A July 20 citizenship workshop took place at St. Joseph Parish in Waipahu. Photo courtesy: UNITE HERE Local 5
OFFICE FOR SOCIAL MINISTRY
“When we reach out to the poor, when we visit the sick, when we visit those who are in prison, when we comfort those who are in mourning, we are the presence of Jesus.” (Bishop Larry Silva, “Eucharist as One Ohana” video)
While Hawaii’s summer season is calling many to fun in the sun, it is especially inspiring to see families making time for community outreach and service. Parish social ministry here is a year-round effort. It provides plenty of opportunities for folks to accompany the sick in hospice, to build homes for low-income families with Habitat for Humanity, to provide senior food boxes for kupuna, and backpacks with healthy food for hungry keiki.
This summer’s volunteer efforts have included outreach to migrants and families with moms in prison.
The July 20 Citizenship Workshop at St. Joseph Parish in Waipahu drew parishioners and members of other faith communities, unions and the University of Hawaii to help permanent legal residents apply for U.S. citizenship. More than 60 volunteers gave up their Saturday to join the collaborative effort. They included an organizer from the Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc. (CLINIC) who has been actively helping migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border with legal aid. CLINIC is part of a U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ initiative to support community-based immigration programs across the country.
He was joined by volunteer lawyers and law students from the University of Hawaii Refugee and Immigration Law Clinic plus the Hawaii chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Other volunteers included UNITE Local 5 Union organizers who had gone through the citizenship process and who are now helping others do the same. The pastor and parishioners of St. Joseph enthusiastically offered their facilities to promote and host the workshop, which served migrants from within and beyond their parish.
The July 27 “Sun Light, Sun Bright” party at the Women’s Community Correctional Center in Kailua is another great summer social ministry opportunity for about 30 volunteers. “Sun Light, Sun Bright” provides inmate mothers a day to reunite with their ohana and to enjoy summer fun with their keiki and their caregivers. Volunteers from several parishes, plus Chaminade University students and staff, provide activities, music, food, a puppet show, and backpacks filled with school supplies for the children to take home.
Inspired by the annual Christmas event, “Star Light, Star Bright,” organizers created a “Christmas in July” experience so that incarcerated mothers could stay connected with their keiki throughout the year. Both events are part of the diocesan Prison Ministry program, and contribute to the Going Home Consortium, which helps those in and returning from prison.
Volunteer experiences like these embody what Pope Francis described in his July 8 Mass with migrants and refugees in St. Peter’s Basilica — a chance to get “a glimpse in this life of heaven’s brightness.”
Thanks be to God for the many opportunities to reach out to others in need — to be the presence of Jesus. Planning is already underway for another Citizenship Workshop in the fall, possibly at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa in Kalihi, and the annual “Star Light, Star Bright” Christmas celebration at the Women’s Correctional Center in December.
For more information about Citizenship Workshop please go to www.citizenshiphawaii.org/volunteer and to volunteer for “Star Light, Star Bright,” please contact slsb@rcchawaii.org.
Mahalo,
Your friends at the Office for Social Ministry
