Theresa Laurence
NASHVILLE – Since its founding in 1962, Catholic Charities of Tennessee has assisted refugees and asylum seekers and helped them assimilate to American culture and the local community.
Today, the plight of refugees has moved to center stage as people fleeing violence and persecution in the Middle East flood into Europe. Meanwhile, the millions of refugees around the world wait and hope to be resettled in a more stable and secure country. Those who work with refugees in Tennessee are taking steps to clear up misconceptions about who refugees are and the rigorous process they must undergo to reach the United States.
“This is my 41st year on the job and I’ve never seen so much misinformation circulating about refugees,” said Bill Sinclair, executive director of Catholic Charities of Tennessee. He first joined the organization more than 40 years ago to help launch a more formalized refugee resettlement program, welcoming refugees from Southeast Asia to Middle Tennessee.
While millions of refugees are fleeing their home countries fearful for their own lives, Americans have become more afraid of refugees. That fear stems from not understanding the screening and resettlement process, which can be long and complicated, Sinclair said. Once people learn the facts, “it dispels the myth” that refugees are here to cause harm, he added. “People have stereotyped anyone from the Middle East as a bad guy, and that’s not true.”
“The misinformation is much louder than the facts right now,” said Holly Johnson, director of the Tennessee Office for Refugees, a department of Catholic Charities of Tennessee. “The individual families who are struggling are getting lost in all this noise.”
Terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California, late last year left Americans on high alert, and some Tennessee state legislators reacted by calling for swift and harsh action against refugees. Rep. Glen Casada (R-Franklin) proposed that the National Guard round up all Syrian refugees and move them out of state; Sen. Bill Ketron (R-Murfreesboro) urged Gov. Bill Haslam to sue the federal government so Tennessee could block future refugees from settling in the state.
About 58,000 refugees live in Tennessee, which is less than one percent of the state’s population; only 30 Syrian refugees were resettled in the entire state last year. Almost all refugees that come to Tennessee are resettled in the four major cities: Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville and Chattanooga.
On Dec. 9, legislators held a joint state and local government committee hearing focused on refugees. Johnson, who was among those called to testify before the committee, saw it as an opportunity to educate lawmakers about refugees and how they are resettled in the state. She also spoke about the role of her office, Tennessee Office for Refugees, its function and its relationship with the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement and with local resettlement agencies like the Catholic Charities Office of Refugee Resettlement.
The refugee program “is the longest and hardest way to come to the U.S.,” Johnson told the committee hearing.
Refugees must undergo a rigorous screening process that takes at least 18 months. Due to the high number of refugees worldwide, it is not uncommon for them to live in camps for a decade or more while they await one of the few spots available for resettlement. Less than one percent of refugees worldwide are ever resettled.
Refugees are defined as individuals who have had to leave their home country because of a well-founded fear of persecution. They are targeted because of their religious or political beliefs, or membership in a particular social class.
The process for a refugee to come to the United States begins after a refugee reports to a representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. If a refugee is seeking entry into the U.S., they will undergo vetting from the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, and the State Department. This involves extensive interviews and background checks, with a particular focus on any signs of radicalization or connection with a terrorist group, which would immediately disqualify that person from entry into the U.S.
While many people have concerns about the screening process – that it can’t be adequately done in a country like Syria where the information infrastructure is in shambles – “those who do the job of vetting are used to checking into people who don’t have all their documents in a nice, neat folder,” Johnson said. “I understand that people are scared, but they should not be scared of refugees, because the process works well.”
There have been no instances of terror attacks by refugees carried out on American soil; the San Bernardino or Chattanooga shooters did not come to the U.S. as refugees, neither did the Boston Marathon bombers, Johnson noted.
If a refugee meets all the guidelines and is chosen to resettle in the U.S., officials at the U.S. State Department, with input from non-government organizations that work with refugees, determine where new refugee arrivals will live. They then notify the local resettlement agency, such as Catholic Charities Refugee Resettlement Office, which will meet them at the airport, help them move into a new apartment, and provide the necessary cultural orientation.
In 2013, state legislators called for a fiscal review to determine the economic impact of refugees, and the study concluded that refugees contribute twice as much money to the state than they take.
In 2015, Catholic Charities of Tennessee helped resettle 375 refugees from Afghanistan, Bhutan, Burma (Myanmar), Burundi, Congo, Cuba, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iran, Iraq, Somalia and Sudan. Altogether, about 1,600 refugees were resettled statewide.
(This is an excerpt of a story from the Jan. 1 Tennessee Register, reprinted with permission.)

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops recognizes the first week of January as National Migration Week. Catholic Charities has organized a number of activities to celebrate this week in the Diocese of Jackson. Here is a brief schedule of activities:
– Sunday January 3, 5 p.m., Tupelo St. James will host a screening of the documentary “One border, One body,” followed by dialogue and a potluck.
– Tuesday January 5, 6 p.m., Catholic Charities of Vardaman offers the workshop:  “Future of Migration Reform in the U.S.A,” followed by a free legal clinic from 7 – 9 p.m.
– Wednesday, Jan. 6, 5 p.m., Pontotoc St. Christopher will host a presentation from Amelia McGowan, attorney, about migration resources for those in Hispanic ministry. Pastors, Lay Ecclesial Ministers and others in Hispanic ministry are especially invited. At 6:30 p.m. the parish will celebrate Spanish Mass in the context of National Migration week including a traditional celebration of the three wise men. After Mass, share a traditional “Rosca de Reyes,” or three kings cake.
– Thursday, January 7, 6 p.m., Corinth St. James will host the workshop:  “Future of Migration Reform in the U.S.A,” followed by a free legal clinic.
– Friday, January 8, 6 p.m., Tupelo St. James will host the workshop  “Future of Migration Reform in the U.S.A,” followed by a legal clinic.
– Saturday, January 9, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Tupelo St. James will host a free legal clinic. Mass to close National Migration week will start at 4 p.m. celebrated by Father Mike McAndrew, C.SS.R., migrant missionary. A potluck will follow.

By Peter Finney
KENNER, La. – Passionist Father Donald Senior, one of the country’s foremost Scripture scholars, will discuss “Life as God’s Gift” in his keynote address at the 34th annual Gulf Coast Faith Formation Conference Jan. 7-9, 2016, at the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner.

Rickard

“He’s one of the leading – if not the leading – Scripture scholars in the country,” said Alice Hughes, director of the Office of Religious Education for the Archdiocese of New Orleans, which will host the catechetical conference in conjunction with the Diocese of Jackson and several other dioceses of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
About 1,500 Catholic school religion teachers, parish catechists and other catechetical leaders are expected to attend the conference, formerly known as the Johannes Hofinger
Conference.This year’s conference theme is “God-Given Dignity: Respecting All of Life.”
In addition to Father Senior, other keynote presenters will be Dominican Sister Theresa Rickard, president of RENEW International and an expert in small faith communities and parish renewal, and Deacon Art Miller, director of Black Catholic Ministries of the Archdiocese of Hartford, Connecticut.

Miller

The conference will open Jan. 7 at 2 p.m. with a special track for priests and deacons. Father Senior and Deacon Miller will offer their reflections on the ministry of preaching. There will also be a separate track for deacons’ wives.
Mass will be celebrated on Jan. 8 and 9, and nearly 70 breakout sessions will be offered over the two days, including several for Hispanic catechists.
“This is one of the few times that catechists and religion teachers in a region can actually have quality, national speakers,” Hughes said. “ A small diocese on its own could never bring in this number of quality national speakers.”
The workshop sessions cover topics ranging from catechetics, RCIA, adult education, Catholic high schools, parish schools of religion, liturgy, music, church environment and Hispanic Catholics.
“The conference is intended to help individuals in their personal, catechetical and spiritual enrichment as well enrich their ministry in parishes and schools,” Hughes said. “There is something for everyone. For our archdiocese, our three goals are to inform, form and transform, and that really does take place.”
The dioceses on the planning committee include Baton Rouge, Houma-Thibodaux, Lafayette, Alexandria and Lake Charles in Louisiana; Biloxi and Jackson in Mississippi; Birmingham in Alabama; and Pensacola in Florida. Hughes said she regularly receives rave reviews from diocesan religious education directors about the value of the conference.
“They tell me how their people come back to their diocese and share how much they have gained from coming together,” Hughes said. “A lot is gained from networking with other people..”
An opening reception is planned Jan. 7 at 8:30 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Kenner, 2829 Williams Blvd.
Early registration is available through Dec. 18: www.gcffc.org.

By Catholic News Service
BALTIMORE (CNS) – The U.S. bishops approved a formal statement on pornography and additions to their quadrennial statement on political responsibility at their Nov. 16-19 fall general meeting in Baltimore.
The votes were made during the public portion of the meeting, which ran Nov. 16-17. The bishops met in executive session Nov. 18-19.
The 2015 version of political responsibility document, “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,” passed 210-21 with five abstentions, and a separate vote on the statement’s introductory note passed 217-16 with two abstentions; two-thirds of diocesan bishops, or 181 votes, were needed for passage.
Additions to the document were made to reflect the teachings of Pope Francis and the later encyclicals of Pope Benedict XVI. But some bishops said the document does not adequately address poverty, as Pope Francis has asked the church to do.
The most vocal critic was Bishop Robert W. McElroy of San Diego, who said he was concerned that because poverty and the environment did not receive the same priority as abortion and euthanasia, that some people “outside of this room” would “misuse” the document and claim other issues did not carry the same moral weight.
The pornography statement, “Create in Me a Clean Heart: A Pastoral Response to Pornography,” says that “producing or using pornography is gravely wrong” and is a “mortal sin” if committed with deliberate consent and urges Catholics to turn away from it. Approval of the statement came on a vote of 230-4 with one abstention, with 181 votes needed for passage.
Bishop Richard J. Malone, of Buffalo, New York, chair of the bishops’ Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, described pornography as a “dark shadow in our world today.” He added pornography is a “particularly sinister instance of consumption” where men, women and children are “consumed for the pleasure of others.”
The bishops approved a budget for the work of their national conference in 2016, but their vote was inconclusive on a proposed 3 percent increase in 2017 to the assessment on dioceses that funds the conference.
The bishops approved priorities and strategic plans for 2017-20 in a 233-4 vote Nov. 17. The document emphasizes five major areas: evangelization; family and marriage; human life and dignity; religious freedom; and vocations and ongoing formation.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops met in the shadow of the Nov. 13 terror attacks in Paris. Auxiliary Bishop Eusebio Elizondo of Seattle, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration, issued a statement Nov. 17 from the floor of the meeting.
“I am disturbed,” Bishop Elizondo said, “by calls from both federal and state officials for an end to the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the United States” in the wake of the attacks. “These refugees are fleeing terror themselves – violence like we have witnessed in Paris.”
He added, “Moreover, refugees to this country must pass security checks and multiple interviews before entering the United States – more than any arrival to the United States. It can take up to two years for a refugee to pass through the whole vetting process. We can look at strengthening the already stringent screening program, but we should continue to welcome those in desperate need.”
In his USCCB presidential address Nov. 16, Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, called on his fellow bishops Nov. 16 to imitate the “pastor’s presence” exhibited by Pope Francis during his recent U.S. visit, “touching the hearts of the most influential, the forgotten and all of us in between.”
Noting the upcoming Year of Mercy that begins Dec. 8, Archbishop Kurtz said a ministry of “presence means making time and never letting administration come between me and the person. It’s seeing the person first.”
CRS Rice Bowl for families, student ambassador programs for high school and college students and a fledgling parish ambassador program can help U.S. Catholics “deepen their commitment to an essential dimension of their faith,” a Catholic Relief Services official told the U.S. bishops Nov. 17.
“I just wish that every Catholic knew about and could be proud of the wonderful works of mercy and justice they are part of” through the official humanitarian agency of the U.S. Catholic Church, said Joan Rosenhauer, CRS executive vice president for U.S. operations.
Citing young altar servers’ weak arms and older priests’ weak eyes, the U.S. bishops approved an adapted version of the Roman Missal to be used during the times at Mass when the celebrant is seated, subject to Vatican approval. The bishops endorsed “Excerpts from the Roman Missal: Book for Use at the Chair” by a 187-27 vote, with three abstentions.
On Nov. 16, the bishops discussed how the U.S. Catholic Church can move forward in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex marriage this year. To that end, the bishops are planning to develop a pastoral plan for marriage and family life. The pastoral plan, according to Bishop Malone, will seek the bishops’ input.
“Witnesses to Freedom” will be the theme of the 2016 observance of the Fortnight for Freedom, Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, told the assembly. The two-week event will include a nationwide tour of first class relics of St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher. Archbishop Lori said details of the tour have yet to be arranged.
(Contributing to this roundup were Nancy Frazier O’Brien, Dennis Sadowski and Carol Zimmermann in Baltimore, and Mark Pattison in Washington.)

CHICAGO  – Father Fredy Angel, a dynamic Colombian-born missionary priest is the recipient of Catholic Extension’s 2015-2016 Lumen Christi Award.
Father Angel has transformed a previously dispersed and struggling Catholic community in rural southern Georgia into a vibrant and growing parish of African American, Caucasian, Latino and Asian American Catholics. These different groups have come together into one family, one “body of Christ” and are setting an example for the larger community. To accommodate and further spur its growth, the recently renamed St. Anthony of Padua Parish, under Father Angel’s leadership, has embarked on the ambitious construction of a large new church outside Ray City in the Diocese of Savannah, Georgia. Scheduled for dedication in March 2016, the new church, much of it being built with volunteer labor, has already instilled new pride among the area’s dedicated Catholics and resulted in a more prominent and visible Catholic presence in an area where they are only a small minority.
Bishop Gregory Hartmayer of Savannah, who nominated Father Angel for the award, said, “Father Fredy was named properly in having been given the family name ‘Angel,’ because he is an ‘angel,’ a messenger of God to the people he serves. He brings them hope, joy and the presence of Christ in the sacraments, so he is truly a light of Christ.”
Bishop Hartmayer was in the gathering of the U.S. bishops Pope Francis addressed on Sept. 23 during his visit to Washington, DC. “Toward the end of the pope’s address,” the bishop remembered, “he spoke to us about both the challenge and the enriching gift of diversity. ‘Do not be afraid to welcome people,’ the pope said. ‘Offer them the warmth of the love of Christ, and you will unlock the mystery of their heart.’ I think that is precisely what Father Fredy has done in bringing together the many diverse people that make up his wonderful parish.”
“Here in southern Georgia, a lot of people have that division,” said parishioner Ana Beltrán. “The Latinos hang out more with the Latinos, and the Anglos with the Anglos, and the African Americans with the African Americans. But once we come through that church door, we are one, we are family, just one Catholic community.”
At Queen of Peace-now St. Anthony of Padua-Father Angel has been the energetic, tireless and enthusiastic shepherd, teacher, motivator and guiding force behind what another parishioner called a “revival” among Catholics there.
“It’s been a ‘revival’ of eight years,” said Chris Chammoun. “We’ve been reviving our spirit and bringing in new people who are excited about coming to church. Father Fredy was really the driving force. Since he’s been leading us on this new journey, we’ve seen a lot of growth. Sunday Mass here is overflowing. People have to sit outside, which can be rough in the 100-degree weather. But people still do it and sweat because they want to be here for Mass.”
The Diocese of Savannah’s Bishop Emeritus Kevin Boland has called the community’s transformation a “miracle in the South.” He said, “The reason why the Church there is able to accomplish this-with the help of Catholic Extension and others – is the vibrancy of the faith of the Catholic people.”
Father Angel is a missionary pastor in the Pope Francis mold, a charismatic and compassionate shepherd who, in the pope’s memorable expression, is “living with the smell of his sheep.” At 41 years young, he is the second youngest of the so-far 38 recipients of the Lumen Christi Award and the youngest priest recipient.
The Diocese of Jackson had two connections to the award process this year. The Redemptorist community serving in the Delta represented this diocese as a nominee. While the Guadalupan Missionary Sisters of the Holy Spirit serving in Birmingham, Ala., do not serve here, several members of their community do so they had lots of support during the nomination and voting process.