Stephan's Grace Community – ELCA; Sisters of Mercy, Mid-Atlantic Justice Office; Social Responsibility Council of the Unitarian Society of Ridgewood; Unidad Latina en Accion- NJ; Wind of the Spirit

For more information on Pax Christi NJ, please visit:
http://paxchristiusa.org/
Pax Christi NJ is part of Pax Christi USA, a national Catholic organization, reaching over a half-million Catholics directly every year. We have over 400 local groups throughout the United States, over 100 bishop members, 700 parish sponsors, 600 religious communities, and 50 college and high school chapters.

For more information on Change.org, please visit:
http://www.change.org/about
Change.org is the world’s fastest-growing platform for social change — growing by more than 400,000 new members a month, and empowering millions of people to start, join, and win campaigns for social change in their community, city and country.

ICE's Model - a Jail that sits in "Chemical Corridor"

2011-09-29T13:06:00.004-04:00

Essex is a story with national implications because the problems at Essex completely undercut ICE's national messaging. ICE is saying that it is in the process of making immigration detention humane. ICE is holding up Essex as a model for the country, but their model consists of a jail that blocks access to clergy, and a hastily partitioned correctional facility located next to a water treatment plant and toxic waste.

Earlier this week at a press conference in front of the Hall of Records in Newark, Cynthia Mellon, the Environmental Justice & Community Organizer for the Ironbound Community Corp., talked about the high levels of pollution, the poor air quality and the concerns about the county's inability to evacuate the occupants of the jail and Delaney Hall in the event of a chemical spill.

The environmental issues at the jail and the ICE contract itself tie into the oppression of immigrants in the surrounding neighborhood. On October 9th we will be marching past a school in the majority Portuguese and Brazilian community in the Ironbound section of Newark. This school needed to be closed twice in the last two years for environmental concerns, first for Benzene and the second time for mold. The children are being bussed to schools out of the city.

Essex County is expanding the prison but it is not building a new school anywhere in the Ironbound. The freeholders and county executive keep talking about how much money the county will make off of this deal with ICE and they say they plan to use it to lower property taxes (most likely taxes in the western suburbs.) So not only will the immigrant community continue to suffer the injustice of having its residents incarcerated in the local prison they will continue living in a polluted neighborhood without a safe school for their children. It is unlikely that they will see a dime of this revenue that the new ICE contract is supposed to bring to Essex.

Not only is ICE is incapable of treating people humanely, there is just no such thing as humane immigration detention.

Free Citizenship Application Assistance this Saturday in Newark

2011-09-28T13:30:00.002-04:00

After hosting two successful events on the New Brunswick campus, Citizenship Rutgers comes to Newark on Saturday, October 1, 2011.

Citizenship Rutgers is a university-wide project bringing free citizenship application assistance to qualified green card holders. Modeled on Citizenship NOW!, the citizenship and immigration law project now in its 14th year at the City University of New York, Citizenship Rutgers is a service provided to all of New Jersey's 400,000 green card holders who are seeking citizenship.

In addition to an eligibility review with a trained immigration law professional, participants receive the passport photos required for the application, as well as photocopies of their documents. Legal Permanent Residents of the United States can register to receive assistance by calling (732) 932-9384 ext. 330.

Please note:

To receive assistance, an individual must meet the following requirements: Reside in the United States as a permanent resident for five years (three years if living with and married to the same U.S. citizen); live in the United States for half of the five or three year period; and be at least 18 years old.

Applicants are further instructed to bring: Green card and all passports since obtaining green card; home addresses for the last five or three years; children's information (date of birth, A#, addresses); employment history for the last five or three years; marital history/criminal history. (if applicable).

Applicants pay a $680 filing fee to USCIS but should not bring this fee to the event.

Immigration attorneys who wish to learn more or to volunteer their time on 10/1 can email: yaelbromberg@gmail.com

Citizenship Rutgers is a project of Rutgers School of Law-Camden; Rutgers School of Law-Newark; The Center for Migration and the Global City, Newark; Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations; the School of Arts and Sciences, New Brunswick; the School of Public Policy and Administration, Camden; and the Civic Engagement and Service Education Partnerships (CESEP) Program. CESEP operates under the auspices of the Rutgers Office of the Associate Vice President for Academic & Public Partnerships with support from the Office of the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, The Bonner Foundation, Rutgers' Eagleton Program on Immigration and Democracy, as well as CUNY Citizenship NOW! (City University of New York).

Press Conference 9/27 in Newark Denouncing County Contract with ICE

2011-09-26T14:05:00.004-04:00

HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES DENOUNCE EXPANSION OF FLAWED IMMIGRATION DETENTION SYSTEM IN ESSEX

Calling for Community Oversight, Government Accountability, a Rollback of New Contract with ICE and an End to Mandatory Detention

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 26, 2011

Contacts: Amy Gottlieb, American Friends Service Committee, 917-494-6415; Karina Wilkinson, Middlesex Co. Coalition for Immigrant Rights, 310-980-0362

Event Time: Tuesday September 27th 2011 at 11am

Event Location: Lincoln Statue in front of Hall of Records (465 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd) at corner of Springfield Ave. and Market St. in Newark

NEWARK, NJ – New Jersey Advocates for Immigrant Detainees* (NJAID) will hold a press conference calling for a rollback of the newly signed contract between Essex County and Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) and added government accountability for the immigrant detention system in Essex County. The press conference comes at the 15th anniversary of the signing of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, a law that dramatically expanded the use of mandatory detention for immigrants and led to massive deportations, tearing families and communities apart.

“The concept of detaining people on civil charges without a right to bond or parole goes counter to our understanding of justice and protections of human rights. The detention and deportation system has failed immigrant communities miserably, but could easily be fixed in part by eliminating any mandatory detention provisions,” said Silky Shah, Detention Watch Network.

NJAID is deeply concerned about numerous complaints from immigrant detainees and advocates regarding Essex County facilities. The complaints filed include refusal of entry to legal counsel, interpreters and expert witnesses; arbitrary restrictions on family and community visitation; and lack of access to religious clergy. There is also growing concern with health issues as the required outdoor recreation area is adjacent to a toxic waste site.

Concerns increased with the expansion of the detention system through the September 7th Freeholder meeting at which the ICE contract was approved. The total number of detainees in Essex County Jail and Delaney Hall will increase to 1250. Delaney Hall is a facility operated by Community Education Centers, a private corporation. Expansion without addressing the human rights violations may prove fatal: since late 2003, over 110 people have died in immigration detention centers throughout the United States. Members of the community have been showing their concern as well, since September over 1600 signatures have been collected on a petition on Change.org to revoke the contract with ICE.

"ICE has agreed to maintain an average daily population of 700 detainees in Essex County jail, a jail that arbitrarily refuses access to family, clergy and attorneys," said Karina Wilkinson, Middlesex County Coalition for Immigrant Rights, a member group of NJAID. "We have seen no improvement or increased cooperation under the new contract, only more promises of reform."
Human rights advocates have voiced concerns about detainee conditions at Freeholder meetings since last December. Penal Committee chair and Freeholder Ralph Caputo once offered to include advocates in an oversight committee to review the issues raised. However, no such review has occurred. Freeholders have told NJAID that oversight is an ICE responsibility. “This is shirking their responsibility to the people who are now in the county’s custody” said Ed Martone, Director of Public Education and Policy for the NJ Association on Correction. “They do have complete control over the conditions in their own jail.”

This press conference is leading up to a national day of action, which is part of the “Dignity, Not Detention: Preserving Human Rights and Restoring Justice,” campaign led by the Detention Watch Network. The campaign calls for an end to the human rights abuses in detention centers, the restoration of due process in the enforcement of immigration laws, and the implementation of cost saving, community-based alternatives to detention. A local action called “Redefining Cruel and Unusual: Indefinite Detention Amid Toxic Waste” is scheduled for October 9th in Newark.

*The NJ Advocates for Immigrant Detainees is a coalition of the American Civil Liberties Union- New Jersey; American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) Immigrant Rights Program; Casa de Esperanza; Casa Freehold; the Episcopal Immigration Network; IRATE & First Friends; Lutheran Office of Governmental Ministry in NJ; NJ Association on Correction; NJ Forum for Human Rights; Pax Christi NJ; Middlesex County Coalition for Immigrant Rights; Monmouth County Coalition for Immigrant Rights; People’s Organization for Progress, Bergen County Branch; the Reformed Church of Highland Park; Sisters of St. Joseph of Chestnut Hill; Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Montclair

####

Draft Program

1. Welcome

2. Mandatory Detention and Implications (Silky Shah, Detention Watch Network)

3. Increased Immigration Detention in NJ: Elizabeth Detention Center and beyond (Sally Pillay, IRATE/First Friends)

4. Essex County’s Newly Approved Contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Karina Wilkinson, Middlesex County Coalition for Immigrant Rights)

5. Violations of Immigration Detention Standards and Due Process at Essex (John Leschak, Monmouth County Coalition for Immigrant Rights)

6. Environmental and Other Concerns at Essex County (Cynthia Mellon, Community and Environmental Justice Organizer, Ironbound Community Corporation)

7. Essex County Government Accountability and Call for Oversight Committee (Ed Martone, Director of Public Education and Policy for the New Jersey Association on Correction)

Immigration Detention - Unpleasant but Helpful??

2011-09-23T09:32:00.004-04:00

That is what Essex County Freeholder Ralph Caputo said to the Star Ledger about the new contract between the county & ICE because it will raise revenues. Joe DiVincenzo says it will "help reduce the financial burden on our taxpayers."

We say THESE ARE PEOPLE not commodities.

You can read the article here.

Please help support our campaign to roll back immigration detention in Essex County, improve conditions and provide for community oversight of immigrant detainees.

Join the Protest October 9th at Peter Francisco Park – corner of Edison Pl. & Ferry St.(right outside Newark Penn Station on the east side)

Sign the petition to revoke the new ICE contract in Essex and institute community oversight

(if you have signed it already please forward it to your organizations)

http://www.change.org/petitions/oppose-expansion-of-immigration-detention-at-a-jail-accused-of-inhumane-conditions

We Are So Furious...

2011-09-22T13:53:00.003-04:00

"We are so furious that the Essex County Freeholders have voted to expand the miserable rotten prison there..." - a member of the Peace & Justice Committee of the UU Society in Ridgewood talking about the vote to approve a new contract with ICE. (Take a listen)

On September 7th, the Essex County Freeholders voted to approved a contract with ICE that had already been signed by the Essex County Executive to expand immigration detention in the Essex County Correctional Facility, and the neighboring privately run Delaney Hall, to 1250 people.

The outrage over that vote has translated into action. As of last night, over 1300 people had signed the petition demanding that the freeholders revoke the contract with ICE and improve conditions in the jail.

The vote may be over, but the campaign to revoke the contract and improve conditions in a jail that has been accused of human rights abuses and sits amid toxic waste sites and active polluters continues.

If you want to get involved you can:

1. Sign the petition

2. Forward the petition to your friends and family.

3. Attend an upcoming Essex County Freeholder meeting in person and ask them to explain their vote

4. Attend the protest rally and march on in Newark October 9th Redefining Cruel & Unusual Indefinite Immigration Detention for-Profit Amid Toxic Waste in Essex County beginning at 1:30 pm at Peter Francisco Park Newark, NJ (right outside Newark Penn Station) Marching to and from: Essex County Correctional Facility & Delaney Hall 356 Doremus Ave, Newark, NJ

Redefining Cruel & Unusual

2011-09-21T09:25:00.003-04:00

Redefining Cruel & Unusual
Indefinite Immigration Detention for-Profit Amid Toxic Waste in Essex County

Protest, Rally & March
October 9th 1:30 pm
... Beginning at Peter Francisco Park Newark, NJ
RIGHT NEXT TO NEWARK PENN STATION

Marching to and from:
Essex County Correctional Facility & Delaney Hall
356 Doremus Ave, Newark, NJ

Can't join us in Newark on Oct 9th? Sign the Petition

After 14 years the IRATE & First Friends annual protest is moving to Newark along with the detainees from the Elizabeth Detention Center. ICE listened to us year after year complain about conditions at the converted warehouse with no outdoor recreation where people were kept, sometimes for years on end. They responded by working with Essex County and the private for-profit company Community Education Centers (CEC).

Up to 1250 detainees will now be held in either the Essex County Jail or in the neighboring privately run. Delaney Hall. These sites allow for outdoor recreation but are located in the middle of numerous TOXIC WASTE sites. The jail and Delaney Hall are both located on Doremus Avenue, a highly polluted area with active polluters where air quality is a constant issue.

Concerns also persist that the Essex County Jail is restricting visits from family, lawyers, and clergy in addition to concerns about adequate food, and general safety.

The Essex County Freeholders just voted to approve a five year contact with ICE that expands an inhumane system that breaks apart families and is wasteful of tax dollars.

We oppose this expansion of immigration detention in Essex County. Many of those ensnared in the indiscriminate immigration enforcement dragnet which automatically leads to detention are long-term residents, green card holders, U.S. citizens, business owners, college graduates and veterans. We have grave concerns about the conditions under which they are being held.

Co-sponsored by:
Action for Justice Community Church of NY Unitarian Universalist; American Friends Service Committee, Immigrant Rights Program-Newark; Bergen County Branch/People's Organization for Progress; Casa Esperanza; Casa Freehold; Community of Friends in Action, Inc.; Immigration Task Force, Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of New Jersey; Felician Sisters of Lodi; Ironbound Community Corporation; Middlesex County Coalition for Immigrant Rights; Monmouth County Coalition for Immigrant Rights; Pax Christi NJ; Sisters of Mercy, Mid-Atlantic Justice Office; Social Responsibility Council of the Unitarian Society of Ridgewood; Wind of the Spirit

To RSVP and for update visit the Facebook event page

Lenten Campaign to Recognize Humanity of Immigrants Concludes with Way of the Cross

2011-04-21T11:16:00.001-04:00

As many as 100 people of faith and immigrant rights advocates from organizations across the state of New Jersey including Casa Esperanza, IRATE & First Friends, the Passaic County Coalition for Immigrant Rights, Pax Christi NJ, St. Stephan’s Grace Community Lutheran Church and Wind of the Spirit, are expected to gather in Newark in front of the Hall of Records on the Christian feast day of Good Friday April, 22nd at 12:00 PM for a press conference before walking through Newark and ending at St. Lucy’s Church. Participants will be drawing attention to the suffering that is inflicted on immigrants their families, and the communities in which they live by the U.S.’s current immigration and detention policies which organizers say has been shaped by an “enforcement first” attitude through a contemporary depiction of the Stations of the Cross which re-enacts the crucifixion of Jesus.

The afternoon of prayer and reflection, which will be in both English and Spanish, is intended to highlight the harsh realities for today’s immigrants. The program will underscore the human value of immigrants who the event’s organizers say are needlessly suffering under a system that is badly in need of some compassion. “The death and resurrection of Jesus is not something in the past. Our faith calls us to recognize the suffering of Jesus in the lives and in the faces of people who are suffering everyday in our own communities. A great deal of the suffering of immigrants comes from the threat of detention and deportation.” said Diana Mejia of Wind of the Spirit.

Organizers hope the event will also help re-direct the focus on local immigration issues. “As people of faith who believe in the Gospel’s call to radical hospitality we must look to our local and state government in our advocacy for immigrants. It is not enough that we oppose the injustice created by our federal immigration policy, we are also called to mitigate the suffering of local residents and families while we work and pray for systemic change,” said Kathy O’Leary, coordinator for the NJ region of Pax Christi.

Organizers are particularly concerned about the plans to build a new 2,700 bed immigration detention facility next to the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark as well as inhumane immigration enforcement actions and their impact on the community. They are concerned that the new facility will be used to incarcerate long time county residents with significant ties to the community and split apart local Essex county families. They cite statistics from the 2010 Census that show over 23% of Essex County’s population is foreign born. Of this population, 71% have been in this country since before 2000 and 54% are not yet US Citizens.

“Today’s immigrants are both the Good Samaritan who lends a hand in our communities and the people of Matthew 25 in the Gospel who hunger, thirst and are imprisoned in immigration detention right here in Newark. These are the people that we are called to comfort,” said Josefa Lopez co-fonder of Romero de América the Spanish language Pax Christi Chapter from St. Lucy’s in Newark and a volunteer with IRATE & First Friends which manages visitation services to immigrants in detention.

“On Good Friday we solemnly recognize the suffering of Jesus, but we also look forward to the joy of the resurrection. This joy springs from the hope that we will be able to recognize Jesus living among us and by lifting the cross that has been placed upon his people we will achieve our own salvation.” said Rev. Joyce Phipps, founder of Casa Esperanza and a practicing immigration attorney.

The Way of the Cross is the concluding event of a statewide Lenten Campaign to “Recognize the Human Value of Immigrants” called “Lament, Compassion, Solidarity & Conversion”. As a coordinated part of the event, people of all faith traditions gathered at their local house of worship or elsewhere in their home community throughout the six weeks of Lent to Lament our country’s current immigration policy, show Compassion for the suffering of immigrants, act in Solidarity with immigrants and pray for a Conversion of hearts so that comprehensive, humane immigration reform can be enacted. The campaign began with the second annual pilgrimage from Ellis Island in Liberty State Park in Jersey City to the Elizabeth Detention Center on March 9, 2011 (Ash Wednesday).

The Lenten Campaign to recognize the human value of immigrants is the continuation of a series of actions that began in September 15, 2009 with the “We Are One Human Family” statewide vigils which took place at 11 locations in ten communities across New Jersey, and the “Let My People Go” vigils protesting immigration detention and ICE/police cooperation in July of 2010.

The Immigrants Way of the Cross is co-sponsored by: by “Romero de América” (1st Spanish language group of Pax Christi in NJ, Pax Christi NJ, Wind of the Spirit, Casa Esperanza, IRATE & First Friends, St. Stephan’s Grace Community Lutheran Church; The Shrine of St. Joseph, The Passaic County Coalition for Immigrant Rights and Jornaleros Unidos de Passaic

The Children of Abraham & My Lenten Journey

2011-03-17T11:18:00.007-04:00

It is well known that last year, I began a new ritual on Ash Wednesday. I walk over 10 miles from the footbridge to Ellis Island in Liberty State Park to the gates of the Elizabeth Detention Center just outside Newark Airport in Elizabeth. When we first began to plan this event, I could easily comprehend the physical aspects of the journey, but I had no idea just how much of a spiritual journey I would be embarking on.

When we were first planning the event last year we were concerned how houses of worship which were not Christian would react to being asked to participate in a Christian feast day. We were surprised to learn that this was not a problem, particularly for the Islamic Center and Al-Ghazaly School. They were delighted that we wanted to devote part of our observance of one of our holy days to a visit to their school. Last year we heard a reading from the Koran that explained our shared belief in welcoming immigrants. This year we heard a reading that talked about the equality of all people.

We were trying to give a face and a name to the immigrants who are forced into hiding and whose human dignity is disrespected by our laws and the attitudes of our society. What we achieved, in my estimation, was something much greater, the beginning of an interfaith cooperation and understanding.

The Catholic Church teaches that Muslims are to be embraced as fellow brothers and sisters of Abraham. That teaching came alive for me last Wednesday as I drew closer to people I had learned to believe were so very different from me. Standing in the cafeteria of the Al-Ghazaly school there was no denying that we were all God’s children.

I just read an article that concluded that the key to immigration reform was interfaith understanding. Perhaps that is so and perhaps that is also the key to many of the other challenges in our society. What I do know is that learning about another religion and being welcomed so warmly by someone from another faith tradition has brought me closer to my own Catholic faith starting my Lenten journey.

Ash Wednesday Pilgrimage -A Transformative Experience

2011-03-14T10:04:00.002-04:00

About the middle of February, I found myself looking forward to Ash Wednesday. I had never experienced this before. My Catholic upbringing had conditioned me to dread the day that signaled the beginning of what I had come to regard as 40 days of repentance and self denial. But this Ash Wednesday would be the second time that I would be joining people of faith from all over New Jersey and New York City in front of the footbridge to Ellis Island to walk nearly 12 miles alongside recent immigrants and in solidarity with the suffering of our brothers and sisters who come to our country fleeing persecution, the aftermath of natural disasters, armed conflict or extreme poverty.

This year the pilgrimage marked the beginning of a statewide Lenten Campaign to “Recognize the Human Value of Immigrants” called “Lament, Compassion, Solidarity & Conversion”. The campaign was intended to Lament our country’s current immigration policy, show Compassion for the suffering of immigrants, act in Solidarity with immigrants and pray for a Conversion of hearts so that comprehensive, humane immigration reform can be enacted.

About 10:30 am, after a short prayer service about 50 of us from varied faith traditions began walking. We chanted “we believe in justice” in English and Spanish as we walked through the streets of Jersey City stopping at Assumption/All Saint’s RC Church for a bilingual prayer service and the Islamic Center and Al-Ghazaly School where we listened to a reading from the Koran that spoke of the equality of all people.

At our next stop, the Essex County Correctional Facility, that currently holds at least 500 immigrant detainees with plans to soon expand to as many as 2700 more, we were joined by two bus loads of high school students from Mother Seton Regional High School and Roselle Catholic who would finish the remaining 9 plus miles. We made more stops along the way at the Grace Community Lutheran Church, Federal Immigration Court Building and the new ICE office on Frelinghuysen Avenue.

Along the journey I visited with old friends and made some new ones. I met a high school student and a US citizen who had recently suffered the separation of her father as he was deported to Egypt and whose mother is awaiting the same fate. I also met a man from Cameroon who had spent time in immigration detention despite being a legal resident.

Toward the end of the day, as our joints and muscles all began to ache, one of my fellow pilgrims and I discussed how we were getting a very small glimpse into the many miles that refugees and immigrants have to walk whilst fleeing their homelands like the “lost boys” of Sudan or the Mexican, Central and South American immigrants who put their lives in the hands of the coyotes as they cross the desert.

We ended triumphantly shortly after 6:00 pm at the IRATE & First Friends 13th annual Ash Wednesday vigil at the Elizabeth Detention Center, where we were greeted by over 100 other vigil goers and the NYC Catholic Worker Band.

Though our walk is over the journey continues. I invite you to join us and other people of all faith traditions who will gather at their local house of worship or elsewhere in their home community throughout the coming weeks of Lent to pray that this Lenten season we will all recognize the humanity of our brothers and sisters who are immigrants and that our society’s collective will be moved to justice.

For me, Ash Wednesday has been forever changed from the beginning of 40 days of atoning for personal sin to the beginning of a process of renewal a time of rebuilding our society to reflect the love of Jesus and justice of the Gospel. I will now look forward to Lent as a time of compassion and mercy; an opportunity to build relationships and community through acts of solidarity and understanding with the promise of rebirth that awaits us as we celebrate the resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Endnote: The Lenten Campaign to “Recognize the Human Value of Immigrants” will culminate in a Migrants Way of the Cross beginning at 12:00 noon in Newark in front of the Hall of Records on April 22nd (Good Friday). All are welcome to attend.

Financial Gain from Federal Immigration Detention Contract Will Not Outweigh the Human Cost

2011-02-10T10:35:00.001-05:00

At one of their upcoming meetings, the Essex County Freeholders will be voting on a contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) regarding a proposed a new 2,700 bed facility in Essex County. This facility would constitute a significant expansion to the immigration detention system, more than doubling the current number of immigration detention beds currently in NJ.

What everyone needs to understand about immigration enforcement and detention is that it is a system that is flawed, that is extremely costly, that it separates families and that it negatively impacts our local economies and communities.

In 1996, when the Illegal Immigration Reform and Responsibility Act (IIRRA) was passed, detention became mandatory for those suspected of immigration violations (a civil offense under federal law). This quickly expanded a system of administrative detention comprised of about 3,000 beds to over 30,000 and growing. By the end of this year nearly 400,000 people will have passed through the immigration detention system and almost as many will have been deported.

Prior to this increase in detention and deportation the immigration court system was already overburdened and lacked oversight. In 2008, 214 immigration court judges decided 350,000 cases increasing the possibility for many more mistakes. In addition many of the rights meant to safeguard the innocent that apply in criminal cases such as the right to counsel, appeals, phone calls, etc. are not extended to people suspected of immigration violations.

Since 2003 over 100 people have died in immigration detention, some due to obvious medical neglect, though the count is uncertain because there is no process for reporting deaths in immigration detention and no investigation process.

Though it may be considered a money maker for Essex County, the new detention center will be paid for by our federal tax dollars. This year the immigration detention system will cost the US taxpayer $1.7 billon. The proposed Essex County complex alone will cost the US taxpayer in the neighborhood of a quarter of a million dollars per day and in excess of $85 million per year. Just like the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the war on immigrants is stealing money that could be used on much needed social programs.

Essex County will not see all of this money either as a private, for-profit company, namely Community Education Centers, or CEC, is said to be involved in the planned expansion. CEC has direct ties to both Joe DiVincenzo, the Essex County Executive and to Chris Christie. Bill Palatucci, Christie's former law firm partner and board member of Reform Jersey Now is an officer in CEC. Though Essex County had to participate in an open public bidding process with ICE there is no evidence that CEC did the same with Essex County.

Another nagging question is what will Essex County be getting for this money? Yes some jobs will be created, but it is unavoidable that the county will also be detaining and deporting long-time current residents, legal permanent residents and possible even US citizens for suspected immigration violations. Just over 23% of Essex County's population is foreign born, according to the most recent data from the US Census Bureau. Of this population, 71% have been in this country since before 2000 and 54% are not yet US Citizens. Under the current immigration system people with a legal claim to residency and even citizenship are often mistakenly detained and deported.

Once in the immigration system the burden falls on the individual to prove they have a legal right to be in the United States. Since they are not entitled to legal council, individuals, particularly those who are indigent or have limited ties to family or friends, can find that this is extremely difficult. As a result, the Boston College Law Post Deportation Human Rights Project (PDHRP) estimates that as many as 80,000- 100,000 people have been mistakenly deported. US citizens have been among them.

This was the case with Mark Lyttle who was born in Salisbury North Carolina. He was deported to Mexico in 2008 after serving 85 out of a 100 day sentence at the Pasquotank County Jail in North Carolina for a misdemeanor. Instead of being released Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) made a determination that his real name was Jose Thomas, and that he was Mexican. Though he provided a social security number and the names of relatives, no one checked out his story. Since he had no money he could not afford the phone calls from detention to prove his case. Only after he managed to make his way from Mexico to a US embassy in Guatemala was his story checked out and he was repatriated to the United States.

Those in detention may be the primary breadwinners and caregivers to young children including children who are US citizens. Some 4 million children live in mixed immigration status families, where at least one parent is undocumented. Arguably, millions more live in families where one parent is a legal permanent resident who, because of the IIRRA, are at much greater risk of mandatory detention and deportation for minor non-violent offenses.

This increase in detention will negatively impact the local economy. Immigration detention removes workers and consumers from our local economies, reducing both economic output and consumer spending. Some of the residents of Essex County who will be incarcerated at the new detention center will be from mixed immigration status families, in which at least one parent is undocumented or is a legal permanent resident, and may include a spouse or children who are US citizens. Many will be the primary breadwinners or caregivers for their families. Their detention will only further burden our already stretched social services.

The Essex County Freeholders may be signing up to get big checks from the federal government, but how much will it cost the county and the state in the long run? These numbers that we talk about represent people, not commodities. Hundreds of thousands of lives continue to be ruined, and families continue to be separated. Does this short term financial gain really outweigh the lasting human cost of separated families and the removal of workers, business owners and active participants in our communities?

IRATE & First Friends Voices Opposition to Plans to Double Immigration Detention in NJ

2010-12-21T22:09:00.000-05:00

Proposed Site in Essex County Would Expand an Inhumane System Plagued by a Lack of Oversight that Breaks Apart Families and is Wasteful of Tax Dollars

Elizabeth, NJ - IRATE & First Friends would like to make public its opposition to Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) proposed 2,250 bed facilities in Essex County. Our opposition stems from the fact that this would constitute a significant expansion to the immigration detention system, more than doubling the current number of immigration detention beds currently in NJ. It is our position, as an organization, that such detention is morally wrong, legally suspect and wasteful of taxpayer funds.

For over a decade, IRATE & First Friends has advocated for an end to the mass detention of immigrants, the use of alternatives to detention and the improvement of conditions for those currently in immigration detention. Since 1997, First Friends has managed a visitor’s service at the Elizabeth Detention Center and has recently begun visitor services for immigrant detainees at both the Hudson and Bergen County jails.

What we have observed is that visits from family, lawyers, clergy, and other humanitarian groups are often restricted or are outright barred. Many of the rights that apply in criminal cases such as the right to counsel, appeals, phone calls, health care, etc. are not extended to people suspected of immigration violations and the entire system is plagued by a lack of oversight. Since 2003 over 100 people have died in immigration detention, some due to obvious medical neglect and US citizens continue to be mistakenly detained and deported.

Though it may be considered a money maker for the county, the new detention center will be paid for by our federal tax dollars. This year the immigration detention system will cost the US taxpayer $1.7 billon. The proposed Essex County complex alone will cost the US taxpayer in the neighborhood of a quarter of a million dollars per day and in excess of $85 million per year. Essex County will not see all of this money either as a private, for-profit company, namely Community Education Centers, or CEC, is said to be involved in the planned expansion.

It is unavoidable that these federal tax dollars will be used to incarcerate long time county residents with significant ties to the community and split apart local Essex county families. Just over 23% of Essex County’s population is foreign born, according to the most recent data from the US Census Bureau. Of this population, 71% have been in this country since before 2000 and 54% are not yet US Citizens.

One must also take into account the negative impacts to the local economy. Immigration detention removes workers and consumers from our local economies, reducing both economic output and consumer spending. Some of the residents of Essex County who will be incarcerated at the new detention center will be from mixed immigration status families in which at least one parent is undocumented or is a legal permanent resident and may include a spouse or children who are US citizens. Many will be the primary breadwinners or caregivers for their families. Their detention will only further burden our already stretched social services.

If the building of a new immigration detention center proceeds in Essex County, the county executive and the freeholders must ensure that the complex avoids the human rights abuses found at other detention centers and that the conditions are humane. As a long time service provider to the immigrant detainee population in NJ, IRATE & First Friends expects to be among those organizations which will assist with such an effort. We will also be vigilant in monitoring general conditions and the treatment of all immigrant detainees in any such facility.

In order for the conditions in the new center to be considered humane at a minimum we would expect the following:

· Visiting hours that include evenings and weekends

· Contact visits for family members

· The establishment of a visitor’s service for detainees with no local family

· No restrictions on visits, phone calls, and other contact with lawyers and clergy

· Adequate mental and physical health care

· Healthy food that complies with dietary restrictions and religious observances

· Unrestricted access to communal religious services

IRATE & First Friends looks forward to a time when immigrants are no longer detained, but in the interim we will work with ICE and the local county administrations and advocate for the rights of those who are being held for suspected immigration violations.

About IRATE & First Friends
IRATE & First Friends is a non-profit organization that upholds the inherent humanity and dignity of all immigrants. We provide visitors and non-legal assistance for immigrants held in detention and work for improved conditions. We advocate for the end of arbitrary, mass detention believing such detention is morally wrong, legally suspect and wasteful of taxpayer funds. www.irate-firstfirends.org

Immigration Policy - Keeping Families in Poverty

2010-12-02T09:45:00.004-05:00

[I]t is important that communities do not think that they have completed their duty to migrants simply by performing acts of fraternal assistance or even by supporting legislation aimed at giving them their due place in society while respecting their identity as foreigners. Christians must in fact promote an authentic culture of welcome capable of accepting the truly human values of the immigrants over and above any difficulties caused by living together with persons who are different… Christians will accomplish all this by means of a truly fraternal welcome in the sense of St Paul’s admonition, “Welcome one another then, as Christ welcomed you, for the glory of God” (Rm 15:7) - PONTIFICAL COUNCILFOR THE PASTORAL CARE OF MIGRANTS AND ITINERANT PEOPLE Erga migrantes caritas Christi (The love of Christ towards migrants)

The far reaching damage to communities and families created by public policies that have been shaped by an enforcement first attitude, such as the Rockefeller Drug Laws, has been well documented. Currently, the arguments of homeland security and the rule of law which seek to criminalize the human right of migration are prevailing in the immigration “debate” and are providing the veil of legitimacy for oppressive laws and immigration policies resulting in the deepening and perpetuating of poverty.

Some of these laws deal specifically with immigration, but limits on benefits, entitlements and even human rights are being attached to all kinds of laws and policies which reach far beyond the border and persecute immigrants, both undocumented and legal permanent residents. They exist at the federal state and local level in part due to the vacuum created by the inaction of legislators in Washington, but also are a reflection of a punitive attitude toward immigration policy.

What everyone needs to understand about immigration enforcement is that it is extremely costly and it separates families. In 1996, when the Illegal Immigration Reform and Responsibility Act (IIRRA) was passed, detention became mandatory for those suspected of immigration violations (a civil offense under federal law). This quickly expanded a system of administrative detention comprised of about 3,000 beds to over 30,000 and growing.

The US will spend nearly $2 billion on detention alone this year and billions more on raids and border enforcement. Just like the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the war on immigrants is stealing money that could be used on much needed social programs. The Obama Administration while promising to fight for comprehensive immigration reform has also promised heightened enforcement. By the end of this year nearly 400,000 people will have passed through the immigration detention system and almost as many will have been deported. These are statistics that Janet Napolitano regularly touts as a significant accomplishment.

Those in detention include not only the undocumented, but also legal permanent residents all of whom may be the primary breadwinners and caregivers to young children including children who are US citizens. Some 4 million children live in mixed immigration status families, where at least one parent is undocumented. Arguably, millions more live in families where one parent is a legal permanent resident who, because of the IIRRA, are at much greater risk of mandatory detention and deportation for minor non-violent offenses. Also because of the IIRA those who are deported are likely to be barred from re-entering the US for a minimum of ten years if not for life.

The families of US citizen children who have at least one parent who has been deported must make a series of heart wrenching decisions. Do they live separated? Do they leave their children in the care of another, possibly in foster-care? Do the children return to the home country of their parents effectively living in exile? No matter how they chose to answer, the emotional and economic burden which will be placed on these families is tremendous. The stress on the social fabric and the burden to social institutions created by children living in single-parent families is also great and has also been well documented.

In addition, immigrant families living in the US, intact or otherwise, suffer the consequences of policies designed to produce deportation by attrition. By limiting access to the social safety net and the basic needs of food, shelter, education, etc. it is hoped that immigrants will just give up and go home.

People who are undocumented are barred from receiving food stamps, WIC assistance, public housing, HUD money or other government subsidies. Private agencies that accept public money to provide housing to the poor are also barred from providing shelter to anyone without papers. In addition, local legislation has been enacted in recent years making it a crime to rent to undocumented immigrants in the municipalities of Riverside, NJ; Hazelton, PA and Fremont, NE. Beginning July 29, 2010, it became a crime in Arizona to provide shelter to anyone who there is reason to believe may be undocumented.

In terms of healthcare, undocumented immigrants are barred from receiving Medicaid. They are also barred from purchasing healthcare from the soon to be created insurance exchange as a result of the recently passed healthcare reform bill. On the state level, in NJ, Massachusetts, and several other states facing difficult budget decisions, legal residents who are immigrants have been dropped from state programs that provide healthcare to families in poverty.

Education which has offered a way out of poverty for many past generations of immigrants is more difficult for the children of immigrants to access. Despite a Supreme Court decision requiring all public schools to admit students regardless of immigration status, immigrant children are regularly discriminated against in the admissions process to public schools. A survey by the ACLU of NJ in 2006 showed that as many as 20% of local school districts in NJ where either requiring proof of legal immigration status or requiring information that would reveal a student's immigration status during the enrollment process. A follow up survey in 2008 revealed that many of the districts previously found to be in violation had not changed their policies or procedures despite written notice.

When it comes to college, undocumented students do not have access to federal grants and loans and, in all but nine states, undocumented students are forced to pay out of state tuition. South Carolina and Oklahoma were recently joined by Georgia in banning undocumented students from state colleges and universities all together.

This past January in NJ, an attempt to extend in-state tuition to all students who could prove physical residency failed to pass both houses of the legislature. This leaves in place a system by which individual institutions set their own policies regarding tuition and admission of undocumented students. The County College of Morris currently completely bars the admission of students who are without papers. A bill that is currently pending in NJ would bar all undocumented students from public colleges and universities. It is one of about a half dozen anti-immigrant bills that have been introduced in NJ following a nationwide trend.

The sad fact is that the arguments that generate these laws and policies have become so pervasive and accepted that even if the most liberal comprehensive immigration reform bill is enacted into law it will not address many of the issues created by an enforcement first policy. This means our strategy for immigration reform must have a local component that engages legislators and community leaders at all levels.

As people of faith who believe in the Gospel’s call to radical hospitality we must look beyond Washington DC in our advocacy for immigrants. It is not enough that we oppose the totality of the injustice created by our federal immigration policy, we are also called to mitigate the suffering of individuals and families while we work and pray for systemic change.

From Punitive to Restorative Justice: Finding a Way Forward

2010-03-25T09:47:00.002-04:00

“I was in prison and you visited me.” Matthew 25: 36. The Gospel calls us to show compassion and forgiveness for even what society would call the worst among us. These are God’s children too and the opportunity for conversion and redemption always exists.

Please join Pax Christi Union County & St. Helens Prison Ministry on Wednesday, April 7 at Mt. St. Mary's High School in Watchung, for a program and discussion on moving toward a system which favors restorative justice over the current punishment only system.

Our Guest Speaker will be Jean Ross, a retired public defender and co-chair of the prison committee at the Newark-based People's Organization for Progress.

Please join us as we look at the problems of racism, violence and oppression, which we encounter in the streets of our cities, as they extend to the institutions which now imprison over 2 million people, mostly people of color. The problems of isolation, violence, lack of health care, lack of rehabilitation, profiteering from the poor and pervasive injustice affect the safety, health and well being of the people who live and work in the prisons, but also our families and our communities.

Efforts towards fundamental prison change are necessary if we want to heal our communities. We must adopt a feasible strategy, and priorities for addressing these problems and to create effective coalitions with other groups.

For more information or to RSVP contact Milly Kostyack (732)-943-2482

To all things broken,
I am a brother.

To the fallen, crumpled autumn leaf,
I am a brother.

To the splintered mirror,
I am a brother.

To the shattered heart,
I am a brother.

To countries bound and oppressed,
I am a brother.

To all human history,
I am your imprisoned brother.

And I am your God.

Why We Do What We Do...

2010-03-11T08:59:00.002-05:00

I received this from Rev. Petero Sabune, the Protestant pastor at Sing-Sing Prison and the leader of Pax Christi NJ’s most recent retreat, regarding an upcoming action we are planning for the people who are being detained for immigration violations in the Hudson County Jail. But it was so meaningful and beautiful that I wanted to share it with you. This is for all of you who have stood alone or in small groups to address injustice and to pray for change.

Yesterday was the anniversary of John Newton, March 10, 1748. His ship capsized in the gulf of Guinea, but his human cargo did not kill him. They saved his life. He later became an Anglican priest and mentor to William Wilberforce. John heard the voice of God in the mourns and groans of the Africans below in the ship, composed Amazing Grace and became an abolitionist. Wilberforce became a member of parliament, a free holder, and submitted legislation to abolish slavery, every week for 25 years. Two weeks before he died slavery was abolished in the British Empire in 1833. They used to meet for tea and Bible Study on Thursdays, at Hannah Moore's house at Clapham.

A prayer Vigil or a March is political, legal, social but it is also spiritual. When we stand or walk together those who see us know and those detained, see and hear us. Even those who guard know we are there in solidarity with those in detention. Even there is one or two people we need to remember and remind each other why we do what we do. We need to pray, not just for them but for each other. Like the abolitionists who came before we, the struggle continues.

Schedule for Pax Christi NJ Assembly

2010-03-03T21:13:00.002-05:00

Pax Christi NJ's annual assembly is shaping up nicely. So far over 50 people have RSVP'd and the final details are all coming together.

Schedule

1:00 PM Welcome - Fr. Tom Sheridan
Prayer & Reflection – Fr. Jack Martin – co-founder Haiti Solidarity Network of the Northeast
Haitian Choir of St. Patrick’s Church, Jersey City, NJ

1:30 “When I think of Haiti…” small group sharing and activity – Georgette Delinois – President Haiti Solidarity Network of the Northeast

1:45 Colleen Kelly - "Haiti Relief Work: Where Does Peace Fit In?"

2:30 Break

2:45 Screening of “Road to Fondwa” with discussion afterward

3:45 Presentation of Dorothy Day Peacemaker of the Year Award to Anna J. Brown

4:00 Keynote presentation - Marie Dennis - director of the office of global concerns for Maryknoll, co-president Pax Christi International, Teacher of Peace Pax Christi USA

4:45 Closing Prayer

To RSVP or for more info contact Kathy O’Leary 908-273-0751 kolearypcnj@gmail.com

Free will donations accepted at the door

Campus map and directions

Parking available in the faculty lot

Haiti Speaks of Justice - Pax Christi NJ Assembly

2010-02-24T08:40:00.003-05:00

"Until [Haiti] spoke no Christian nation had given to the world an organized effort to abolish slavery. Until she spoke, the slave trade was sanctioned by all the Christian nations of the world, and our land of liberty and light included." From Lecture on Haiti
The Haitian Pavilion Dedication Ceremonies
Delivered at the World's Fair, in Jackson Park, Chicago.
By the Hon. Frederick Douglass, Ex-Minister to Haiti.

“[I]n many lands, the Haitian Revolution became synonymous with freedom of the oppressed. Indeed many of those struggles were successful in their execution, as many new nations emerged, following the examples of Haiti and one should add, the United States. That the United States was a white nation that prospered and that Haiti was a black nation on the road to total impoverishment is also a fact that has not been lost on the world.” Guy S. Antoine

Every year Pax Christi NJ holds an assembly. This year it will be at St. Peter’s College in Jersey City on March 6th. Pax Christi NJ and its members have many ties to Haiti so in light of the earthquake and current conditions Haiti will be the main topic of discussion.

We want attendees to come away with a sense of:

*Why the rebuilding of Haiti needs to be supported by the international community
*How Haiti was helped into and kept in poverty by the international community
*Why solutions and programs that empower Haitians are the best way forward

Keynote Speaker - Marie Dennis, director of Maryknoll’s office of global concerns and co-president of Pax Christi International will be our keynote speaker.

An expert on Economics,War and Peace/Just War, Ms. Dennis is director of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, and serves as co-president of Pax Christi International and a Pax Christi USA Ambassador of Peace. She holds an M.A. in Moral Theology from Washington Theological Union and is co-author or author of six books on the spirituality of social justice, peace and the integrity of creation.

Ms. Dennis has traveled widely among the marginal communities where Maryknoll missioners work in Latin America. She has participated in election observer delegations to Mexico and Haiti and on solidarity delegations to many other countries. She serves on the board of directors of the Washington Office on Latin America, the Latin America Working Group, and the International Resource Center. She has lectured at universities, conferences, workshops, parishes and high schools over the past 30 years on topics such as Catholic Social Teaching, globalization, peacemaking, and economic justice. Ms. Dennis is a contributor to numerous publications.

Featured Speaker - Colleen Kelly - New York Coordinator, September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows Colleen Kelly is one of the founding members of and currently the New York Coordinator of the September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows. In the memory of her brother who was lost in the tragedies of September 11th, Ms. Kelly transformed herself from an “average citizen” to a peace builder. Ms. Kelly found strength from her faith and her years as a nurse and co-founder of a free clinic in East Harlem and chose for herself a path of building peace in hopes that no one would have to live through another September 11th. She has just returned from a mission trip to Haiti.

We will also be honoring Anna J. Brown, professor at St. Peter's College and chair of the Social Justice Department with the Dorothy Day Peacemaker of the Year Award.

To RSVP or for more info contact Kathy O’Leary 908-273-0751 kolearypcnj@gmail.com

Free will donations accepted at the door

The NJ Legislature's 1st Order of Business - Eliminate Affordable Housing

2010-02-02T08:20:00.006-05:00

"We recognize that changes are needed to the COAH process, but what's really broken in this state isn't housing, but the fact that we aren't planning for our future, to link homes, jobs, transportation, and environmental protection in a way that gets us sound, sustainable growth," Staci Berger – Housing & Community Development Network in a statement to the press about a bill in the NJ Legislature that would eliminate the Council on Affordable Housing.

During the toughest economic times to hit our state, the first order of business for the NJ Legislature is not increasing funding to our overstretched food banks, or providing job training programs it is the complete elimination of the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH). The bill S-1 would turn authority over how much affordable housing should be built to the individual municipalities. Just over two years ago these same municipalities we ordered by way of a new law from the NJ legislature to stop paying poorer communities to build their share of housing for them in an attempt to end decades of economic segregation.

Martin Luther King & The Revolution of Values

2010-01-18T09:04:00.003-05:00

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr Day. Here in Summit many will be engaging in a day of service. For those of us who know only of Martin Luther King Jr's legacy with regard to civil rights for African-Americans this may seem incongruous.

A society that could oppress millions of African-Americans was a society that was clearly unjust. These injustices were not limited to the oppression of whites against blacks. Martin Luther King preached that it is these overarching injustices of unbridled capitalism, militarism and racism that lead to all the imbalances of wealth and power which create policies (domestic and foreign) and laws that serve to oppress and enslave one group or another.

Below is an excerpt from one of his sermons entitled "Beyond Vietnam" which talks about the "revolution of values" that is needed to to transform society:

A true revolution of values will soon cause us to question the fairness and justice of many of our past and present policies. On the one hand we are called to play the good Samaritan on life's roadside; but that will be only an initial act. One day we must come to see that the whole Jericho road must be transformed so that men and women will not be constantly beaten and robbed as they make their journey on life's highway. True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it is not haphazard and superficial. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring. A true revolution of values will soon look uneasily on the glaring contrast of poverty and wealth. With righteous indignation, it will look across the seas and see individual capitalists of the West investing huge sums of money in Asia, Africa and South America, only to take the profits out with no concern for the social betterment of the countries, and say: "This is not just." It will look at our alliance with the landed gentry of Latin America and say: "This is not just." The Western arrogance of feeling that it has everything to teach others and nothing to learn from them is not just. A true revolution of values will lay hands on the world order and say of war: "This way of settling differences is not just." From "Beyond Vietnam," April 4, 1967, Riverside Church, New York City.

A Prayer in Honor of Marting Luther King Jr Day

2010-01-17T22:21:00.003-05:00

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day:

Lord Jesus Christ

who reached across the ethnic boundaries

of Samaritan, Roman and Jew,

who offered fresh sight to the blind and freedom to captives,

help us to break down the barriers in our community,

enable us to see the reality of racism and bigotry,

and free us to challenge and uproot it

from ourselves, our society and our world.

Amen.

– John Bucki, S.J. (from Living God’s Justice: Prayers and Reflections)

Responding to the Suffering of Haiti

2010-01-17T19:42:00.002-05:00

"We Suffer and Rejoice with Our Brothers and Sisters."

That was the theme of Pax Christi NJ's state assembly two years ago.

In April of 2008 Pax Christi NJ gathered to recognize Fr. Gene Squeo for his life's work of breaking down barriers and promoting international solidarity and interfaith dialogue. We focused on his work with the local Haitian community and his advocacy on behalf of the Haitian people. That day we rejoiced with Fr. Squeo and many other members of the Haiti Solidarity Network of the Northeast. Today we are called together at a time of great suffering for our brothers and sisters in Haiti.

The scope the disaster is truly enormous, and a tremendous influx of immediate aid is needed to avert an even greater loss of life. Fr. Squeo has recommended Partners in Health as one of the charities that is in a position to provide much needed medical care. Partners In Health has been working in Haiti for nearly 25 years. Its local team is already working to ensure PIH’s coordinated relief efforts, leveraging the skills of more than 120 doctors and nearly 500 nurses and nursing assistants who work at established sites throughout Haiti.

Please help make sure that this skilled team has the resources it needs to address the crisis at hand. Click here to donate now.

Pax Christi NJ itself has many long standing ties to the Haitian community in NJ and to Haiti itself. Our members, including Fr. Jack Martin, Fr. Gene Squeo, Tonie Malone and many others, over the years have: founded and supported the Haiti Solidarity Network of the Northeast, visited Haiti on medical mission trips, helped establish micro-finance programs through Fonkoze, established the “Rule of Law Project”, supported re-forestation projects, and established and fostered parish twinning programs.

I trust that you will continue this support our brothers and sisters in Haiti now that their need is so great.

Our Hearts Are with Haiti- How We Can Help

2010-01-15T10:48:00.003-05:00

Like I am sure many of you are I have been following the reports out of Haiti and considering how best to respond. Our hearts and our thoughts are with our suffering Haitian brothers and sisters.

Pax Christi NJ has many long standing ties to the Haitian community in NJ and to Haiti itself. Our members, including Fr. Jack Martin, Fr. Gene Squeo and Tonie Malone, over the years have:

Founded and supported the Haiti Solidarity Network of the Northeast
*Visited Haiti on medical mission trips
*Helped establish micro-finance programs through Fonkoze
*Established the “Rule of Law Project”
*Supported re-forestation projects
*Established and fostered parish twinning programs

I trust that you will continue to support the work of our members and help provide some comfort our brothers and sisters in Haiti now that their need is so great.

Here are some ways that you can help.

1) Donate money –particularly to those organizations that have a current, significant and long-standing presence in Haiti. Some of those organizations include:
Catholic Relief Services
Partners in Health,
Jesuit Refugees Services,
Fonkoze

2) Advocate for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians currently in the US. DHS has temporarily halted deportations, but TPS would allow Haitians in the US to temporarily legalize their status. This would allow them to apply for drivers licenses, work permits and would help release those being held in detention on immigration violations.

3) Pray – prayer is one of the most powerful tools we have. Pray often that the suffering people of Haiti will be comforted and encourage others to do the same.

Keep NJ Off Hate Group's List

2010-01-11T10:08:00.001-05:00

ALIPAC, which has been classified as a hate group by the Anti-Defamation League is already calling the delay of the vote on S1036 a significant victory. According to an email sent to all of its membership they intend to add the defeat of this bill to their list of major accomplishments for 2010.

Being on ALIPAC’s list of accomplishments is a distinction our state does not deserve and should not have. Please don’t let our legislature side with ALIPAC and other hate groups that seek to dehumanize immigrants. Please call and ask them to vote in favor of S1036.

Every year approximately 2,000 students are not able to complete their education because of financial struggles. The S1036/A990 bill seeks to allow undocumented students to qualify for in-state tuition rates at public institutions of higher education. This bill would simply allow tuition parity for all New Jersey residents and has no negative fiscal impact. Currently, these students are required to pay out of state tuition rates which impede their ability to attend college and our ability as a state to benefit from their hard-work and talent.

The S1036/A990 bill is scheduled to be voted on by the Senate and the Assembly on Monday January 11th, 2010, and is believe to be a few votes short for approval. This is not a giveaway but an opportunity for young immigrants and long-time residents of New Jersey to reach their potential and eventually contribute to state coffers. New Jersey should pass this bill and reap the benefits of a more educated, tax-paying immigrant population.

Take action now!

Please contact the following Senators and ask them to support the bill S1036/A990, which will benefit a crucial group of students that have graduated with good scores and attended at least three years of high school in New Jersey.

Senator THOMAS H. KEAN, JR.
Senate Minority Office
(609)292-5199
senkean@njleg.org
Senator JOSEPH F. VITALE
(732)855-7441
(732)855-7558 Fax
Senvitale@njleg.org

Senator JEFF VAN DREW
(856)795-0891
(856)765-0897 fAX
senvandrew@njleg.org
Senator NICHOLAS P. SCUTARI
(908)587-0404
(908)587-9312 Fax
Senscutari@njleg.org

Senator FRED H. MADDEN, JR.
(856)232-6700
(856)232-6844 Fax
senmadden@njleg.org
Senator ANTHONY R. BUCCO
(973)627-9700
(973) 627-0131 Fax
senbucco@njleg.org

Senator JAMES BEACH
(856)489-3442
(856)489-4180 Fax
Senbeach@njleg.org
Senator KEVIN J. O'TOOLE
(973) 237-1360
(973) 237-1364 Fax
senotoole@njleg.org

In-State Tuition Vote Postponed Until Monday

2010-01-08T12:58:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, the sponsor of the In-State Tuition bill a1036 withdrew it from full Senate consideration until Monday in the hope that we can change the minds of two or three Democratic senators who currently oppose its passage.

Monday is our last chance!

Please everyone call the senators who are currently on the fence and urge them to vote yes. Please call each senator on this list*:

Senator Jeff Van Drew (District 1) - 609-465-0700

Senator Fred Madden (District 4) - 856-232-6700

Senator James Beach (District 6) - 856-489-3442

Senator Shirley Turner (District 15) - 609-530-3277

Senator Joseph Vitale (District 19) - 732-855-7441

Senator Nicholas Scutari (District 22) - 908-587-0404

*If you are a constituent of one of these particular senators - let him/her know.

*If you are not and you are asked say "Extending in-state tuition rates to unauthorized immigrants is beneficial to all New Jerseyans."

The Other Fight for Equality

2010-01-08T09:51:00.001-05:00

Currently there is a largely progressive coalition that is fighting for equality for students. They are fighting for parity in tuition for students who are the least likely to be able to afford in-state tuition let alone the out-of state rate.

After nearly eight years the in-state tuition bill which would allow NJ students whose immigration status is undocumented to pay in-state tuition rates is finally on the floor of the state senate for a vote.

(It was scheduled for a vote yesterday, but delayed late in the day until Monday because we are just two votes short.)

Like many other bills in this lame duck session list is likely the last chance for this bill for at least the next four years since Chris Christie is opposed to it.

These are children who were brought here by their parents most have lived the majority of their lives in NJ. By virtue of living in NJ they have paid into the state system through sales tax and property taxes (even if it was paid through rent to a landlord), yet we continue to force them to pay out-of-state tuition rates at many colleges and universities.

I met some of them in Trenton on Monday. They are bright hard working and determined. Education is a way out and a way up for these kids. They have flourished despite great hardship. They desperately want an opportunity to continue their education, but their families are struggling just to provide the basic necessities for their children.

Out-of-state tuition which is usually double in-state rates is just a bridge too far for many of them. Others are forced to work two and three jobs and take only one or two classes a semester. They all keep working because they all have hope, some that their pending immigration petitions will be granted and other that some day, some how the current system will change.

NJ is the third most diverse state in the country. Our ability to accept each others differences and build on each others strength is part of what makes NJ so great.

Immigrant rights are human rights and one of those rights is a right to an education. Please support in-state tuition and treat these kids like we would any other child who calls NJ home.

Calls Needed to Pass the In-state Tuition Act

2010-01-05T15:58:00.001-05:00

The In-State Tuition Act has been list for a vote in the NJ State Senate this coming Thursday January 7th.

The In State Tuition Act (ISTA) that would allow undocumented immigrant youth to pay in-state tuition rate for college was approved in the Appropriation Committee of both the state Assembly and Senate yesterday after eight long years of no movement.

The hearing rooms were packed with supporters. It was standing room only with overflow in the hallway. There was no organized opposition there to testify against the bills. The NJ Regional Coalition, NJ Immigration Policy Network and the NJ Catholic Conference did a great job coordinating testimony from affected students, religious, civic and community leaders.

Your Calls are Needed Now for Final Passage of this Bill

Please call your State Senator between now and Thursday morning and ask them to support S 1036. Below the talking points you will see a list of all the Senators. There will be a full Senate vote on Thursday Jan. 7th. You can say:

- In-State Tuition is critical for immigrant youth to access higher education.

- The report recently released by the State Legislative Affairs says providing resident tuition for undocumented high school graduates will not cost State of NJ any money.

- In-State Tuition is not a public benefit, it’s a way for immigrant youth who have been in NJ for most of their lives to pay more affordable college tuition. They will have to have attended three-year high school in NJ.

- Educating our children and young people will be beneficial for the State of NJ and everyone.

Senator Diane B. Allen Republican
District Office: 11 West Broad St., Burlington, NJ 08016 (609) 239-2800

Senator Bill Baroni Republican
District Office: 3691A Nottingham Way, Hamilton Square, NJ 08690 (609) 631-9988

Senator Christopher Bateman Republican
District Office: 36 East Main St., Somerville, NJ 08876 (908) 526-3600

Senator James Beach Democrat
District Office: 1916 Route 70 East, Suite 3, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003 (856) 489-3442

Senator Jennifer Beck Republican
District Office: 32 Monmouth St., 3rd Floor, Red Bank, NJ 07701 (732) 933-1591

Senator Anthony R. Bucco Republican
District Office: 75 Bloomfield Ave., Suite 302, 3rd Floor, Denville, NJ 07834 (973) 627-9700

Senator Barbara Buono Democrat
District Office: Two Lincoln Highway, Suite 401, Edison, NJ 08820 (732) 205-1372

Senator Gerald Cardinale Republican
District Office: 350 Madison Ave., Cresskill, NJ 07626 (201) 567-2324

Senator Andrew R. Ciesla Republican
District Office: 852 Highway 70, Brick, NJ 08724 (732) 840-9028

Senator Richard J. Codey Democrat
District Office: 449 Mount Pleasant Ave., West Orange, NJ 07052 (973) 731-6770

Senator Christopher J. Connors Republican
District Office: 620 West Lacey Rd., Forked River, NJ 08731 (609) 693-6700

Senator Sandra B. Cunningham Democrat
District Office: 1738 Kennedy Blvd., Jersey City, NJ 07305 (201) 451-5100

Senator Michael J. Doherty Republican
District Office: 127 Belvidere Ave., 2nd Floor, Washington, NJ 07882 (908) 835-0552

Senator Nia H. Gill, Esq. Democrat
District Office: 425 Bloomfield Avenue, 2nd Floor, Montclair, NJ 07042 (973) 509-0388

Senator John A. Girgenti Democrat
District Office: 507 Lafayette Avenue, Hawthorne, NJ 07506 (973) 427-1229

Senator Robert M. Gordon Democrat
District Office: 14-25 Plaza Rd., P.O. Box 398, Fair Lawn, NJ 07410 (201) 703-9779

Senator Philip E. Haines Republican
District Office: 32A North Main St., Medford, NJ 08055 (609) 654-1498

Senator Sean T. Kean Republican
District Office: 1955 Highway 34, Bldg. 2A, Wall Township, NJ 07719 (732) 974-0400

Senator Thomas H. Kean, Jr. Republican
District Office: 425 North Ave. East, Suite C, Westfield, NJ 07090 (908) 232-3673
District Office: 57 Union Place, Suite 310, Summit, NJ 07901 (908) 918-0414
District Office: 251 North Ave. West, 2nd Floor, Westfield, NJ 07090 (908) 232-2073

Senator Joseph M. Kyrillos, Jr. Republican
District Office: 1715 Highway 35, Suite 303, Middletown, NJ 07748 (732) 671-3206

Senator Raymond J. Lesniak Democrat
District Office: 985 Stuyvesant Ave., Union, NJ 07083 (908) 624-0880

Senator Fred H. Madden, Jr. Democrat
District Office: 129 Johnson Rd., Suite 1, Turnersville, NJ 08012 (856) 232-6700
District Office: 1405 Chews Landing Rd., Suite 15, Laurel Springs, NJ 08021 (856) 401-3073

Senator Kevin J. O'Toole Republican Votes by Bill Votes by Subject
District Office: 155 Route 46 West, Suite 108, Wayne, NJ 07470 (973) 237-1360

Senator Steven V. Oroho Republican Votes by Bill Votes by Subject
District Office: 115 Demarest Rd., Suite 2B, Sparta, NJ 07871 (973) 300-0200
District Office: 227 Route 206, Bldg. 1, 1st Floor, Flanders, NJ 07836 (973) 584-4670

Senator Joseph Pennacchio Republican
District Office: 330 Changebridge Road, Suite 102, Pine Brook, NJ 07058 (973) 227-4012

Senator Dana L. Redd Democrat
District Office: 1 Market St., Suite 1F, Camden, NJ 08102 (856) 225-9068

Senator Ronald L. Rice Democrat
District Office: 1044 South Orange Ave., Newark, NJ 07106 (973) 371-5665

Senator M. Teresa Ruiz Democrat
District Office: 166 Bloomfield Ave., Newark, NJ 07104 (973) 484-1000

Senator Nicholas J. Sacco Democrat
District Office: 9060 Palisade Ave., North Bergen, NJ 07047 (201) 295-0200

Senator Paul A. Sarlo Democrat
District Office: 207 Hackensack St., 2nd Floor, Wood-Ridge, NJ 07075 (201) 804-8118

Senator Nicholas P. Scutari Democrat
District Office: 1514 E. Saint Georges Ave., 2nd Floor, Linden, NJ 07036 (908) 587-0404

Senator Robert W. Singer Republican
District Office: 2110 W. County Line Rd., Jackson, NJ 08527 (732) 901-0702

Senator Bob Smith Democrat
District Office: 216 Stelton Rd., Suite E-5, Piscataway, NJ 08854 (732) 752-0770

Senator Brian P. Stack Democrat
District Office: 5801 Palisade Ave., West New York, NJ 07093 (201) 861-5091
District Office: 301 45th St., 1st Floor, Union City, NJ 07087 (201) 558-7926

Senator Stephen M. Sweeney Democrat
District Office: 935 Kings Highway, Suite 400, West Deptford, NJ 08086 (856) 251-9801
District Office: 14 East Commerce St., 3rd Floor, Bridgeton, NJ 08302 (856) 455-1011
District Office: 199 East Broadway, Suite G, Salem, NJ 08079 (856) 339-0808

Senator Shirley K. Turner Democrat
District Office: 1440 Pennington Rd., Trenton, NJ 08618 (609) 530-3277

Senator Jeff Van Drew Democrat
District Office: 21 North Main St., Cape May Court House, NJ 08210 (609) 465-0700
District Office: 1124 North High St., Millville, NJ 08332 (856) 765-0891
District Office: 1028 East Landis Ave., Vineland, NJ 08360 (856) 696-7109
District Office: Additional Phone, Somers Point, NJ (609) 926-3779

Senator Joseph F. Vitale Democrat
District Office: 569 Rahway Ave., Woodbridge, NJ 07095 (732) 855-7441

Senator Loretta Weinberg Democrat
District Office: 545 Cedar Lane, Teaneck, NJ 07666 (201) 928-0100

Senator Jim Whelan Democrat
District Office: 511 Tilton Rd., Northfield, NJ 08225 (609) 383-1388

NJ In-State Tuition Bill Advances

2010-01-05T08:48:00.002-05:00

The in-state tuition bill was released yesterday from both the Senate Budget Committee and the Assembly Appropriations Committee after eight long years of no movement.

The hearing rooms were packed with supporters. It was standing room only with overflow in the hallway. There was no organized opposition there to testify against the bills. The NJ Regional Coalition, NJ Immigration Policy Network and the NJ Catholic Conference did a great job coordinating testimony from affected students, religious, civic and community leaders.

What a day!

Events in Observance of National Migration Week

2010-01-03T18:46:00.000-05:00

US Conference of Catholic Bishops National Migration Week
January 3-9, 2010

Events at St. Teresa of Avila in Summit
Memorial Hall (across the street from the church & school)
306 Morris Ave. Summit, NJ

Prayer Service & Program January 7th
Please join the St. Teresa's Social Concerns and Justice Committee on Thursday January 7th at 7:00 pm in Memorial Hall for a prayer service and program in observance of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops' National Migration Week. The theme of the program will be "Welcoming Christ the Foreigner". Participants will be asked to reflect on the life of Jesus as a "man on the move".

Marian Devotion January 9th
We will also gather at 9:00 am on Saturday January 9th in Memorial Hall to offer a devotion to Our Blessed Mother Mary that she might provide peace, protection and comfort to refugees and immigrants in our community and everywhere.

About National Migration Week

National Migration Week is an observance that was initiated over 25 years ago by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.

It is a time for us to reflect on the work of the Church on behalf of immigrants, refugees, trafficked persons and other people on the move. It is also a time for us to reflect on the life of Jesus and the Holy Family who were forced to leave their home to travel to Bethlehem and then to flee into Egypt to escape Herod. Popular devotion considers Jesus as a man on the move and Mary as Madonna of the Way.

We welcome you, Jesus.

Dear Jesus, you came into this world as a migrant.

We welcome you Jesus
There was no room for your family at the inn

We welcome you Jesus
Along with the angels in heaven

We welcome you Jesus
Along with the shepherds who wandered the hills

We welcome you Jesus
Along with the Magi who traveled from the East

We welcome you Jesus

Your family became refugees fleeing Herod

We welcome you Jesus
In Egypt you were an alien

We welcome you Jesus
In your public life you did not have a place to rest

We welcome you Jesus

Dear Jesus, we see you today, and

We welcome you Jesus
In refugees fleeing war and violence

We welcome you Jesus
In immigrants seeking a better life

We welcome you Jesus
In migrant workers who enrich our land with their labor

We welcome you Jesus
In seafarers and other people on the move

We welcome you Jesus

Dear Jesus, you are the refuge of people on the move.
We ask you to grant immigrants, refugees, and other migrants peace, protection, and comfort.
Help us to recognize that whenever we welcome the stranger in your name, we welcome you.
Teach us to recognize your presence in every human being.
Bring us together as one family, at the banquet table of your love,
with you who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen

National Migration Week January 3-9

2010-01-03T08:53:00.001-05:00

National Migration Week, is an observance that was initiated over 25 years ago by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.

It is a time for us to reflect on the work of the Church on behalf of immigrants, refugees, trafficked persons and other people on the move. It is also a time for us to reflect on the life of Jesus and the Holy Family who were forced to leave their home to travel to Bethlehem and then to flee into Egypt to escape Herod. Popular devotion considers Jesus as a man on the move and Mary as Madonna of the Way.

The God Who Moves
by John Newbury, International Catholic Migration Commission

Holy God,
You are a God on the move.

You move in the world and in our lives.
You shape and direct Creation, and us.

Your people have always been on the move.
Moses led your people out of slavery in Egypt.
The Holy Family fled to Egypt with Jesus to escape the murderous King Herod.

Today, people continue to move.
War, poverty, oppression and injustice drive people from home and country.

We pray you will move with today's refugees, forced migrants, and internally displaced people. Comfort and save them.

We pray for the work of the International Catholic Migration Commission
We pray for all those who serve those forced to move in our world.

Holy, moving God, hear our prayer
For the sake of your own uprooted son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Feast of St. Basil the Great

2010-01-02T08:40:00.002-05:00

St. Basil the Great was born at Caesarea of Cappadocia in 330. He was one of ten children of St. Basil the Elder and St. Emmelia. He became bishop of Caesaria in 370. Basil was an accomplished statesman and a renowned theologian. He is also remembered as a defender of the poor and downtrodden. Basil fought simony, aided the victims of drought and famine. He denounced evil and excommunicated those involved in the widespread prostitution traffic in Cappadocia. Many of his sermons survive and he is regarded as one of the great orators of Christianity.

"Who is a man of greed? Someone who does not rest content with what is sufficient. Who is a cheater? Someone who takes away what belongs to others. And are you not a man of greed? are you not a cheater? taking those things which you received for the sake of stewardship, and making them your very own? Now, someone who takes a man who is clothed and renders him naked would be termed a robber; but when someone fails to clothe the naked, while he is able to do this, is such a man deserving of any other appellation? The bread which you hold back belongs to the hungry; the coat, which you guard in your locked storage-chests, belongs to the naked; the footwear moldering in your closet belongs to those without shoes. The silver that you keep hidden in a safe place belongs to the one in need. Thus, however many are those whom you could have provided for, so many are those whom you wrong."

Last Chance for the Next 4 Years for In-State Tuition

2009-12-30T09:35:00.000-05:00

Over the last few weeks the NJ Regional Coalition, a group made up of hundreds of religious leaders, along with NJ Immigration Policy Network and the NJ Catholic Conference decided to make a last push at the end of the Corzine administration for a bill that would allow undocumented students to pay in-state tuition rates and county colleges and state universities.

It was an extreme long shot, since the bill has languished in one committee after another for eight years. But as we know, with faith in God, and particularly during the season of Christmas, all things are possible.

As a result of their efforts the in-state tuition bill now has a chance at being passed after eight long years.

This bill is budget neutral (it will not affect anyone’s taxes) and it is an opportunity to respond with decency and correct an injustice aimed at students who are brought here as children.

If the bill does not pass by the end of this session Christie will not sign it and we may have to wait eight more years for another opportunity.

Please help move this bill along by calling, and emailing your state legislators.

Bill numbers: (Senate S1036/S1933 and Assembly A194/A990)

Our primary targets:

* Senator Barbara Buono: 732-205-1372- Chair Budget Committee
senbuono@njleg.org

* Senator Paul Sarlo: 201-804-8118- Vice-Chair sensarlo@njleg.org

* Senator Stephen Sweeney: 856-251-9801 sensweeney@njleg.org

* Senator Joseph Vitale: 732-855-7441 senvitale@njleg.org

* Senator Anthony Bucco: 973-627-9700
senbucco@njleg.org

* Senator Kevin O'Toole:973-237-1362 senotoole@njleg.org

* Senator Joseph Pennacchio: 973-984-0922 senpennacchio@njleg.org

Hello my name is ________ I am a member of Pax Christi NJ and I live in _________. I am contacting you to ask you to support the in-state tuition bill (S1036/S1933).

In the words of Pope Benedict “Every migrant is a human person who, as such, possesses fundamental, inalienable rights that must be respected by everyone and in every circumstance.”

Our Catholic faith instructs that one of those rights is the right to an education. Forcing students who were brought to this country as children and now call NJ home creates an impediment to higher education that is unnecessary and fundamentally unjust.

Please vote in favor of in-state tuition.

If you can, please join us in Trenton on January 4th-

Monday, January 4, 2010 9:00 AM-1:00 PM

Economic Growth, Academic Excellence, Vocational and Professional Empowerment:
"Elevate Through In-State"
Statehouse Annex in Trenton
Committee Room 3 - 1st floor
Statehouse Annex Building

If you are coming please contact Nadia at NSBandukda@njipn.org with the following information:

1. Your personal/organizational RSVP with contact information

2. Names and/or amount of people that you will be bringing

May you be enjoying the peace & blessings of Christmas.

Kathy O'Leary
Coordinator - Pax Christi NJ

Please call Congress TODAY for Humane Immigration Reform

2009-12-10T07:39:00.000-05:00

Today a group of over 70 individuals representing 25 groups from throughout the state led by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) Immigrants Rights Program will be marching for seven miles from the federal building in Newark, NJ to the immigration detention center in Elizabeth in A Walk Toward Humane Immigration Policy.

Please help amplify their actions for humane immigration reform by adding your voice.

It may be particularly important for you to call your representative tomorrow.

If you live in one of the following four districts, your representative is considered a swing vote and his support could be pivotal in crafting immigration reform legislation next year.

District 2 – LoBiondo; District 3 – Adler; District 4 – Smith; District 7 - Lance

The future for the approximately 12 million undocumented immigrants, and the 4 million children living in mixed immigration status families could depend on your representative. Please urge him to reject xenophobia and encourage him to craft legislation that is fair, just, and compassionate.

Please call and say:

"Hello, my name is _____________ and I am a member of [Pax Christi NJ] calling about humane immigration reform. I am deeply concerned about:

* the indiscriminate detention and deportation of immigrants

* the lack of due process in the immigration court system

Please legislate for:

* a path to legal permanent residence for undocumented immigrants which respects the dignity and rights of all workers and families and re-unites immigrant families that have been separated.

Thank you for listening to my concerns. I will hold you, and all workers and families, especially immigrants in my daily prayers."

Please email me kolearypcnj@gmail.com after you have made your phone call so that we can track how many calls were made.

NJ Call-in 12/10 To Support Humane Immigration Reform

2009-12-09T08:47:00.002-05:00

Thursday Dec 10th

International Human Rights Day

Statewide Call-in

To Support Humane Immigration Reform

On December 10th a group of individuals led by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) Immigrants Rights Program will be marching for seven miles from the federal building in Newark, NJ to the immigration detention center in Elizabeth in A Walk Toward Humane Immigration Policy.

Please help amplify their actions for humane immigration reform by adding your voice.

Call your congressman Thursday December 10 and ask him to support immigration policy which:

§ Respects the dignity and rights of all workers

§ Ends the indiscriminate detention and wholesale deportation of immigrants

§ Restores due process to the immigration court system

§ Creates a path to legal permanent residence for undocumented immigrants

§ Keeps families together and re-unites families that have been separated

Talking points:

§ Immigrant rights are human rights

§ All workers deserve to be treated with dignity and respect regardless of their immigration status

§ The existing immigration system has resulted in a growing number of persons in this country living in the shadows as they toil in jobs and are exploited by employers, landlords and others who prey on their vulnerability.

§ Our current immigration system contributes to the exploitation, and even deaths of migrants who otherwise contribute their work and talents to our nation

Please email kolearypcnj@gmail.com after you have called with the name of your congressman and any feedback.

Contact your friends to ask them to call too.

For more information on immigration reform

Friends Committee on National Legislation

Interfaith Immigration Coalition

The Catholic Campaign for Immigration Reform

Interfaith Worker Justice

Don’t know how to contact your congressman?

Go to www.congress.org and type in your zip-code

Congressional Districts for House of Representatives New Jersey

District 1

Andrews, Robert E. (D)

DC Phone: (202) 225-6501

District 2

LoBiondo, Frank A. (R)

DC Phone: (202) 225-6501

District 3

John Adler (D)

DC Phone: (202) 225-4765

District 4

Smith, Christopher H. (R)

DC Phone: (202) 225-3765

District 5

Garrett, Scott (R)

DC Phone: (202) 225-4465

District 6

Pallone, Frank (D)

DC Phone: (202) 225-4671

District 7

Lance Leonard (R)

DC Phone: (202) 225-5361

District 8

Pascrell, Bill

DC Phone: (202) 225-5751

District 9

Rothman, Steven R. (D)

DC Phone: (202) 225-5061

District 10

Payne, Donald M. (D)

DC Phone: (202) 225-3436

District 11

Frelinghuysen, Rodney P. (R)

DC Phone: (202) 225-5034

District 12

Holt, Rush D. (D)

DC Phone: (202) 225-5801

District 13

Albio Sires (D)

DC Phone: (202)225-7919

Our Children Deserve a World without War and a Society without Fear

2009-12-01T16:07:00.000-05:00

I woke up today, as I most often do, thinking of my son. Today, however, I was thinking of the world that my generation would be leaving him.

I grew up in fear of a nuclear war. In the mid 70’s my grammar school was still holding duck and cover drills. I remember being led by our teachers into the hallway of our school and being told that this was a safe place in the event of a nuclear bomb blast because of the concrete walls. As a 1st grader, I knew this was not true. Along with preparedness for a nuclear war, we were taught to loathe communism and abhor the Russians and the Chinese.

When the Berlin Wall came down my anxiety lifted. To me, the destruction of the iconic symbol of the cold war meant an end to the state of perpetual war which had led our country to Korea, Vietnam, and covertly to participate in the dirty wars in Latin America. Our decades-long enemies were now our allies and it seemed as if anything were possible. The anxiety and fear of the future that I had carried since grammar school fell away like the stone of the wall. My trepidation returned, however, as our country replaced the cold war with the war on terror.

Currently our country is fighting two declared wars. Our troops are stationed in at least 150 countries and we are still training the soldiers of repressive Latin American governments at the School of the Americas at Fort Benning in Georgia. The U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile still stands at over 2500 warheads and a total of seven countries are known to have their own nuclear weapons. On top of it all, today President Obama is expected to announce that he will be sending as many as 40,000 more troops to Afghanistan. This morning I sobbed at the thought of my son growing up with the fear and anxiety that the state of perpetual war brings. Who will he be taught to hate? What will he be taught to fear? How will I raise him to be loving, compassionate and hopeful in spite of it all? The promise of a new path which was born of the dismantling of the Berlin Wall seems to have been forgotten.

I will pray for my son and all the world’s children. I will pray especially hard for myself and all parents that we have the courage to look for that new path which leads to peace and global solidarity. In the words of Sr. Mary Lou Kownacki “May my imagination overcome death and despair with new possibility. And may I risk reputation, comfort and security to bring this hope to the children.” My son and all of our children deserve to grow up in a world without war and a society without fear.

Prayer for the Intercession of Servant of God Dorothy Day

2009-11-29T15:03:00.002-05:00

Dorothy Day the founder of the Catholic Worker movement died 29 years ago today. In March of 2000 John Cardinal O'Connor announced that the Vatican had approved a cause be opened for the sainthood of Dorothy Day.

Prayer for the Intercession of Servant of God Dorothy Day

God our Creator,
your servant Dorothy Day exemplified the
Catholic faith by her conversion,
life of prayer and voluntary poverty,
works of mercy, and witness to the justice and peace of the Gospel.

May her life inspire people to turn to Christ as their Savior and guide,
to see his face in the world’s poor and
to raise their voices for the justice of God’s kingdom.

We pray that you grant the favors we ask
through her intercession so that her goodness
and holiness may be more widely recognized
and one day the Church may proclaim her Saint.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen

Ellis Island is Closed - Ash Wed Pilgrimage to the Elizabeth Detention Center

2009-11-22T11:44:00.001-05:00

The idea of this event is to tie together the myth of Ellis Island that people associate as a symbol of our immigration system with the reality of the immigration detention center in Elizabeth and the other county jails and detention centers like it throughout the country.

We will do this by walking from one to the other.

Outline of the Day

§ 11:00 am Press conference & Prayer Service at Liberty State Park in-front of Ellis Island foot bridge.

§ 11:30 am begin pilgrimage with stops at houses of worship along the way

§ 6:00 pm end at Elizabeth Detention Center in time for the annual Ash Wed Vigil

§ In other parts of the state hold mid-day vigils emphasizing target congressional districts of 2, 3, 4 & 7.

§ Encourage as many people as possible to attend the vigil at the EDC in the evening.

§ Simultaneous call-in for those who cannot walk or attend a vigil.

Co-Sponsoring Organizations so far

Sister of Mercy of the Mid-Atlantic Justice Office

IRATE & First Friends

Lutheran Office of Governmental Ministry – NJ

NJIPN

Wind of the Spirit

The Center for Community Change

Mid-day vigils throughout the state for those who cannot be in Jersey City -

Sisters of Mercy will hold vigils at noon in the 5 mother houses throughout the state. One is in Lakewood (Smith’s district), another is in Watchung (Lance’s district). These are two of NJIPN’s target districts. We should try to make sure there are mid-day vigils in the other target districts (LoBiondo and Adler).

Simultaneous call-in-

The Center for Community Change has reserved its toll-free call-in number for this event on Feb 17. We will be able to distribute a toll-free number for people to call. They will 1st hear a recording scripted by us with talking points about supporting immigration reform and our event. They will then be directed to the Congressional switchboard so they can ask to speak to their representative.

Pilgrims-

So far 6 people have signed up to walk the 10 mile route. The target is about 12. Probably better to keep this small a larger group will become unwieldy particularly when ferrying people across Lincoln Highway.

Route – There are several proposed stops, none of which have been confirmed yet. The proposed stops include: Assumption/All Saints, Islamic Center of Jersey City, Temple Beth-El and Grace Lutheran.

From Ellis Island to Assumption/All Saints (301 Whiton St., Jersey City, NJ)

1.7 miles – 33 minutes

From Assumption/All Saints to Islamic Center of Jersey City

0.6 miles 13 minutes

From Islamic Center of Jersey City to Temple Beth El (2419 JFK Blvd, Jersey City, NJ)

0.6 miles 11 minutes

Since we will not be able to walk over the bridges on Lincoln Highway, Temple Beth-El may be a good stopping off point. It provides a safe place to load people into cars, vans or a bus. We need a similar destination on the other side of the river on or near Raymond Blvd or Ferry St. For right now I am going to use Grace Community Lutheran on 7 Wilson Ave as the unloading point. As far as I can tell below is the most pedestrian friendly way to go. (This may need to be refined so there are less turns through Newark.)

From Grace Lutheran

7 Wilson Ave, Newark to

625 Evans St.

7.4 mi – about 2 hours 25 mins

Newark, NJ 07105

Planning Meeting

December 6th St. Joe’s Social Center (old church building) 118 Division St., Elizabeth

Immediately following the Stamp Out Despair Packing Party

Plan to arrive by 2:30 or come as early as 1:30 and help pack stationery & stamps for the EDC detainees.

Stamp Out Despair Packing Party & Ash Wed Pilgrimage Meeting

2009-11-20T21:04:00.002-05:00

”I was a stranger and you welcomed me…I was in prison and you visited me.” Matthew 25: 35-36

You are invited to the IRATE & First Friends Stamp Out Despair stationery packing party, 1:30 pm, Sunday, December 6th at St Joseph’s Social Service Center (in the old church building), 118 Division St. Elizabeth.

We will be putting together individual packages of stationery and stamps and writing notes of encouragement for the non-criminal immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers being held at the Elizabeth Detention Center. The packages will be delivered before Christmas by the First Friends visitors program to each of the detainees to inform them of the visitors program and give them the ability to communicate with friends and family.

Immediately following the packing party there will be a planning meeting for the Ash Wednesday Pilgrimage from Ellis Island to the Elizabeth Detention Center which is being co-sponsored by Pax Christi NJ and IRATE & First Friends.

Please call 908-965-0455 or e-mail firstfriends2@juno.com for directions.

For more information on the First Friends visitors program go to www.irateweb.org/firstfirends.htm

Police Union in Morristown Says No to 287(g)

2009-11-16T08:32:00.001-05:00

Good news for Morristown! The police union just announced it will not support the 287(g) program. The clock is running out on Mayor Cresitello's plan to implement 287(g) in Morristown. He will leave office at the end of December after failing to win the local democratic party's nomination. He will be replaced by Tim Dougherty another Democrat who defeated Jim Gervasio earlier this month. Both candidates voiced opposition to the 287(g) program which deputizes local law enforcement to act as immigration agents.

Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the Jesuit Martyrs

2009-11-11T20:21:00.002-05:00

Sunday, November 15 • 2 to 5pm

8th Floor, 89 Market Street in Downtown Newark, NJ

On November 16, 1989 a US-trained commando unit burst into the Jesuit residence at the University of Central America (UCA) in San Salvador. They killed the six Jesuit priests there at the time, along with their cook and her daughter. More than 75,000 people died during El Salvador’s civil war, mostly civilians killed by Salvadoran armed forces and right-wing death squads. The UCA killings sparked an international outcry, shifted opinions in the US Congress, and helped lead to the peace process that brought the civil war to an end. Please join us to commemorate their lives and to hear about the “unfinished tasks to which the Jesuits were committed — efforts to reduce poverty and hunger and to promote educational opportunity, human rights, the rule of law and social equity for the people of El Salvador.” (see WOLA, www.wola.org)

Speakers & Highlights Include

Vanessa Cardinale, US-El Salvador Sister Cities

Fr. Terry Moran, SOA Prisoner of Conscience

Music & Central American Foods and Refreshments

$10 donation — proceeds to US-El Salvador Sister Cities projects

Sponsored by

Los Amates and the Garden State, US-El Salvador Sister Cities, CEUS, NJ Immigration Policy

Network, American Friends Service Committee, Pax Christ NJ, Wind of the Spirit, PeaceWorks

for information call PeaceWorks at (973) 765-9102 • peaceworks@peaceworks.org • www.peaceworks.org

Show your love for Fr. Ed & the Parishioners of St. Pat's

2009-10-30T10:51:00.001-04:00

Many of you are aware of the tragic and violent death or Fr. Edward Hinds, the pastor of St. Patrick's in Chatham. I just learned from one of his parishioner's, Ed DiFiglia, that the Westboro Baptist Church plans to protest at his funeral this tomorrow morning.

We are organizing a peaceful counter demonstration of love and compassion.

Ed DeFiglia will be carrying a banner that says "Fr. Ed would forgive you."

We will be meeting in the parking lot of the Chatham train station before 9 am on Saturday morning.

If you want to join us or you need more info or directions, please contact either me or Ed.

Kathy O'Leary
Coordinator - Pax Christi NJ
Chapter Coordinator - Pax Christi Summit
(a local chapter of Pax Christi USA www.paxchristiusa.org )
908-273-0751
kathy-wargo@comcast.net

Renewing my Vow of Non-Violence on the International Day of Peace

2009-09-21T09:06:00.003-04:00

Sept 21st was declared in 2001 by the United Nations as the International Day of Peace, a day of global ceasefire and nonviolence. Today throughout the world people will be observing this day through song, prayers, vigils, marches, even soccer matches. In years past I have planned and participated in events. This year life got in the way. But I still plan to observe the day. To start I am going to renew my vow of non-violence. It is something that I do from time to time and in between I fail, sometimes miserably, to uphold it, but I continue to renew it hoping I will do better next time, and sometimes I do. Peace has to begin somewhere and today, as the song goes, it begins with me. Please join me today in taking or renewing the Vow of Nonviolence.

A Vow of Nonviolence
Recognizing the violence in my own heart, yet trusting in the goodness and mercy of God,
I vow to practice the nonviolence of Jesus who taught us in the Sermon on the Mount:
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons and daughters of God...You have learned how it was said, "You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy"; but I say to you, "Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. In this way, you will be sons and daughters of your God in heaven."
Before God the Creator and the Sanctifying Spirit, I vow to carry out in my life the love and example of Jesus

* by striving for peace within myself and seeking to be a peacemaker in my daily life;
* by accepting suffering in the struggle for justice rather than inflicting it;
* by refusing to retaliate in the face of provocation and violence;
* by persevering in nonviolence of tongue and heart;
* by living conscientiously and simply so that I do not deprive others of the means to live;
* by actively resisting evil and working nonviolently to abolish war and the causes of war from my own heart and from the face of the earth. God, I trust in your sustaining love and believe that just as you gave me the grace and desire to offer this, so you will also bestow abundant grace to fulfill it.
(From Pax Christi USA and John Dear's Disarming the Heart)

Advance Press Coverage & Final List of "We Are One Human Family" Vigils

2009-09-14T10:18:00.002-04:00

We have been getting great advance press coverage of the We Are One Human Family Vigils. Over 10 articles have appeared in so far in local papers. This is a good sign that our events will be covered after the fact as well.

Please help us increase the turnout by inviting your friends and neighbors.

Below is the final list of vigils. Please note that the Dumont vigil will be held tonight and the Morristown vigil has two locations, one at 6:00 pm and one at 7:00 pm.

WHEN: Tuesday September 15th, 2009 (Except Dumont vigil, see below)

WHERE: (list of local vigil sites and local press contacts)

Newark - Peter Francisco Park (east side of Penn Station) 4:00 PM

Cynthia Mellon, Ironbound Community Corporation, 862-755-9577

Bridgeton – In front of the Courthouse on Broad St. 11:30 AM Pastor

Jamie Bagley, Karll’s Corner Community Fellowship, 856-455-7669

Dumont-Calvary United Methodist Church185 W Madison Ave; 7:30 PM, Bonnie Strain, 201-384-8324 [Note: this Vigil will held Monday, September 14th]

Freehold - Sheriff’s Office (corner of Main and Center Sts), 6:00 PM, Rita Dentino, Casa Freehold, 732-492-1852

Hightstown - St. Anthony of Padua Church, Franklin Street; 7:00 PM, Lenore Isleib, co-coordinator, St. Anthony's Social Justice Group, 609-448-6470

Jersey City - McGinley Square; Bergen Ave & Montgomery St. 4:00 PM, Kathy O’Leary, Pax Christi NJ, 973-610-1684

Highland Park - Reformed Church, 19 S. 2cd Ave; 4:00 PM, Pastor Seth Kaper-Dale, 732-249-7349

Keyport - St. Joseph’s Church 376 Maple Pl; 7:30 PM, Fr. Ronald Cioffi, 732-264-0322.

Montclair - Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair 67 Church St; 4:00 PM, Johanna Foster, 914-552-5376.

Morristown (2) – 1) St. Margaret's Church 6 Sussex Ave. 6:00 PM; 2) Pentecostal Church 59 Spring St.; 7:00 PM, Diana Mejia, Wind of the Spirit, 201-563-1062

Princeton Newspaper Publishes Editorial Suppporting Family Values in Immigration

2009-09-03T07:56:00.004-04:00

Today I came across the first article about the "We Are One Human Family Campaign".
It is from the Princeton Packet and it focuses on the vigil being held in Hightstown.

Please go and post a positive comment to support the great work of the organizers at St. Anthony of Padua.

Pax Christi NJ Fall Assembly & Young Adult Retreat

2009-08-28T17:52:00.000-04:00

“When you send forth your breath, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth. May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD be glad in these works!” Psalm 104: 30-31

Camden, New Jersey is one of the most environmentally degraded communities in the country, and has been plagued by violence and neglect. While still holding that difficult reality, we invite you to witness some of the creative ways this community is responding and restoring herself.

Saturday, October 24th
Schedule for the Day:
Registration 12:30 – 1:30 pm
Program and Liturgy 1:30 – 6:45 pm
Supper and Garden Social (Optional) 7:00 – 9:00 pm

Sunday October 25th
Young Adult Retreat –Come for the assembly, stay for the retreat. There is room for a limited number of young adults to stay overnight at the newly renovated headquarters of the Center for Transformation. For more details and info on how to register for the retreat contact Kathy O’Leary 908-273-0751 kolearypcnj@gmail.com

Keynote Speaker: The Rev. Fletcher Harper
The Rev. Fletcher Harper is an Episcopal priest and GreenFaith’s Executive Director. Under Harper’s leadership, GreenFaith has developed a series of innovative programs linking religious belief and practice to the environment. An award-winning spiritual writer and nationally-recognized preacher on the environment, he teaches and speaks weekly at houses of worship from a range of denominations about the moral, spiritual basis for environmental stewardship and justice.

Featured Speakers:
Professor Christ Haw: theologian & co-author of Jesus for President

Andrea Ferich: urban farmer & contributor to Claiming Earth as Common Ground: The Ecological Crisis Through the Lens of Faith

Brother Michael O’Neill McGrath, O.S.F.S.: nationally renowned artist & co-author of Women of Mercy

Please send your registration and free will offering to offset expenses to provide this program: Irene Donohue 673 Thoreau Terrace Union, NJ 07083

Registration Form
Name:________________________________________________________________

Address:______________________________________________________________

Organization:___________________________________________________________

Phone:___________________________ Email:________________________________

I plan to attend: □ Program & Liturgy □ Supper & Garden Social
□ I am a vegetarian Other dietary restrictions

Directions to Sacred Heart Church
You are strongly encouraged to use public transportation or to carpool.
Shuttles will be provided from the New Jersey Transit RiverLine stop in Camden and the Ferry Avenue PATCO station for more info contact:
Cassie MacDonald 856-448-3044 peacecatcamden@yahoo.com

From Philadelphia Take Rte 30/676E to exit 4 for Atlantic Ave. Go toward Kaighns Ave. Turn Right at Atlantic Ave. Turn left at S. Broadway. Turn sharp right at Ferry Ave.

From Atlantic City Take Atlantic City Expressway W to Rte 42 N. Exit onto 76W. Take exit 2 for 676 toward Camden. Stay on 676N. Take exit 3 for Morgan Blvd. Turn left at Master St. Turn right at Ferry St.

From Trenton Take 295 S. Take exit 26 to 76W. Stay on 676N. Take exit 3 for Morgan Blvd. Turn left at Master St. Turn right at Ferry St.

From North Jersey Take the NJ Turnpike S to exit 3. Merge onto S. Black Horse Pike toward Camden. Take exit 2 for 676 toward Camden. Stay on 676N. Take exit 3 for Morgan Blvd. Turn left at Master St. Turn right at Ferry St.
________________________________________________________________________________

Workshop Offerings:
1. Introducing the Camden Center for Transformation, with Director Mark Doorley, at the future home of the Center
2. Eco-liturgy with Urban Farmer Andrea Ferich at Eve’s Garden and Greenhouse
3. The Poetry of Peace, with Hearthkeeper Cassie MacDonald at Brigid’s House
4. Art Will Save Us, with artist Brother Mickey McGrath at his Jasper Street Studio
5. Women’s Spirituality and Peacemaking, with “Traveling with the Turtle” veterans Susan Cedrone and Francine Grabowski, at Reynolds House on 418 Jasper Street
6. Our Bodies, Our Earth: A Workshop on Sacred Energy at the Labyrinth
7. A Christian Perspective on Eco-Justice, with author and professor Chris Haw, at his Jasper Street home

Workshop selection will take place during registration on October 24.

The afternoon will also feature a short walking tour of the Historic Village of Waterfront South Camden and a screening of the documentary film, Poet of Poverty, which highlights Father Michael Doyle’s thirty-plus years of ministry in the city.

Volunteer Visitors Needed for Immigrant Detainees

2009-08-23T10:34:00.001-04:00

Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.”

Matthew 25: 34-36

Do you know what is happening to your immigrant neighbor?

At the present time authorities are holding more than 1,000 immigrants, subject to deportation, in local, criminal jails in New Jersey. Since the failure of comprehensive immigration reform in 2006, our government has instituted a policy of aggressive enforcement which nationwide has increased those held in detention by more than 30% to 420,000 per year. Here in New Jersey, this mass detention policy has placed the bulk of detainees in county jails. Previously, most New Jersey detainees were held at the Elizabeth Detention Center, a non criminal facility with a capacity of only 320.

While most detainees are segregated from criminals in local jails, they are subject to the same conditions. However, immigrant detainees have fewer rights than criminals and in many cases will be held for longer periods.

First Friends, a private charitable organization, has been visiting and providing non-legal services to detainees for over 8 years. We have received permission to contact the 350 immigrant detainees held at the Hudson County Correctional Center in Kearny and need volunteer visitors and pen pals for these unfortunate, confined neighbors in our midst.

If you, your family, friends, congregation or any organization you belong to can help, please contact us at 908-965-0455 or firstfriends2@juno.com.

We Are One Human Family -Children's Vigils at 11 Locations Throughout NJ

2009-08-21T11:39:00.000-04:00

On September 15th at ten or more locations throughout NJ Pax Christi NJ will join the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) Immigrants Rights Program, NJ Advocates for Immigrant Detainees and over two dozen, houses of worship, religious communities, immigrant rights groups and civic organizations in supporting the right of children to be with their families. The campaign is being called “We Are One Human Family”. The campaign is designed to draw attention to the negative impact of current immigration policy on children and families. Groups will gather at rallies and prayer vigils to support keeping families together, the passing of the Child Citizen Protection Act (H.R. 182), ending the immigration raids particularly of homes that are traumatizing children, ending the forced deportation the parents of US citizen children particularly of community members who are contributing to our society and “putting family values back in immigration policy”. Locations include: Bridgeton, Camden, Dumont, Keyport, Freehold, Jersey City, Highland Park, Hightstown, Morristown, Montclair and Newark.

According to the Pew Hispanic Center, nearly 4 million US citizen children currently live in a household with at least one parent whose immigration status is unauthorized. Many others have at least one parent who is permanent legal resident who can be subject to deportation for minor legal infractions or errors while filing for a change of immigration status. Every year thousands of children are either separated from a parent who has been deported or the children are forced into exile in countries they may have never even visited. The children who are left behind in single parent households suffer emotionally, and financially. Many join the welfare rolls. Some have to leave school to go to work.

Thousands more children are separated on a daily basis from their parents due to US policy of detaining those who are seeking asylum or who are suspected of being in violation of immigration law.
We are holding these vigils because we value family unity and believe that these children should be provided with every opportunity to be raised in a stable and unified family. Please join us on Sept 15th if you can. If not please contact your congressional representative and ask them to support H.R. 182 as a part of humane immigration reform.
Immigration reform is about each and every one of us. It is about what is in our hearts. It is about who we are willing to call friend and neighbor. It is about ending the rejection of our shared humanity which is at the core of the mission of Pax Christi.
For more information on the Sept 15th vigils or other local efforts to enact humane immigration policy contact Kathy O’Leary kolearypcnj@gmail.com 908-273-0751.

We Are One Human Family -Sept 15th Vigil Update

2009-08-10T09:22:00.002-04:00

I hope everyone is enjoying this lovely summer weather.

I wanted to post a quick update on the planning and the status of the Sept 15^th “We Are One Human Family” Children’s Vigils for immigration reform that will be taking place throughout NJ.

So far we have seven confirmed locations. They include:

§ Bridgeton

§ Highland Park

§ Hightstown

§ Jersey City

§ Keyport

§ Morristown

§ Newark

We have three additional locations that are in the works including:

§ Camden

§ Freehold

§ Summit

Our goal is to have ten vigils throughout the state, but the more the better.

If you are a leader or a member of a local group please consider holding a local vigil. We have resources and we will support your efforts.

Current available resources:

§ Interfaith Prayer Service (Abrahamic Traditions)

§ Christian & Catholic liturgy and prayer suggestions

§ Speaker/VIP invitation letter

§ Vigil flyers in English and Spanish

§ Fact sheet/talking points on impact of immigration system on children and families

Resources to be available soon:

§ Template press release

§ Ideas for family/children’s activities

§ Suggestions for secular vigils

Please contact Kathy O’Leary kolearypcnj@gmail.com or Anne Baron barron58@yahoo.com for more info on resources or help in planning your vigil.

Atomic Bomb Survivors Speaking in NJ

2009-07-22T08:48:00.001-04:00

Nuclear war is rejected in Church teaching because the use of nuclear weapons cannot insure non-combatant immunity and their destructive potential and lingering radiation cannot be proportionate in a meaningful sense.”

Bishop Howard Hubbard on Behalf of the USCCB in a letter to Secretary of State Clinton

Two survivors of the atomic bomb blast in Hiroshima and Nagasaki will be with us in NJ around the tragic anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan. I urge you to go and hear their testimony

Friday August 7^th, 7 PM at Sacred Heart Church 1719 Ferry St., Camden

Sunday August 9^th 1 PM Unitartian Fellowship in Morristown

Monday August 10^th 7 PM Lakeland Unitarian Fellowship in Wayne

Tuesday August 11^th 7PM Islamic Center of Morris County in Rockaway

As North Korea is testing nuclear weapons and Iran may very well be working on developing its own nuclear arsenal it is as urgent as the time of the height of the cold war that we work for nuclear disarmament. (For resources on Nuclear Disarmament from Pax Christi USA click here )

President Obama, in his Prague speech outlined a plan for a nuclear weapons free world. The first step toward that goal would be for the US to ratify the UN Test Ban Treaty. Please contact your Senators to encourage them to support ratification of the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.

You can also call on your senators to accelerate the effort to eliminate nuclear weapons by:

· committing to nuclear abolition as the only true path to U.S. security and operationalizing that commitment within the National Security Strategy of the United States;

· aggressively pursuing a U.S./Russian agreement to dramatically reduce both nations’ arsenals, including a commitment to negotiations that involve all nuclear weapons states and that will agree to total eliminating all arsenals within a time-bound framework;

· reducing the alert status of U.S. strategic nuclear forces and seeking a reciprocal reduction of the alert status of Russian strategic forces;

· seeking and securing Senate ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty by the end of this year.

We Are One Human Family -Children's Vigils Sept 15

2009-07-08T09:15:00.002-04:00

On September 2nd 1990, the UN and its member nations recognized that “the inherent dignity and … the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world” as it ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Join us on September 15th, 2009
At events throughout NY/NJ as we celebrate this historic document and let our lawmakers know that We Are ONE in our support of:
* The Rights of Children
* Family Unification
* Humane Immigration Policy

Because We Are ONE Human Family

Purpose of the Children’s Vigils

* Promoting the Child Citizen Protection Act, H.R. 182
* Supporting the central principle of family unification in immigration reform.
* Celebrating the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
* Urging the U.S. to endorse the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

For information on co-sponsorship, holding your own vigil or to locate a vigil contact:
Alix Nguefack at 973-854-0401 anguefack@afsc.org
Kathy O’Leary at 908-273-0751 kolearypcnj@gmail.com

Co-sponsored by American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) Immigrant Rights Program & Pax Christi NJ

Renewing the Face of the Earth in Camden

2009-06-26T08:45:00.002-04:00

“When you send forth your breath, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth. May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD be glad in these works!” Psalm 104: 30-31

Last month Tom Mahedy and I visited Sacred Heart in Camden as a scouting trip prior to the Fall Assembly and to lay the ground work for a partnership with the Sacred Heart Peace Community. We both left our homes with thoughts of what resources we could bring to Camden, but we returned with a feeling of how much we had received from visiting this vibrant community of peacemakers.

As I sat through Mass and listened to the testimony of friends as we celebrated both Pentecost and the 50th anniversary of Fr. Doyle’s ordination, I got the sense that Fr. Michael was as much the leader of the community as he was a beloved companion who has chosen to walk with the people of Camden these 35 years. His greatest gift to them has been a hope that will sustain them after he retires.

It is fitting then that the assembly which will be held on October 24th at Sacred Heart in Camden will include a walking tour of the neighborhood that the people of Sacred Heart are helping to renew. Below are some links to some of the sites and the other good works of our brothers and sisters in Camden’s Waterfront South neighborhood.

Sacred Heart Social Ministries

Heart of Camden – Community Development

Environmental Mitigation Projects

Center for Transformation

Hynes Family Resource Center

South Camden Theater Company

The Peace Park

Labyrinth Construction

Soil & Saints (Andrea Ferich’s Blog about the Greenhouse, Community Garden, etc.)

“It’s a Terrible Day Thanks Be to God” Book by Msgr. Michael Doyle

The Poet of Poverty –Film based on Msgr. Michael Doyle’s writings

The Camden 28 – Film recalls a 1971 raid on a Camden, N.J., draft board office which Msgr. Michael Doyle participated in

Archbishop Chaput Ties Pro-Life Cause to Immigration Reform

2009-06-18T09:38:00.003-04:00

This past Saturday Archbishop Chaput joined by joined Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO), Congressman Luis V. Gutierrez (D-IL) and other religious and civil leaders addressed a forum on immigration reform. During his opening address he called for Catholics and members of both political parties to work together for immigration reform. He also tied the need for immigration reform to the pro-life cause

“Any Catholic who truly understands his or her faith knows that the right to life precedes and creates the foundation for every other human right. There’s no getting around the priority of that fundamental right to life. But, being “prolife” also means that we need to make laws and social policies that will care for those people already born that no one else will defend… We need to remember that how we treat the weak, the infirm, the elderly, the unborn child and the foreigner reflects on our own humanity.”

Archbishop Chaput’s entire statement follows.

Thank you all for coming today. Let’s settle our hearts for a moment and begin with a prayer:

Lord, you created men and women in your image and endowed them with your dignity. You call each of us to be agents of your justice and mercy in the world. Help us to build a culture of life – a culture that holds all human life in reverence, from the unborn child and the immigrant, to the poor, the homeless, the infirm and the elderly. Give us the character to live the Gospel not just with our words, but with our hearts and our actions. Make us quick to forgive each other, quick to listen to each other, and eager to serve those who are suffering and in need. And finally Lord, in all things, fill us with the courage to follow St. Paul when he urges us to “speak the truth in love.” We ask this trusting in your goodness and in the name of your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

We have a lot to cover in a short time on an important issue, so I’ll be brief. But I do want to start by thanking Father Greg Ames for his generosity in making his parish available to us today. Father Greg has the heart of a real pastor, and I’m very grateful for his support. I’m also very grateful to Congressmen Polis and Gutierrez for having the courage to put this issue back in front of the public.
Immigration reform in this country has been gridlocked for more than three years, and both Democrats and Republicans have created that paralysis. We made our immigration crisis in a bipartisan way. Now we need to solve it in a bipartisan way that involves good people from both parties, or no party; and people who may have very different convictions. I’m pretty confident that Congressman Polis and I would agree that we disagree – vigorously – on some very serious social issues. But those issues aren’t on the agenda today. What’s on the agenda today is finding a way to make our immigration laws better. We have a mutual interest in that important work -- and I respect the congressman’s sincerity and energy in trying to do something about it.

This morning I celebrated Mass at a Hispanic prolife congress here in the archdiocese. It was a very good prologue to our gathering today. The Catholic commitment to the dignity of the immigrant comes from exactly the same roots as our commitment to the dignity of the unborn child. Any Catholic who truly understands his or her faith knows that the right to life precedes and creates the foundation for every other human right. There’s no getting around the priority of that fundamental right to life. But, being “prolife” also means that we need to make laws and social policies that will care for those people already born that no one else will defend.

In the United States today, we employ a permanent underclass of human beings who build our roads, pick our fruit, clean our hotel rooms, and landscape our lawns. Most of these men and women, like millions of immigrants before them, abide by our laws and simply want a better life for their families. Many have children who are American citizens, or who have been in America so long that they don’t know any other homeland. But they live in a legal limbo. They’re vital to our economy, but they have few legal protections, and thousands of families have been separated by arrests and deportations.

We need to remember that how we treat the weak, the infirm, the elderly, the unborn child and the foreigner reflects on our own humanity. We become what we do, for good or for evil. The Catholic Church respects the law, including immigration law. We respect those men and women who have the difficult job of enforcing it. We do not encourage or help anyone to break the law. We believe Americans have a right to solvent public institutions, secure borders and orderly regulation of immigration.
But we can’t ignore people in need, and we won’t be quiet about laws that don’t work — or that, in their “working,” create impossible contradictions and suffering. Despite all of the heated public argument over the past few years, Americans still find themselves stuck with an immigration system that adequately serves no one. We urgently need the kind of immigration reform that will address our economic and security needs, but will also regularize the status of the many decent undocumented immigrants who help our society to grow. A new Congress and a new president now serve in Washington. They have an extraordinary opportunity to act quickly and justly to solve this problem.

We become what we do, for good or for evil. If we act and speak like bigots, that’s what we become. If we act with justice, intelligence, common sense and mercy, then we become something quite different. We become the people and the nation God intended us to be. Our country’s immigration crisis is a test of our humanity. Whether we pass it is entirely up to us. That’s why this gathering is important. That’s why we’re here today. And that’s why I hope all of you will take part in this national work for immigration reform as vigorously and unselfishly as possible. The future of our country depends on it.

Thanks, and God bless you.

Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless Garden Party

2009-05-26T09:05:00.005-04:00

Join the Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless for

A GARDEN PARTY fundraiser

to benefit the many programs of the Elizabeth Coalition

Thursday June 4, 2009

6:30 p.m.

The historic Carriage House and Gardens of Liberty Hall

1003 Morris Avenue

Union, NJ

music, wine, light food, silent auction and 50/50 raffle

Tickets are $50 each

For tickets or further information, contact event coordinator Donna Grozuczak at 908-251-7545.

About The Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless

The Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless was one of the first organizations to advocate on behalf of homeless people in the State of New Jersey. It was founded in 1981 by Edith Cheney and Sr. Jacinta Fernandes in response to the mounting needs of homeless families and individuals in the greater Elizabeth community. Since that time, there has been an exponential increase in the number of homeless adults and children. This is a direct result of both a lack of truly affordable housing and a lack of jobs that pay a living wage. The Coalition has developed innovative strategies to organize and empower homeless people. These approaches have been adopted by a number of agencies throughout the State. Together with its “sister agency,” St. Joseph Social Service Center, it provides wraparound services and support to address the needs of the homeless. Its many services include: rental assistance, emergency housing, transitional family housing, a winter shelter program, educational and social support for homeless children, and the counseling services that are necessary to break the patterns that lead many individuals and families to homelessness.

For more information on The Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless and how you can help click here.

Promote Family Unity as a Guiding Principle of Immigration Law

2009-05-20T13:35:00.002-04:00

On March 3rd groups from the American Friends Service Committee and Families for Freedom traveled to Washington, DC to lobby Congress about the Child Citizen Protection Act. Many of you supported their effort by calling your Congressperson in support of H.R. 182. There are now 18 co-sponsors of the bill including three more Congressmen from NJ!

Please continue supporting the effort to promote family unity as a guiding principle of immigration law.

Sign the petition on-line by clicking here

Conference on Freeing the World of Nuclear Weapons

2009-05-20T13:09:00.002-04:00

Freeing the World of Nuclear Weapons

Sunday, May 31, 2009
1:00 pm to 5:00 pm
First Memorial Presbyterian Church
51 West Blackwell Street
Dover, NJ 07801

Admission Free

President Obama has catapulted nuclear disarmament to the front page from its obscurity over the past decade. The August 9 Saving Lives Task Force* has scheduled its second conference on May 31st to continue promoting the disarmament agenda. Join the group to learn what is happening in the disarmament movement and how you can support national and international efforts toward a nuclear weapons free world.

Timing is critical. The START Treaty** expires this year.

Speakers:

Brian Finlay, President of the Stimson Organization, Washington , D.C – The Domestic Politics of Nuclear Disarmament

Rick Ufford-Chase, Former Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA), Executive Director of the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, Director of the Stony Point Conference Center – The Role of Faith-Based Groups

Larry Hamm, Director, People’s Organization for Progress – Redirecting Spending to Social and Humanitarian Programs

Anyone interested in becoming part of this important project is encouraged to contact:

Dave Mortensen at dmortnj@hotmail.com or 862-812-2324 and/or
Madelyn Hoffman, NJ Peace Action nj_peaceaction@yahoo.com

or 973-259-1126.

* The August 9 Saving Lives Task Force is a Partner with New Jersey Peace Action.

** The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty between the United States and the USSR by late 2001 resulted in the removal of about 80% of all strategic nuclear weapons then in existence. There is still a long way to go.

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There is no charge to attend this forum. A free-will donation will be gratefully received.

ORGANIZERS & CO-SPONSORS OF THE MAY 31 PEACE CONFERENCE

Organized by:

Islamic Center of Morris County in Rockaway

Jam-e-Masjid Islamic Center in Boonton

Multifaith Peace and Justice Alliance

New Jersey Peace Action

Peacemaking Committee of the Presbytery of Newton (Representing 62 Presbyterian churches in northwest NJ)

Seeds of Peace of the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship

Social Action Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Sussex County

Co-Sponsors:

Essex County Chapter of Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF)

First Memorial Presbyterian Church of Dover

Lakeland Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

Network of Spiritual Progressives

Northwest New Jersey Peace Fellowship

Pax Christi NJ

Tikkun

Veterans for Peace, Chapter 021

Vietnam Veterans Against the War - North Jersey

The August 9th Saving Lives Task Force is still seeking co-sponsors for this event. All we ask is that co-sponsors allow their name to be listed. If you can also help us publicize the event to your contacts and networks, that would be greatly appreciated. If you are interested in being a co-sponsor, please send an e-mail to nj_peaceaction@yahoo.com.

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Note: The church sanctuary where much of the program will take place is not air conditioned, but there will be fans.

Parking: When on West Blackwell Street with the church to the right - Make a left on to Prospect Street and go about 200 feet. There is a free public parking lot on the left. For people with special needs, there is limited parking behind the church. The driveway is located just before the church on your right. (Revised directions will be circulated shortly.)

CONTACT:

Madelyn Hoffman, Director of NJ Peace Action at director@njpeaceaction.org or (973)851-2136

David Mortensen at dmortnj@hotmail.com or (862)812-2324

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Where Does My Food Come From?

2009-05-19T16:55:00.005-04:00

What am I going to have for lunch? It is a simple question. One I ask myself every day. Rarely do I ask myself how blessed am I? There is little doubt that I will have lunch and even less thought is devoted to how this wonderful bounty reaches the supermarkets where most of us purchase the food we eat. The recent food safety scares have forced many Americans to consider some of the conditions under which food is produced throughout the world because it has had a negative impact on us. There is still little consideration of the negative impact our consumption and demand for cheap abundant foods at all times of the year on the environment and the laborers in other countries.

The Fair Food Across Borders Campaign is trying to raise awareness about the human rights abuses suffered by migrant agricultural workers in Mexican agribusiness camps." They want us all to be asking "Where does my food come from?"

For a look at where our food comes from you can watch Paying the Price: Migrant Workers in the Toxic Fields of Sinaloa. Here is a link to the video

Facts about farmworkers in agribusiness camps in Northern Mexico:

* There are estimated to be over one million migrant farmworkers in Mexico. The majority come from Southern Mexican states like Oaxaca and Guerrero. They are forced to leave their communities because they have no other way to support their families.

* Workers are recruited by contractors in their communities of origin and often transported under very dangerous conditions.

* Many of these workers are indigenous and speak languages such as Mixteco, Nàhuatl, Zapoteco, and Tlapaneco.

* There are hundreds of trans-national agribusiness camps in Northern Mexico, in states like Sinaloa, Sonora and Baja California. They grow a large variety of produce from tomatoes to watermelon. The vast majority of the crops harvested are for export to the U.S. and Canada.

* During the 2007-2008 harvest season, more than 790,000 tons of fruits and vegetables were exported from Sinaloa - the vast majority of these crops came to the U.S. The main crop is tomatoes, followed by bell peppers and cucumbers.

* For six to eight months, migrant families live in small, crowded shacks made of sheet metal and wood, often with no access to clean water or other basic services.

* Most migrant farmworkers are surviving under precarious working conditions, receiving very low wages and no labor protections.

* Child labor is widespread in the camps. About 20% of the labor force are children under14 years of age. About 374,000 children between the ages of 6 and 14 work in fields harvested for export.

* Pay by piece-rate dominates, which forces workers to work as much as 12 hours per day.

* Health problems that these workers face include malnutrition and chronic-degenerative illnesses because of their constant exposure to dangerous pesticides.

* There are many documented cases of children and adults losing limbs and lives to work-related accidents and illnesses in the fields.

* This internal migration has not improved the marginalization and extreme poverty in which these families live. They often return home with barely enough money saved to get them through till they return again to the camps six months later.

Fr. Louie in NJ This Week & Again in June

2009-05-19T10:22:00.002-04:00

Father Louie Vitale, the founder of Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service, will be touring the east coast this spring. He will be making several stops in NJ.

Below is a list of his current engagements.

For more info on Fr. Louie’s calendar including contact info for each event click here.

May 19, 2009
7:30pm - 9:30pm
Torture: Spiritual and Moral Perspectives
Princeton Theological Seminary
64 Mercer St 609-921-8300
Princeton, NJ, 08540

May 20, 2009
10:00am - 12:00pm
Loving Your Enemies: Transforming Us vs. Them Thinking
Monroe Township Municipal Building
1 Municipal Way
Monroe Township, NJ, 08831

May 21, 2009
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Love Your Enemies: Transforming Us vs. Them Thinking
Sacred Heart Church
Broadway & Ferry
Camden , NJ

June 10, 2009
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Living as a Peacemaker
St. Bonaventure Church
174 Ramsey St
Paterson, NJ, 07501

June 11, 2009
7:00pm - 9:00pm
The Nonviolent Response to Terrorism
St. Francis of Assisi Church
4700 Long Beach Blvd
Brant Beach, NJ, 08008

About Fr. Louie

With a background in sociology and a focus on the Sociology of Religion and social movements, Louie is a long time social activist. A Franciscan priest who served as the provincial of the California Franciscan Friars from 1979 to 1988, he co-founded the Nevada Desert Experience and its enduring movement to end nuclear testing. He recently completed twelve years as the pastor of St. Boniface Catholic Church in a low-income neighborhood in San Francisco, California. He earned his Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Louie finished serving a six month sentence for his nonviolent action in trying to draw attention to and to close the School of the Americas/Whinsec at Ft. Benning, GA in 2006. He is currently the “Action Advocate” for Pace e Bene and is involved in trying to raise awareness about issues of torture and US involvement in it. To that end, he was arrested at Ft. Huachuca in Nov 2006 and served five months in prison from October 2007 to March 2008.

About Pace e Bene
Founded in 1989 by the Franciscan Friars of California, Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service is an independent, nondenominational 501(c)3 organization with offices in Oakland, Chicago, Montreal, and Las Vegas. Its mission is to foster a just and peaceful world through nonviolence education, community-building, and action.

Hence the name. St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi greeted the people of the thirteenth century with the expression “Pace e bene!” or “Peace and all good!” So much was expressed by this little phrase: May you have the fullness of well-being, may you be secure and happy; may you not want; may your dignity be respected; may the goodness in your inmost being flourish; may the world in which we live know this deep peace. It was a blessing, a hope, and a way of acknowledging the sacredness of those whom they encountered.

It is in this spirit that Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service works to mainstream peacemaking that will empower people from all walks of life to prayerfully and relentlessly engage in nonviolent efforts for the well-being of all.

Feast of St. Isidore & Rogation Days

2009-05-16T15:58:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was the feast day of St. Isidore and next week we will mark the Minor Rogation days on the liturgical calendar. St. Isidore is the patron saint of farmers and the observance of the Minor Rogation days are a 1500 year old Catholic tradition of fasting and abstinence the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday prior to the Feast of the Assumption to ask for God’s blessing for the spring planting.

Though many of us are removed from a direct connection to the earth in our suburban and urban neighborhoods of NJ we are after all the “Garden State”. For more information on Rogation Days click here.

Prayer to Saint Isidore

Saint Isidore,

Show us that we are not separate from the natural world, but part of one sacred earth community.

Remind us that creation is good and bears the imprint of Christ from beginning to end.

Reveal to us that the full expression of God’s generosity and blessings are found through oneness in the Mystical Body of Christ. Amen.

Memorial for Dan Wade

2009-05-15T16:45:00.002-04:00

Daniel Lewis Wade
May 5, 1916 – February 22, 2009
A memorial service will be held for Dan Wade this Sunday May 17th at 1:00 pm at the Chatham-Summit Meeting House. He was an active member of Pax Christi in Morris County and NJADP besides being kind and gentle soul.

The meeting house is located at 158 Southern Boulevard in Chatham Twp. All are welcome to attend.

Daniel Lewis Wade died at Morristown Memorial Hospital on Sunday; February 22, 2009, He was 92 years old and had suffered a heart attack and a stroke ten days earlier, from which he never recovered.

Dan was born in The Bronx, NY, in 1916. Dan’s father, who was an electrician, taught him the trade. Dan remembered that when he was a boy, he accompanied his father in a horse-drawn wagon to job sites.

Daniel was working as an electrician in New York when Pearl Harbor was attacked. He enlisted, and was trained as a radar technician. He saw action in the Pacific and was part of the Army of Occupation in Japan. His experiences set him firmly against the practice of war. He attended Brooklyn College on the G. I. Bill and earned his licenses as a stationary engineer. During his work life, he managed the physical plants of New York institutions: Columbia University, Maimonides Medical Center, and the Western Electric headquarters building.

In retirement, Dan built a home near New Paltz, N.Y. with a view of the Shawangunk Mountains. He was a member of New Paltz Monthly Meeting and was an active participant in a nearby prison ministry.

Fifteen years ago, he left New Paltz, and moved to Chatham, to provide after-school care for his grandsons. Dan transferred his mem-bership to Chatham-Summit Monthly Meeting where his passion for politics and his ecumenical spirit manifest itself in the work of the Peace and Social Action Committee. He was the guiding spirit in Chat-ham-Summit Monthly Meeting’s partnership with Pax Christi to bring Sister Helen Prejean to Seton Hall University to speak against the death penalty. He frequently raised a voice of concern about issues of justice and equality, which were addressed in his messages delivered during worship. In later years his love of ecumenical outreach led him to di-vide his Sunday worship between Chatham-Summit Monthly Meeting and the First Baptist Church of Madison.

Daniel leaves a void that cannot be filled for his children, Beth Wade of Chatham, NJ, Garth Wade of Brooklyn, NY, and James Wade of Midlothian, Va.; Beth’s husband Thomas Gray, Jim’s wife Randi Wade; and the grandchildren, Max and Avery Gray, Logan and Harrison Wade, and Miriam and Ben Wade.

Immigration Enforcement Policies Hurt Us All

2009-05-14T14:04:00.003-04:00

Just over a year ago, the complexity of the problems in our immigration system was laid bare for the community of Postville, Iowa. The story of Postville is a dramatic tale of the effects of immigration enforcement, but the events and consequences that unfolded a year ago in Iowa are occurring each and every day in communities in New Jersey, only on a smaller scale. Parents are separated from their children, workers are abused, and communities are suffering the loss of residents, wage earners and consumers. These consequences of immigration enforcement hurt us all.

At about 10 am on May 12, 2008, approximately 900 immigration agents, supported by two helicopters, descended on the community of 2200 residents to raid the Agriprocessors meat packing plant. The disruption to the community at large has been likened to that of a natural disaster. In a matter of hours, nearly 20% of the town’s population was arrested and hundreds of families were separated, deprived of caregivers and bread winners. Hundreds were in need of emergency assistance.

Following the raid, people of all faiths came from the surrounding communities to volunteer at St. Bridget’s which had become the center for the relief effort. Calls offering services and financial support from individuals, congregations and organizations came from across the country. The hundreds in need have now dwindled to dozens, but the volunteers at St. Bridget’s are still serving meals, providing help with immigration paperwork, and securing counseling for the trauma caused by the raid.

The raid cost the government $5.2 million as a part of “Operation Return to Sender” which was designed to apprehend dangerous criminals such as drug dealers and gang members. However, only 5 of the 390 people, who were taken into custody that day, had any kind of a criminal record. The owners and operators of the plant, on the other hand, had been known to underpay workers, fail to pay overtime and employ child labor, but the Iowa Attorney General is now having difficulty prosecuting charges of child labor law violations because witnesses have been deported or they are afraid to testify.

A year later the suffering continues for the entire community. Well over 10% of Postville’s population has been deported. Others have moved away. The community is plagued with empty apartments, and shuttered businesses.

There are many lessons to be learned from Postville not the least of these are the importance of family unity, the consequences of dividing our communities, and the meaning of loving one’s neighbors.

May Day is "Worker's Day"

2009-05-01T13:11:00.004-04:00

May 1st is recognized around the world as "Worker's Day". The observance dates back to 1886 when tens of thousands of workers commenced a general strike in cities across the country demanding an 8 hour work day.

In honor of May Day I am posting a link to a video by Seth Kaper-Dale, the Pastor of the Reformed Church in Highland Park. His congregation has been effected by the harsh and in-humane immigration policies and torn apart several families in his church when members were deported or detained.

Today thousands of our immigrant brothers and sisters will march demanding their rights as workers and as human beings. Demonstrations will be held today in Newark and Jersey City.

In 1886, hard working people were suffering under bad laws, but people from across the country worked together to change the law.

Today hard working people are still suffering under bad laws. Our immigration system no longer allows workers who are needed for our economy and who need work to feed their families to migrate to the United States. Our current system creates a class of laborers who are exploited and sometimes abused with no opportunity to redress their grievances.

We need to work together to change these laws.

May 2nd Support Immigrant Rights in Morristown, NJ

2009-04-29T20:24:00.003-04:00

Please see below information on an event in at St. Margaret’s in Morristown, NJ this Saturday at 10:00 am regarding the pending 287(g) application. Section 287(g)of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, a law passed in 1996 in the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombings, authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to enter into agreements with state and local law enforcement agencies, permitting local police officers to perform immigration law enforcement functions.

Currently both the city of Morristown and the county jail in Monmouth have pending 287(g) applications. Mayor Cresitello of Morristown is well known for his anti-immigrant statements and there is much concern from civil, human and immigrant rights advocates as well as from the local community of the effect enacting 287(g) would have on Morristown.

If you can, please come and show your support for the immigrant community of Morristown and speak up in favor of human rights and against the increased militarization of our society.

Additional Info on 287(g)

Last Monday the East Valley Tribune was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for local reporting for its series on the immigration enforcement policies of Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Maricopa County, AZ. Maricopa County is a participant in the 287(g) program.

The conclusion of the series was that the 287(g) program has led to slower response times to emergency calls, a decreased arrest rate and increased overtime costs.

Here is a link to the articles on how 287(g) has affected Maricopa County

Washington Post Article citing a GAO report describing problems with the 287(g) program

What Would 287(g) mean for Morristown?

A Community Conversation

Saturday May 2, 2009 at 10 am

St. Margaret’s Church

6 Sussex Avenue, Morristown, NJ

There has been a lot of conversation lately in Morristown about the proposed 287(g) agreement, which would deputize local police to enforce federal immigration laws. Please join us for a community-wide conversation with Mayor Cresitello and other experts about the 287(g) program and its implications for Morristown, New Jersey and United States.

Sponsored by:

American Friends Service Committee,

Wind of the Spirit and other organizations

Contact: windofthespirit@verizon.net / 973-538-2035- 201.563.1062

Immigrants Rights Advocates Gather Outside Newark Penn Station

2009-04-13T18:36:00.003-04:00

About 75 people gathered outside Penn Station in Newark on Good Friday in solidarity and support of immigrants’ right to travel. Below are some pictures of the event.

Thank you to everyone who turned out and who helped organize, but there is more work to do. We need to keep the pressure on. Tell Amtrak and Greyhound to Respect Immigrant Rights & STOP TURNING RIDES INTO RAIDS!

Call Amtrak and Greyhound and tell their presidents to:

· GIVE REFUNDS TO FAMILIES THAT WERE DETAINED WHILE USING THEIR SERVICES

· WARN PEOPLE THAT THEY WILL FACE AN IMMIGRATION INSPECTION WHEN USING THEIR SERVICES

· STOP THIS UNDERHANDED COLLABORATION ALTOGETHER

· PUBLICLY APOLOGIZE

Amtrak: Mr. Alexander Kummant, President: 202-906-3000

Greyhound: Dave Leach, President: 972-789-7000

To view more photos click here.

RIGHTS GROUPS hold Vigil to support immigrants’ right to travel

2009-04-10T06:56:00.002-04:00

The press release issued by AFSC Immigrants Rights Program:

RIGHTS GROUPS hold Vigil to support immigrants’ right to travel

Immigrant rights groups recognize that arrests and detentions of immigrants resulting from Amtrak and Greyhound’s cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security leads to devastation of families and communities.

What: Vigil to Support Immigrants’ Right to Travel

Who: Interfaith Coalition for the Rights of Immigration Detainees and their Families and others*

When: Good Friday, April 10th 2009, 1pm to 3pm

Where: Newark Penn Station (Corner of Raymond Plaza West & Market Street), NJ

April 9, 2009 – Immigrant rights groups will lead a Good Friday vigil at Newark’s Pennsylvania Station to raise awareness of the impact of immigration raids on Amtrak trains and Greyhound buses. They will call upon the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to end the raids.

Immigration raids are conducted on Amtrak trains and Greyhound buses within 100 miles of the U.S. border. People traveling through upstate New York to visit family or friends have been taken off of public transportation, arrested, and detained at county jails far from their loved ones or any access to attorneys. Amtrak and Greyhound have failed to inform passengers that if they do not carry immigration documents they run the risk of arrest and detention, while DHS uses racial profiling to target immigrants. These arrests have led to separation and hardship for the family members and communities of the individuals arrested and have frightened other passengers on the trains and buses who witness the arrests.

This event, organized by The Interfaith Coalition for the Rights of Immigration Detainees and their Families, will include participation from sponsoring organizations* (listed below) and concerned citizens. The program will include interfaith prayers, testimonies of affected individuals and comments from lawyers of the American Civil Liberty Union of New Jersey and American Friends Service Committee.

This event is part of the National Week of Action April 8-15, 2009, an initiative of the Rights Working Group and Detention Watch Network to demand fundamental reform of current immigration policy to ensure that due process and human rights of all people are protected. Dozens of other public and private events such as this one will take place during the week of April 8-15 across the country. In New Jersey, several visits to federal legislators have been scheduled. Advocates will also receive a tour of Middlesex County Jail where immigrant detainees are being held and a recent immigrant death occurred.

*Action 21, American Friends Service Committee Immigrant Rights Program, Amnesty International, Casa de Esperanza, Casa Freehold, Detention Watch Network, Families For Freedom, First Friends Middlesex County, Haiti Solidarity Network of the Northeast, Interfaith Coalition for The Rights of Immigration Detainees and their Families, IRATE & First Friends, The Lutheran Office of Governmental Affairs, NJ Association on Corrections, NJ Forum For Human Rights, NJ Immigration Policy Network, NY Immigration Coalition, Pax Christi NJ, Rights Working Group, St. Joseph’s Social Center, Sisters of St. Joseph ESL, Wind of the Spirit

April 10: End Racial Profiling on Amtrak & Greyhound

2009-04-03T12:37:00.003-04:00

Please join us on Friday April 10th from 1-3 pm for a prayer service in solidarity with immigrants & protest of Amtrak and Greyhound’s cooperation with DHS’s racial profiling. We will gather at the park outside of Newark Penn Station at the corner of Market St. and Raymond Plaza East.

Amtrak has agreed to cooperate with border inspections on a random basis within 75 miles of the border. Despite being provided with information that the agents conducting the inspections are engaging in racial profiling Amtrak & Greyhound continue to willingly cooperate with DHS. Both Greyhound and Amtrak have refused to meet with civil and human rights advocates about this issue.

Co-Sponsored by:
AFSC – Immigrants Rights Program, Amnesty International, Detention Watch Network, Casa de Esperanza, Families For Freedom, First Friends Middlesex County, Haiti Solidarity Network of the Northeast, Interfaith Coalition for The Rights of Immigration Detainees and their Families, IRATE & First Friends, The Lutheran Office of Governmental Affairs, NJ Association on Corrections, NJ Forum For Human Rights, NJ Immigration Policy Network, N.Y. Immigration Coalition,Pax Christi NJ, Rights Working Group, St. Joseph’s Social Center, Sisters of St. Joseph ESL

For more information contact:
Alix Nguefack 973-854-0401, anguefack@afsc.org or Kathy O’Leary 908-273-0751 kolearypcnj@gmail.com

Death in Detention In Monmouth County - Kept Secret for Years

2009-04-03T09:51:00.003-04:00

Last year the New York Times published a shocking story of the neglect of a tailor from Guinea who died as a result of severe medical neglect after a fall left him with a head injury. Congressional hearings followed and it was learned that over 85 immigrant detainees had died in custody. However, there was no way of knowing precisely how many had died since none of the county jails or for profit prisons housing immigrants were required to keep records nor were any inquiries mandated as a result of a death while in custody.

There were many allegations of cover-ups from the immigrant’s rights advocacy community which may have sounded a bit like wild conspiracy theories until today. Nina Bernstein has just written another article for the Times confirming the death of a Pakistani man who was held at the Monmouth County jail. His name was Ahmad Tanveer. For over 3 years DHS and the officials at the jail refused to release any information on Mr. Tanveer or acknowledge his death. Thanks to the persistence of the citizen activist members of the NJ Civil Rights Defense Committee and the help of the ACLU, we now know his name, but little else.

DHS has also published a new, revised list of immigrants who have died in detention. This list includes 90 names, but the name of Ana Romero Rivera, who is known to have hung herself in an isolation cell in a county jail in Kentucky last year while awaiting deportation, does not appear on the list. We are left wondering how many more?

Rabbi Michael Lerner to Speak at NJ Peace Action Annual Dinner

2009-03-25T08:57:00.001-04:00

Sunday, April 26th, 2009
Regency House
140 Route 23
North Pompton Plains, New Jersey
12:00 – 4:00 PM (12:00 – 12:45 PM Socializing; 1:00 PM Lunch)
“SUPPORT OBAMA TO BE THE OBAMA YOU VOTED FOR:
GETTING THE ADMINISTRATION BACK ON TRACK”
HONORED GUEST AND RECIPIENT OF THE DOROTHY ELDRIDGE PEACEMAKER AWARD:

Rabbi Michael Lerner
Born in Newark, NJ, Rabbi Lerner is an editor of Tikkun Magazine, a bimonthly Jewish and interfaith critique of politics, culture and society. He is also chair of the international interfaith organization The Network of Spiritual Progressives.
Rabbi Lerner received a special award from the writer’s organization PEN-Oakland for his role as one of the leading Jewish spokespeople for peace and reconciliation between Israel and Palestine.

Rabbi Lerner has written 11 books, including The Politics of Meaning, Healing Israel/Palestine, Jews and Blacks: Let the Healing Begin, co-authored by Cornel West, and most recently, a 2006 national best-seller titled The Left Hand of God: Taking Back our Country from the Religious Right.
Lerner was ordained in 1995 and is the rabbi of Beyt Tikkun synagogue in San Francisco.

Also Honoring:
Military Families Speak Out, Bergen and Essex County Chapters
Recipients of the Sylvia and Oscar Ackelsberg Peace Award
Nadia Akbar
Peace Action Person of the Year
Plus a special video message from Rep. Dennis Kucinich.

Reservations Required

Please visit http://www.njpeaceaction.org or call 973-259-1126
Dinner tickets: $50 before April 17th ($55 after April 17th)
A limited number of discount tickets are available.

Good Friday Action: End Civil Rights Abuses by DHS on Amtrak & Greyhound

2009-03-24T15:13:00.002-04:00

Save the Date
Friday April 10th
1:00-3:00 pm
Outside Penn Station in Newark
(Market St. & W. Raymond Plaza)

Did You Know?

• The border has been extended to a 100 MILE WIDE zone around the entire United States.
• DHS Checkpoints are being set up inland in states across the country.
• DHS agents are being permitted by Amtrak & Greyhound to board trains and buses when they come within 100 miles of the border for the purpose of checking the immigration status of passengers.
• Amtrak & Greyhound DO NOT notify passengers of this risk.

Join us for a prayer service in solidarity with immigrants and a rally to protest Amtrak and Greyhound’s cooperation with DHS!
We will also be leafleting inside and around Penn Station to warn passengers of the risk of immigration searches.

Co-Sponsored by: AFSC – Immigrants Rights Program, IRATE & First Friends, Pax Christi NJ

For more information or to become a co-sponsor please contact:
Alix Nguefack 973-854-0401, anguefack@afsc.org or Kathy O’Leary 908-273-0751 kolearypcnj@gmail.com

Radical Hospitality and Immigration - Lenten Lecture

2009-03-20T20:43:00.002-04:00

Monsignor William Reilly will be the speaker at the Monday, March 23 Lenten Lecture at St. Teresa of Avila Church, 306 Morris Ave.

The Monsignor's topic will be Radical Hospitality and Immigration. This bilingual program will be in Spanish and English. Monsignor Reilly is currently the pastor of Most Holy Name Church in Garfield, NJ. He recently completed his service on the Governor's Blue Ribbon Advisory Panel on Immigrant Policy.

The panel was charged with examining state issues as they relate to immigrants and develop recommendations for a comprehensive, state-wide approach toward integration of the state's immigrant population.

The theme for the St. Teresa of Avila Church Lenten Lectures Series is God's Love Knows No Borders.

The series began on March 9. The Monday, March 23 lecture completes this series. It will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the church's Avila Room.

The annual Lenten Lectures are sponsored by the St. Teresa of Avila Church Social Concerns and Justice Committee, and focus on the social teaching of the Catholic Church. Call 908-598-8194.

6th Anniversary of the Invasion of Iraq - Vigils Throughout NJ

2009-03-19T08:36:00.002-04:00

Six years later and over 4000 US soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis killed and millions more Iraqis displaced our military presence in Iraq continues. Today groups throughout the state will be holding vigils and demonstrations against our occupation in Iraq. If you are looking to gather with fellow peacemakers and witness for the complete withdrawal of troops from Iraq below is a list of vigil throughout the state.

*Statewide Demonstration in New Brunswick!

REBUILD & RENEW
AMERICA NOW!

Cut the Military Budget Annually by 25% - Make it Transparent
End the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
Create Jobs and Strengthen our Infrastructure
Guarantee Quality Affordable Health Care for Everyone
High Quality Education from Early Childhood through College
Regulate Wall St. and Support Main St.
Clean Energy and Independence From Oil
Reduce Poverty and Support the Social Safety Net

March and Vigil

Calling for A Reduction in Military Spending and Investment in our Families

Intersection of George St. & Albany St.
New Brunswick
Thursday, March 19, 2009
5:30 PM

Co-sponsoring Organizations (in formation):
Alliance for Disabled in Action · Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees · Central Jersey Coalition Against Endless War · Central New Jersey for Change · Coalition for Peace Action · CWA Local 1081· DFA-NJ · Green Party of Monmouth County · Industrial Union Council · Lutheran office of Governmental Ministries Monmouth Democracy for America · New Jersey Citizen Action · New Jersey Labor Against the War · New Brunswick Chapter of the NAACP ·New Jersey Peace Action · Next Step · Ocean County Democracy for America · Ocean Progressive Democrats of America · PDA/DFA Progressive Democracy South Jersey · People's Organization for Progress · Rutgers AAUP-AFT · Rutgers Against the War · Somerset Unitarian Universalist Social Action Committee · Somerset Voices for Peace and Justice · Tent State · Union County Peace Council

For More Information or to Add Your Organization as a Co-sponsor, contact Atif Malik, NJ Citizen Action Organizer at atif@njcitizenaction.org or 732-246-4772.

*Six Years Too Many -- events in Bergen County

Join Bergen County Military Families, Veterans, and Local Residents
March 18 - 22
to mark the 6th Anniversary of the Iraq War

Join us to demand:
All troops out of Iraq immediately!
Bring the National Guard Home immediately to take care of the people of NJ! Their deployment is illegal.
Take care of the troops when they get here!
NOT one more dollar for the Iraq war! Use the money here for people's needs - for housing, health care, jobs, and education.

Please come to these important events in Bergen County to mark the 6th anniversary of the war. Bring food and baby supplies for the Family Assistance Center for the National Guard families whose loved ones are currently deployed in Iraq .

·Wednesday, March 18. Vigil/press conference. 4:30 - 6:00 pm. The press conference will be at 5:00 pm.National Guard armory. Teaneck Rd and Liberty Rd. Teaneck , NJ .

· Thursday, March 19. Vigil. 5:00 - 6:00 pm. Ft. Lee Vigil Group. Lemoine Avenue and Bruce Reynolds Boulevard . Ft. Lee , NJ

· Friday, March 20. Film showing and discussion. 7:00 pm. See Phil Donahue's movie, Body of War, about the impact of the war on troops and families and the role of members of Congress. PHIL DONAHUE WILL APPEAR IN PERSON TO SPEAK ABOUT HIS FILM. Puffin Cultural Center. 20 Puffin Way , off Teaneck Road , near Ft. Lee Road , Teaneck , NJ

· Saturday, March 21. 12:00 noon. Demonstration at the monument in Englewood , Palisade Ave. and Tenafly Ave.

· Sunday, March 22. Vigil. 4:30 - 5:00. Sponsored by the Leonia Vigil Group. Broad Avenue and Ft. Lee Road in Leonia.

Military Families Speak Out, Bergen County www.mfsobergencounty.org
Veterans for Peace, Chapter 21 NJ
Bergen Peace and Justice Coalition www.bergenjustice.net
Teaneck Peace and Justice Coalition
Leonia Vigil Group
Ft. Lee Vigil Group
NJ Peace Action

We welcome the co-sponsorship of other groups and participation of everyone in the region.

*Montclair, Morristown and Weehawken Hold Special Vigils

*The Montclair Peace Vigil will mark the 6th anniversary of the war in Iraq with a Thursday vigil - March 19th, 4:30 - 6:00 pm instead of Friday. Everyone is welcome to join us. The vigil takes place at the intersection of Bloomfield Avenue, So. Fullerton Avenue and Church StreetMontclair. For more information, contact (973)259-1126.

*The Morristown Peace Vigil will hold a special vigil to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq on Friday, March 20th from 6:00pm until 7:00pm on the Morristown Green. The vigil will call for ALL the troops to be brought home from Iraq.

*The Weehawken Citizens for Peace will mark the sorry event of the sixth year since the U.S.Iraq with a special vigil at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument on Boulevard East in Weehawken from 5:00pm to 6:30pm on March 19th. Please join us! (note the date change)

*Courage of Conscience Speaking Tour: Combatants for Peace
Courage of Conscience Speaking Tour
Combatants for Peace

March 19th at 7:30pm
Sparta United Methodist Church
71 Sparta Avenue
Sparta, NJ 07871

Former Soldier, Former Fighter

Yaniv Reshef and Bassam Aramin

Tangible Way to Peace in Israel and Palestine

Israeli Yaniv Rashef, whose home is in range of Gaza missiles, was a foot soldier in a sabotage unit of the Israeli Army - and chose to fight no more. Palestinian Bassam Aramin served seven years in jail for planning an attack against Israeli soldiers - and chose no more violence. Just two years ago, Bassam lost his daughter to an Israeli soldier's rubber-coated bullet. They are Combatants for Peace, now over 600 former Israeli soldiers and former Palestinian fighters, working together without revenge to build justice, peace - and playgrounds.

Cosponsors:

Church and Society Committee of SUMC, Northwest New Jersey Peace Fellowship (a chapter of NJ Peace Action), September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, The Peace Abbey, and the Rebuilding Alliance.

South Mountain Peace Action Celebrates Peace!

Saturday March 21, 2009

Ceremony
for
PEACE

12:30 pm to 1:00 pm

at the Peace Memorial
in the garden behind

The Ethical Culture Society
516 Prospect Street
Maplewood NJ

*Trenton - Countdown to Withdrawal

Noontime press conference
6th Anniversary
of the Iraq War

Come and join this important regional press conference at a site where 30 reporters are stationed full time. This is our best shot at getting our message out through the media. Even if you need to take time off from work, it is worth it!

March 19, 2009
Time: 12 noon to 1:00 pm
Place: Statehouse steps - 125 West State Street
Trenton , NJ
Press Conference on Sixth Anniversary of Iraq War at 12 Noon on March 19 on State House Steps in Trenton
Brother of fallen soldier, Vietnam veteran, student leaders and clergy to speak.

New Mexico Abolishes the Death Penalty

2009-03-18T21:28:00.004-04:00

New Mexico just became the third state to abolish the death penalty through the legislature. New Jersey of course was the first and just last month Montana voted to abolish the death penalty as well. The momentum is building!

STATEMENT BY NEW JERSEYANS FOR ALTERNATIVES TO THE DEATH PENALTY ON NEW MEXICO’S REPEAL OF ITS DEATH PENALTY

Chatham, New Jersey – New Jerseyans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (NJADP) congratulates New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and the New Mexico State Legislature for their leadership in repealing capital punishment. We welcome New Mexico’s company as it joins New Jersey and 13 other states that have abandoned the outdated and extreme practice of execution.

The strong bipartisan vote in the New Mexico Legislature comes amidst a growing chorus of concern about the death penalty across the country. New Mexico’s decision to end capital punishment brings to 15 the number of states that no longer carry out executions. Other states have put executions on hold or enacted studies. With executions and death sentences on decline since 2000 in every region of the nation, and with public opinion moving away from support for capital punishment, it is clear that America is rethinking the death penalty.

Call in to Support H.R. 182 - IMPORTANT UPDATE

2009-03-03T13:25:00.002-05:00

ALIPAC just posted to one of its message boards to call in to oppose H.R. 182. ALIPAC stands for Americans for Legal Immigration Political Action Committee. They have been designated a “nativist, extremist organization” by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

PLEASE MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO CALL TODAY TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR FAMILY UNITY AND SAY NO TO HATE. ASK YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS TO CALL TOO.

Today is the Day - Call to Support the Child Citizen Protection Act

2009-03-03T09:23:00.002-05:00

Today is the day that groups from the American Friends Service Committee and Families for Freedom will be traveling to DC along with affected family members to lobby for the Child Citizen Protection Act.

Remember to call your congressman today and ask him to co-sponsor this bill because it is important that we do everything that we can to keep families together.

After you have called please email kathy-wargo@comcast.net with the name of your congressman and any feedback.

Thank you so much for taking the time to speak up for family unity.

NJ Call-In to Support Child Citizen Protection Act

2009-02-24T13:49:00.005-05:00

In the family, which is a community of persons, special attention must be devoted to the children by developing a profound esteem for their personal dignity, and a great respect and generous concern for their rights. ... By fostering and exercising a tender and strong concern for every child that comes into this world, the Church fulfills a fundamental mission: for she is called upon to reveal and put forward anew in history the example and the commandment of Christ the Lord, who placed the child at the heart of the Kingdom of God: "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven." from FAMILIARIS CONSORTIO by Pope John Paul II

On March 3rd groups from American Friends Service Committee and Families for Freedom will be in Washington, DC lobbying congress about the Child Citizen Protection Act. Please call your congressman that day and ask him to co-sponsor H.R. 182.

About the Bill

An estimated 3.1 million US citizen children have at least one parent who is undocumented. Every year thousands of children are either separated from a parent who has been deported or forced into exile.

Under the current law, judges are not allowed to consider the impact on minor US citizen children when deciding whether or not to deport a parent. The Child Citizen Protection Act would allow immigration judges to consider whether deportation is "clearly against the best interests of a US citizen child".

To read the entire bill click here.

Don’t know how to contact your congressman?

Go to www.congress.org and type in your zip-code

Talking points:

* We should be doing everything we can to keep families together.

* Current immigration law provides no option to the presiding judge in a deportation case to consider the harm of separation of the child who is a US citizen from their parent.

* There are an estimated 2 million families in the U.S. with mixed immigration status.

* These families have approximately 3.1 million U.S. citizen children.

* The current immigration law routinely breaks apart these families.

* The children who are left behind in single parent households suffer emotionally, and financially. Many join the welfare roles. Some have to leave school to go to work.

* I value family unity and believe that these children should be provided with every opportunity to be raised in a stable and unified family.

Pax Christi NJ Spring Assembly 2009

2009-02-19T09:24:00.005-05:00

"Your light from within can banish the darkness, and when we stand together, in a great glow of illumination, may it be the power of good over evil.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

Pax Christi NJ Spring Assembly 2009

Banishing the Darkness: Our Christian Witness for Disarmament and Demilitarization

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Felician College, Lodi, NJ

The day begins with Registration and exhibits at 9:00 a.m.

Program (which will include Liturgy and Box Lunch) 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Keynote Speaker: Joshua Casteel

Joshua is a former interrogator at Abu Ghraib, turned conscientious objector and a recent convert to Catholicism. and a new book called “Letters from Abu Ghraib”. Joshua gave witness at Winter Soldier and traveled to Rome in March of 2007 with the Catholic Peace Fellowship to meet Pope Benedict XVI and to advance the issue of conscientious objection. He is featured along with Camilo Mejia and other CO’s in the documentary Soldiers of Conscience which aired this past fall on PBS’s P.O.V.

Joshua studied philosophy and literature at the University of Iowa and Oxford. He is currently a dual MFA candidate at the University of Iowa where he teaches rhetoric and theater history. He is the author of two plays about his experiences in Iraq and his new book "Letters from Abu Ghraib" is available on Amazon.com and Small Press Distribution.

Featured Speakers:

Joseph Fahey

Dr. Joseph Fahey is a co-founder and former General Secretary and Chairperson of Pax Christi, USA and was named a Pax Christi Ambassador of Peace. He also served on the international Council of Pax Christi International. He is the author of "War and the Christian Conscience: Where Do You Stand?," "Reinhold Niebuhr on Human Nature and World Peace," and the editor of "A Peace Reader: Essential Readings on War, Justice, Nonviolence and World Order." He has also written "Irenology: The Study of Peace," and "Peace, War and the Christian Conscience." He has written many articles, essays, and reviews on war and peace issues and Catholic Social Teaching.

Frida Berrigan

Frida Berrigan is Senior Program Associate of the Arms and Security Initiative at the New America Foundation. She served for eight years as Deputy Director and Senior Research Associate at the Arms Trade Resource Center at the World Policy Institute at the New School in New York City. And has worked as a researcher at The Nation. Ms. Berrigan is a columnist for Foreign Policy in Focus and a contributing editor of In These Times magazine. She is the author of reports on arms trade and human rights, U.S. nuclear weapons policy, and the domestic politics of U.S. missile defense and space weapons policies. She has been a featured expert on national and regional radio outlets, and regularly speaks on national security issues to citizen’s organizations and at major conferences

Anna Brown

Anna J. Brown is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Saint Peter's
College in Jersey City, New Jersey. She has served with the Christian Peacemaker Team in Palestine and is the College delegate to a Sister City program in Los Amates, El Salvador.

She is a long time member, along with Daniel Berrigan, S.J. of the Kairos Community, a New York City based community devoted to prayer, reflection and nonviolent civil disobedience. Along with other Kairos members, she has enaged in over 60 acts of nonviolent civil disobedience.

Registration Fee: $35.00

Seniors and Students with ID: $20:00

Please bring your own mug.

TO REGISTER: (Please include the following information)

Name:
Address:
Phone:

Box Lunch (please note): Meat or Vegetarian

Send this information and your registration fee to:

Irene Donohue
673 Thoreau Terrace
Union, NJ 07083

Please make checks payable to Pax Christi NJ.

ADVANCE REGISTRATION RECOMMENDED

For further information about this program, please contact Kathy O’Leary 908-273-0751.

Ash Wednesday Vigil at the Elizabeth Detention Center

2009-02-08T11:23:00.002-05:00

“In migrants the Church has always contemplated the image of Christ who said, “I was a stranger and you made me welcome” (Mt 25:35). Their condition is, therefore, a challenge to the faith and love of believers, who are called on to heal the evils caused by migration and discover the plan God pursues through it…” From the PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR THE PASTORAL CARE OF MIGRANTS AND ITINERANT PEOPLE (The love of Christ towards migrants)

Please join IRATE (the Interfaith Refugee Action Team - Elizabeth) and Pax Christi NJ as we begin our Lenten journey and gather to offer our prayers for the grace to recognize the face of Christ in immigrants and the courage to show them the radical hospitality of the Gospel. We will meet for a prayer service and to distribute ashes in front of the Elizabeth Detention Center, where approximately 300 refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants are being held. The service will be followed by a fasting soup supper at the St. Joseph’s Social Service Center.

6PM, at the Elizabeth Detention Center,

625 Evans Street, Elizabeth NJ 07201

Followed by a fasting soup supper at the St Joseph’s Social Service Center, 118 Division St.

Organized by St Joseph’s Social Service Center, Pax Christi NJ and IRATE/First Friends

Contact firstfriends2@juno.com or 908-965-0455 for more information

IRATE is an alliance of grassroots organizations whose members believe that the current U.S. policy of detaining immigrants in prison-like conditions is contrary to our tradition of welcoming refugees. Currently in New Jersey, the Bureau of Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) has some 300 people detained at the Elizabeth Detention Center and an unknown number of people in county jails throughout the state.

For more information on immigration detention go to www.irateweb.org, www.detentionwatchnetwork.org or www.cliniclegal.org

Peacemaking: Piece by Piece

2009-01-01T10:31:00.005-05:00

According to Dorothy Day, "the greatest challenge of the day is how to bring about a revolution of the heart." This revolution begins with each one of us in our own hearts and in our own lives.

This year get a little extra help keeping your New Year’s resolution to live a more just and peaceful life by joining us at the annual Pax Christi NJ Retreat. This program will help you to deepen your relationship with yourself and others and teach you how to unleash nonviolent power in your own life and in the world. Strengthen your resolve to do justice as we nurture our community of peacemakers.

Peacemaking Piece by Piece

Saturday, January 24, 2009

St. Mary’s Parish Center

Colts Neck, NJ

Facilitators-Carol Fay & Eileen McGuire

For a flyer and registration form click here.

All God’s Children: Together on a Journey of Hope

2008-12-10T08:41:00.002-05:00

St. Teresa’s Social Concerns & Justice Committee would like to invite you to a panel discussion on current immigration policy and potential reforms. The issues of immigration enforcement, detention, and family reunification will be among those we examine through the lens of our faith. The date was selected to coincide with Holy Family’s Flight into Egypt.

All God’s Children: Together on a Journey of Hope

A Panel Discussion on Immigration

Monday, January 5th at 7:00 PM
St Teresa’s – Memorial Hall
306 Morris Avenue
Summit, NJ 07901

For more information please contact Karen Malnati at 908-598-8194 or malnatifamily@hotmail.com

To RSVP or for directions click here.

Speaker Bios:

Amy Gottlieb
Amy Gottlieb is the Program Director of the American Friends Service Committee Immigrant Rights Program in Newark,. She graduated from Rutgers Law School-Newark in 1996, and has represented intending immigrants in family-based petitions and applicants for asylum. Gottlieb is a board member of the New Jersey Immigration Policy Network, La Fuente, and the Rutgers Law School, and also serves on the Immigration and Nationality Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, as well as the Minority Concerns Committee of the Hudson County Court System.

Juan Carlos Ruiz
Juan Carlos Ruiz is an immigrant and son of immigrant parents. He holds a M. Div in Theology from St. Mary of the Lake, Chicago. He is a member of the New Sanctuary Coalition in NYC and the Northeast Coordinator for the New Sanctuary Movement. The New Sanctuary Movement was established in 2007 with the goal of protecting immigrant families from unjust deportation, affirming and making visible these families as children of God and awakening the moral imagination of the country through prayer and witness.

Rev. Petero A. N. Sabune
Petero Sabune, was born in Uganda, where his father was an Anglican Priest and his brother, James, was murdered by Idi Amin. He graduated from Vassar College with a degree in political science and earned a M. Div from the Union Theological Seminary. Sabune has been widely praised for his work with Episcopal faith communities and for his work with immigrants. He is currently Pastor and Protestant Chaplain, Sing Sing Correctional Facility and Associate, Trinity Church; Ossining, New York.

The Advent Conspiracy

2008-12-08T16:24:00.004-05:00

“The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him. But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man's decision but of God. And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth.” John 1: 9-14

This post is a response to one of those chain emails that bemoans the lack of Christmas spirit as measured by how many people are saying "Merry Christmas". The email was lacking in all joy and had a tone much more befitting Ebenezer Scrooge than Tiny Tim as it railed against certain religious and political groups. Besides even if everyone this very minute climbed to the top of their roof and shouted Merry Christmas from the top of their lungs would that really do anything to change the focus of our holiday plans?

This Christmas season what would happen if we all renewed our commitment to justice and peace for all of God's children?

What would happen if we asked others to join us?

Starting in 2006 a handful of churches in the US tried this and now thousands of people in Africa have clean water to drink. They call it The Advent Conspiracy. Check out this website and watch this video to see how they did it.

Christ’s birth is the fulfillment of a promise to God’s people that radical change is not only possible it is promised to those who follow Christ and attempt to share His radical, revolutionary, limitless. This Christmas may we all find a way to worship fully, spend less, give more, and love fully.

A Spiritual Election Reminder

2008-11-03T14:00:00.006-05:00

It may be the end of the election season, but our responsibilities as Catholics and as Christians to live according to the Gospel and to work for justice has no conclusion.

Whether you end up being pleased or not about the outcome of tomorrow’s election, we are all members of the body of Christ and we all will continue His work long after this election season is forgotten. Each will do so in our own way according to our gifts, but no part will be more important than the other.

The prayer below is a spiritual reminder that our allegiance is to the reign of God--not any party platform, or politician.

Based on Psalm 146, it was written by Art Laffin, of the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker in Washington, DC. It reminds us all to put our trust in God as we continue to work for peace and justice.

A Contemporary Adaptation of Psalm 146

Praise God our Creator, Source of all life.
I will sing praise to God as long as I live.
Do not put your trust in princes and presidents,
in mortals, in whom there is no salvation.
When they die they, too, return to earth;
on that very day their plans perish.
Happy are those whose hope is in the Lord, their God,
who made heaven and earth,
the sea and all that is in them;
who keeps faith forever;
who executes justice for the oppressed;
who gives food to the hungry;
who labors for the common good and the beloved community.
For the Lord sets prisoners free,
and opens the eyes of the blind;
the Lord raises up those who are bowed down
and loves those who do what is right.
The Lord watches over the strangers, refugees and homeless
and upholds the orphan, the widow and the immigrant.
But the way of the wicked-those who commit acts of violence, who kill,
exploit, wage war, perpetrate injustice, trust in idols, demonize and scapegoat-
are brought to ruin!
God is sovereign over all earthly rulers and powers.
God, alone, is our Judge-it is God who will have the last word!
God will reign forever-
not presidents, judges or generals, the rich and powerful.
To all earthly rulers,
to all who hold political power, to people everywhere-
take notice: do what God requires-
follow God's commands, not opinion polls.
End all poverty, killing, warmaking;
beat all swords into plowshares;
renounce all idolatry;
eradicate racism and all forms of discrimination;
stand with and for the victims.
Happy are those who put their trust in God.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice;
who care for the earth and practice unconditional love;
who do the works of mercy and peace;
who work for reconciliation for all peoples.
Let all generations praise God.
Let us praise God forever!
Amen.

Pax Christi USA's Fr. Joe Add Featured on CNN

2008-10-29T16:07:00.003-04:00

Pax Christi USA's television ad, "Father Joe on Keeping Racism out of the Election", went national on Monday, October 27, when it was featured on CNN's "The Situation Room" with Wolf Blitzer. The ratings for the show were over 1.4 million.

Visit www.paxchristiusa.orgfor additional resources for voting for the common good and donate now to help Pax Christi USA in this ad campaign.

Help Provide Thanksgiving for Separated Families

2008-10-29T11:02:00.003-04:00

Kevin Amaya age 5 with a letter from his mother who had been deported to Honduras a month earlier.

On Friday November 21st, at the Episcopal House in Newark, the American Friends Service Committee Immigrant Rights Program in Newark will be hosting a party for families of recently deported immigrants and immigrant detainees.

Detention and deportation creates both an emotional and a financial strain on the families who are left behind. These family members are often legal residents or American citizens. (Up to 15% of US families are of mixed immigration status.) As a result, deportation will effectively permanently separate immediate family members, including parents from their young children.

At the party the families will be given each family a Thanksgiving basket of food stuff to celebrate the holiday. A list of items requested is listed below. Monetary donations will also be accepted. You can make checks out to:

Sr. Janet Yurkanin
Migration & Refugee Svcs.
Diocese of Trenton
149 N. Warren St.
Trenton, NJ 08608-1307

For more information, or if you know of a family who is suffering from the separation of immigration detention or deportation, please contact Alix Nguefack at 973-854-0401.

Thanksgiving Basket

Turkey (12 - 15 lb for family of four; 16 - 22 lb for family of five +)
Packaged Macaroni and cheese or rice and dried beans/peas
Fresh Broccoli or Green Beans
Canned Corn
Canned or Fresh Sweet Potatoes
Canned or Fresh Carrots
Packaged Stuffing
Cranberry Sauce
Yellow Onion(s)
Pearl Onions (optional)
Celery (optional)
Evaporated Milk
Chicken Broth
Rolls
Butter or Margarine
Fresh Fruit – Apples, Bananas, Pears, Tangerines and or Clementines
Pie(s) (not frozen) – Pumpkin, Apple, Mincemeat. Pecan (or the fixings = crust, fruit)
Cookies
Shelled Nuts
Brown Sugar
Marshmallows

Opposing Evil AND Doing Good

2008-10-24T14:01:00.004-04:00

Like many other Catholics, this election has been causing me a great deal of angst. The battle in the pews over single issues is at a fever pitch in my parish.

I was able to find some comfort in the this joint statement I just recieved from the USCCB offices of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities and the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development. I think I will let the statement speak for itself.

Joint Statement by
Cardinal Justin Rigali
Chairman, Committee on Pro-Life Activities
and
Bishop William Murphy
Chairman, Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

October 21, 2008

In Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship (2007), the Catholic bishops of the United States urged Catholic voters to form their consciences in accord with the Church’s moral teaching. We emphasized that: “Both opposing evil and doing good are essential obligations” (No. 24). Unfortunately, there seem to be efforts and voter education materials designed to persuade Catholics that they need only choose one approach: either opposing evil or doing good. This is not an authentically Catholic approach.

Some argue that we should not focus on policies that provide help for pregnant women, but just focus on the essential task of establishing legal protections for children in the womb. Others argue that providing life-affirming support for pregnant women should be our only focus and this should take the place of efforts to establish legal protections for unborn children. We want to be clear that neither argument is consistent with Catholic teaching. Our faith requires us to oppose abortion on demand and to provide help to mothers facing challenging pregnancies.

In 1973 the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision knocked down laws against abortion in all 50 states, fabricating a constitutional “right” to abortion that continues to haunt and divide our society. Within two days of that decision, the Catholic bishops rejected it as “bad morality, bad medicine and bad public policy.” We called for a comprehensive response: exploring “every legal possibility” for challenging the Court’s tragic error and restoring legal safeguards for the right to life of the unborn child; helping to pass laws to “restrict the practice of abortion as much as possible” in the meantime; and educating society to the need to safeguard the child and support “more humane and morally acceptable solutions” for women facing problems during pregnancy.

Recently, some have called on the Church to abandon most of this effort. They say we should accept Roe as a permanent fixture of constitutional law, stop trying to restore recognition for the unborn child’s human rights, and confine our public advocacy to efforts to “reduce abortions” through improved economic and social support for women and families.

The Catholic community is second to no one in providing and advocating for support for women and families facing problems during pregnancy. Catholic hospitals, charitable institutions, and thousands of pregnancy aid centers, provide life-saving care and compassionate alternatives to the violence of abortion. We have advocated for universal health care coverage, generous family leave policies, increases in the minimum wage, humane welfare policies for women who are pregnant or caring for young children, expanded funding for WIC and other nutrition programs, and a federal children’s health insurance program that includes coverage for unborn children and their mothers. Because some women still feel pressured by economic hardship and lack of support to resort to abortion, our task in this regard is far from over.

These efforts, however, are not an adequate or complete response to the injustice of Roe v. Wade for several important reasons. First, the Court’s decision in Roe denied an entire class of innocent human beings the most fundamental human right, the right to life. In fact, the act of killing these fellow human beings was transformed from a crime into a “right,” turning the structure of human rights on its head. Roe v. Wade is a clear case of an “intrinsically unjust law” we are morally obliged to oppose (see Evangelium vitae, nos. 71-73). Reversing it is not a mere political tactic, but a moral imperative for Catholics and others who respect human life.

Second, the many challenges to the Court’s error since 1973 have borne fruit, leading to significant modifications of Roe. Most recently in its ruling on partial-birth abortion, the Court upheld a ban on an abortion procedure for the first time in 35 years, and acknowledged that abortion takes a human life and does serious harm to women.
Third, Roe itself enormously increased the annual number of abortions in our society. The law is a teacher, and Roe taught many women, physicians and others that abortion is an acceptable answer to a wide range of problems. By the same token, even the limited pro-life laws allowed by the Court since Roe have been shown to reduce abortions substantially, leading to a steady decline in the abortion rate since 1980. Bans on public funding, laws requiring informed consent for women and parental involvement for minors, and other modest and widely supported laws have saved millions of lives. Laws made possible by reversing Roe would save many more. On the other hand, this progress could be lost through a key pro-abortion proposal, the “Freedom of Choice Act,” which supporters say would knock down hundreds of current pro-life laws and forbid any public program to “discriminate” against abortion in providing services to women.
Providing support for pregnant women so they choose to have their babies is a necessary but not sufficient response to abortion. Similarly, reversal of Roe is a necessary but not sufficient condition for restoring an order of justice in our society’s treatment of defenseless human life. This act by itself would not automatically grant legal protection to the unborn. It would remove an enormous obstacle to such protection, so the people of the United States and their elected representatives in every state could engage in a genuine discussion of how to save unborn children and their mothers from the tragedy of abortion. Both approaches to opposing abortion are essential. By protecting the child’s life to the maximum degree possible, improving life-affirming support for pregnant women, and changing the attitudes and prejudices imposed on many women to make them see abortion as an acceptable or necessary solution, we will truly help build a culture of life.
In light of a wide range of attempts to interpret Church teaching or imply that outside materials represent the teaching of the Church, we wish to affirm that Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship is the teaching that has been approved by the body of bishops of the United States. As we explained in that statement, “We encourage Catholics to seek those resources that are authorized by their own bishops, their state Catholic conferences, and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.”

Special Screening of The Visitor

2008-10-24T13:45:00.003-04:00

Did you know?

Over the past decade US policies have been stealthily and systematically enmeshing immigrants in the criminal justice system and the War on Terror, and they are using detention and deportation as critical tools.

Please join

Pax Christi NJ and The American Friends Service Committee Immigrants Rights Program

At a special screening of The Visitor

Wednesday November 12, 2008 6:00 pm

followed by: A Panel Discussion on the Issue of Immigration Detention
6pm reception followed by 6:30pm film screening and panel discussion)

St. Peter’s College
Pope Lecture Hall
Jersey City Campus)
2641 Kennedy Boulevard, Jersey City, NJ

This critically acclaimed feature film examines the issues of due process, detention and deportation of refugees and immigrants through the eyes of a college professor whose life is changed after a chance meeting with an immigrant couple. Click here to view the trailer.

To RSVP, call American Friends Service Committee at 973-643-1924.

Co-Sponsored by:
American Civil Liberties Union-NJ
Casa de Esperanza
First Friends
Human Rights First
Lutheran Office of Governmental Ministry in NJ
New Jersey Civil Rights Committee
New Jersey Immigration Policy Network
New Sanctuary Movement
Pax Christi-NJ
South Asian Americans Leading Together
Wind of the Spirit
Migration and Refugee Services, Diocese of Trenton

For more information visit:

http://www.thevisitorfilm.com
www.activevoice.net

A Clear Statement on the Iraq War from the Catholic Church

2008-10-18T16:37:00.003-04:00

Finally...

Donate now to help Pax Christi USA run this ad as a TV spot before the election.

"For Profit" Immigration Detention Center - A Legitimate Business?

2008-10-17T08:49:00.005-04:00

[Ownership] becomes illegitimate... when it is not utilized or when it serves to impede the work of others, in an effort to gain a profit which is not the result of the overall expansion of work and the wealth of society, but rather is the result of curbing them or of illicit exploitation, speculation or the breaking of solidarity among working people. Ownership of this kind has no justification, and represents an abuse in the sight of God and man. Pope John Paul II from Centesimus Annus

A group of investors who have no background in law enforcement or running residential facilities of any kind has just been awarded a contract by ICE and the Department of Homeland Security to build and run a 1000 bed facility in the city of Farmville, Virginia.

According to this article in Facing South the contract was hastily awarded to keep pace with increased demand for space and overcrowding in current facilities as a result of the stepped up pace raids and incarceration.

Gerald Spates, Farmville town manager reasons that the new detention center will keep those who are housed there "safe" from the abuses in overcrowded facilities and from the dangers of being housed with criminal offenders in county jails and other facilities currently doing double duty. He was honest enough to admit that profit was a motivation.

"We've been hearing horror stories about detainees being put into prison with other criminals when all they have done is be here without documentation. Our goal is to keep them safe," Spates said. "But I want to be honest with you. We do stand to gain financially from this."

Holding immigrants in prison-like facilities is much more expensive. It costs between $95 and $170 per day to house immigrants in these detention facilities. Alternatives to detention such as supervised release, electronic monitoring, etc. are much cheaper, costing only about $12 per day.

In the past large numbers of immigrants who were seeking asylum or who were facing deportation as a result of non-criminal offenses had been allowed to remain in the community. Even though they were not in custody the immigration court system still realized well over a ninety percent appearance rate.

In the context of Catholic Social Teaching is for profit detention a "legitimate" business? I can't find a justification, can you?

Great Turnout at the Detention Center Protest

2008-10-14T08:09:00.008-04:00

We had beautiful weather on Sunday and a great turnout. Over 200 people showed up to protest the inhumane treatment of immigrants at the Elizabeth Detention Center. The march stretched almost the entire length of Evans St. The multi-racial crowd ranged in age from infants to senior citizens. Many family members of the detained and recently deported were on hand.

Members of the crowd were at times moved to tears as the conditions and the stress on the separated families were described. At one point David Fraccaro the coordinator for the Sojourners Visitors Program at Riverside Church invited people up to the mic to call out the names of those who were being held inside. Sadly we do not know all of their names because ICE will not release that information.

The speakers included: Shai Goldstein, executive director NJIPN, Pradeep Thappa- poet, journalist and a detainee in 2001 and 2002, Fr. Gene Squeo, Co-Pastor St. Patrick & Assumption/All Saints, Jersey City, Sr. Jacinta Fernandez, David Fraccaro, Coordinator Sojourners Visitor Program and Bill Westerman, IRATE Director & Princeton University Professor.

The event was co-sponsored by various religious, social service and human rights organizations including First Friends, American Friends Service Committee Immigrant Rights Program, Benedictines for Peace, Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless, Haiti Solidarity Network of the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic Justice Office Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, The New Sanctuary Movement, NJ Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, NJ Immigration Policy Network, Pax Christi NJ, People's Organization for Progress, St. Joe's Social Service Center.
To see the rest of the photos with captiosn go to the Pax Christi NJ Facebook page.

It's a Beautiful Day for a Protest

2008-10-12T09:45:00.003-04:00

Weather for Elizabeth, NJ 07201 10/12/2008

Clear and Sunny with a high of 70 degrees

I will be leaving soon to attend the Columbus Day vigil and march at the Elizabeth Detention Center. The detention center is located just beyond the end of one of the runways at Newark Airport in a converted warehouse. I will be taking lots of pictures so I hope to have time to post again later tonight.

Pax Christi NJ to Join Protest at Elizabeth Detention Center

2008-10-10T22:23:00.010-04:00

Pax Christi NJ, a region of Pax Christi USA the national Catholic peace movement (www.paxchristiusa.org), announced that it will join First Friends as a co-sponsor of the 10^th Annual Columbus Day vigil and march at the Elizabeth Immigration Detention Center operated by Corrections Corp of

America

. The event is being co-sponsored by various religious, social service and human rights organizations including American Friends Service Committee Immigrant Rights Program, Benedictines for Peace, Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless, Haiti Solidarity Network of the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic Justice Office Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, The New Sanctuary Movement, NJ Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, NJ Immigration Policy Network, Pax Christi NJ, People’s Organization for Progress, St. Joe’s Social Service Center

John Cosgrove, speaking on behalf of the NJ Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers explained why his organization is supporting the protest, “For social workers, protection of the most vulnerable is fundamental to our professional ethics and practice. Therefore we share the concern of others of conscience about the documented violations of essential human rights of non-criminal aliens in federally-funded detention.”

“Our faith does not allow us to separate those warrant protection from those who do not. Incarcerating immigrants and separating families on the basis of immigration status alone while denying them access to healthcare, and adequate legal services erodes the respect for human dignity” said Kathy O’Leary, co-coordinator of Pax Christi NJ.

“As Sisters of Mercy and Mercy Associates, who hold sacred the dignity of each person, we are saddened and outraged at the treatment of our brothers and sisters held in detention centers throughout the United States,” said Sr. Diane Guerin, Justice Coordinator of the Mid-Atlantic Sisters of Mercy.

The event will begin at 1:30 pm at the corner of Dowd and Evans Streets in Elizabeth, NJ before marching to the detention center. The speakers will include: Shai Goldstein, executive director NJIPN, Pradeep Thap- poet, journalist and a detainee in 2001 and 2002, Fr. Gene Squeo, Co-Pastor St. Patrick & Assumption/All Saints, Jersey City, Kofi Amoako, an asylee recently released from detention, David Fraccaro, Coordinator Sojourners Visitor Program and Bill Westerman, IRATE Director & Princeton University Professor.

First Friends

10^th Annual Columbus Day March & Vigil

October 12, 2008

Program

Formation – Shai Goldstein, executive director NJIPN

Poetry Reading by Pradeep Thap- Poet, journalist and a detainee in 2001 and 2002

Music & March- The Solidarity Singers

At the Center

Fr. Gene Squeo, Co-Pastor St. Patrick & Assumption/All Saints, Jersey City

Kofi Amoako, An asylee recently released from detention

David Fraccaro, Coordinator Sojourners Visitor Program

Bill Westerman, IRATE Director & Princeton University Professor

Music- Carol Fay – Coordinator Pax Christi St. Joe’s East Rutherford Chapter

Domincan Nuns Added to Terrorist Watch List

2008-10-10T15:01:00.004-04:00

Sister Carol Gilbert and Sister Ardeth Platte were among 53 peace activists whose names were added to the national terrorist watch list after being targeted by a Maryland State Police surveillance program. Each previously served nearly three years in federal prison for a non-violent protest at a missile silo in Colorado in 2002. The story of their 2002 arrest and prosecution is the subject of a documentary entitled Conviction.

$700 Billion for Wall Street - Not a Penny for the World's Poor

2008-09-29T15:11:00.003-04:00

I am not among those who are calling Congress in opposition to the bailout, but the sudden availability of $700 billion for investment banks and other financial institutions raises its share of questions. Not the least of which is if we can free up that much capital virtually overnight why can't we provide relief to the world's poor?

Can't the World Do More for the Poor?

Father Lombardi Analyzes Economic Crises

VATICAN CITY, SEPT. 28, 2008 (Zenit.org).- If huge steps can be taken to save the most developed economies from crisis, why can't more be done for poorer countries, asks a Vatican spokesman.

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, posed this question as he analyzed the urgent needs of the global economy on the last episode of the weekly Vatican Television program “Octava Dies.”

“The economic commitments that were suddenly taken on to salvage the American financial system, and by connection the international financial system, are of impressive dimensions,” he said.

On Sunday, U.S. Congressional leaders and the White House agreed to a $700 billion bailout of the financial industry -- the largest in the country's history.

Father Lombardi noted that the effort to save the most developed economies from crisis is much greater than all international economic aid effort combined.

“Without denying the urgency of this crisis, there is a question that naturally poses itself,” Father Lombardi said. “Can't we and mustn't we do more to save the economies and promote the development of the poorest countries?”

The Vatican spokesman noted that we ought not forget “that the necessary resources to help the poorest are much less in comparison to the worldwide military expenditures and the expenditures of the rich to satisfy non-primary needs.”

“These reflections may seem obvious and even ingenuous, but in reality they are essential in a long-term vision of the general interests of humanity, that looks to peaceful and fair development for the benefit of all,” he said.

Father Lombardi concluded his remarks with a quote from Benedict XVI's Sept. 21 Angelus address: “Such a commitment, while demanding sacrifices in these moments of worldwide economic difficulties, will not be without important benefits for the development of nations who are in need of help and for the peace and well-being of the entire planet.”

A Prayer For Leadership

2008-09-29T15:07:00.001-04:00

I have posted this before, but it is appropriate as we are all deciding who to vote for:

Give us, O God,
leaders whose hearts are large enough
to match the breadth of our own souls
and give us souls strong enough
to follow leaders of vision and wisdom.

In seeking a leader,
let us seek more than development
for ourselves —
though development we hope for —
more than security for our own land —
though security we need —
more than satisfaction for our wants —
though many things we desire.

Give us the hearts to choose
the leader who will work with other
leaders to bring safety
to the whole world.

Give us leaders
who lead this nation to virtue
without seeking to impose our kind of virtue
on the virtue of others.

Give us a government
that provides for the advancement
of this country
without taking resources from others
to achieve it.

Give us insight enough ourselves
to choose as leaders those who can tell
strength from power,
growth from greed,
leadership from dominance,
and real greatness from the trappings
of grandiosity.

We trust you, Great God,
to open our hearts to learn from those
to whom you speak in different tongues
and to respect the life and words
of those to whom you entrusted
the good of other parts of this globe.

We beg you, Great God,
give us the vision as a people
to know where global leadership truly lies,
to pursue it diligently,
to require it to protect human rights
for everyone everywhere.

We ask these things, Great God,
with minds open to your word
and hearts that trust in your eternal care.

Amen.

Joan D. Chittister, OSB

Soldiers of Conscience

2008-09-26T14:40:00.004-04:00

"When are there situations in which loyalty to a nation state comes in conflict with loyalty to the kingdom of God?"

This is a question raised by Joshua Casteel in an interview for the documentary Soldiers of Conscience. He is featured along with Camilo Mejia and six other CO’s in this insightful documentary which will air on PBS’s P.O.V. on October 16th. They are from all walks of life and all ranks in the military but what they have in common is that they all chose to follow their conscience instead of a direct order.

Watch the trailer:

Pax Christi NJ on Yahoo! Groups

2008-09-24T12:36:00.002-04:00

Do you want join in the conversation with other NJ Catholics who are interested in advocating for social justice and in promoting the principles of Catholic Social Teaching? Here is your opportunity. Join Pax Christi NJ on Yahoo! Groups.

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Click to join paxnj

Novena For Faithful Citizenship

2008-09-17T13:54:00.001-04:00

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) invites U.S. Catholics to pray before the November election a novena for life, justice, and peace called Novena for Faithful Citizenship.

Click here for the text of the Novena