GOOD DAY, GOOD PEOPLE!
Greetings from the Immigration Focus Group! Thank you for your interest in Immigration and Refugee issues from the Franciscan perspective. It has been our privilege to prepare this Toolkit for you. It is intended to:
- Increase your own personal knowledge of immigrant/refugee issues.
- Equip you to present the issues and facilitate discussions on them.
- Most importantly, animate members of your Fraternity or Region to initiate positive action.
The Toolkit is structured into 12 modules, as follows:
| Module Topic | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Read Me First | Overview |
| 2 | A Glossary of Immigration Terms | For use as a reference as you proceed. |
| 3 | Immigration 101 Presentation | A PowerPoint presentation to provide a historical overview and current status of immigration in the US. Also included is a narrative presenter’s guide. |
| 4 | Immigration and Catholic Social Teaching | A set of documents (with links to other sources) on what Catholicism and Franciscanism have to say on this topic. |
| 5 | Climate Crisis and Immigration | A short, self-explanatory PowerPoint presentation outlining how climate change is a major cause of involuntary immigration. Also included is a link to a video clip on Climate Migration. |
| 6 | Immigration as a Pro-Life Issue | A short, self-explanatory PowerPoint presentation, on how immigration is a key component of the consistent ethic of life which we Franciscans advocate. Can be viewed as a companion document to Module #4. |
| 7 | Immigrants Help Build America | A narrative and graphical depiction of the important role of immigration in our nation’s economic growth and development. |
| 8 | Fratelli Tutti on Immigration | A narrative and complementary slide show focusing on key aspects of Pope Francis’ recent encyclical, with emphasis on its implications on immigration policy. A companion document to Module #4. |
| 9 | Resource Guide | This module consists of two components: a short list (with links) of possible resources, and a slide presentation rebutting common arguments against immigration. |
| 10 | Refugees Stories | A set of first-person anecdotes and recollections of the hardships endured by specific individuals. This takes the statistics and policy arguments down to the human level. |
| 11 | Guide to Letter Writing | An instructional module on how to write effective Letters to the Editor, an important advocacy tool. |
| 12 | Refugee Sponsorship | A starting point for Fraternities who may wish to sponsor an incoming refugee family. |