April 21, 2024
MIGRANT MINISTRY UPDATE: GOOD THINGS HAPPENING, NUMBERS ARE UP
MIGRANT MINISTRY UPDATE: GOOD THINGS HAPPENING, NUMBERS ARE UP
So many good things are happening! The wife and infant daughter of one of leading migrant volunteers finally made it to Chicago after a harrowing trip up north that started in December. We are so happy for you, Saul and Maria! Another exciting development is the inclusion of asylum-seekers in our Migrant Ministry CROP Walk team, providing the opportunity for the migrants to raise money for the organization (CWS) that fed them as they emerged from the Darien Gap. Inspiring!
Similar to what occurred in 2023, the number of migrants arriving to Chicago slowed down for the first three months of this year but are now beginning to increase. We are certainly seeing that on our Migrant Ministry days at Centro San Edmundo. The first week of April we saw 280 migrants; the second week the number increased to 320 and many of them were very recent arrivals, having just arrived three days earlier.
After having closed donations to deal with overstock, we are now fully open again but only for the items listed.
Please review the Spring Shopping List. We are most in need of gym shoes and sandals for men, women, and children, summer t-shirts and shorts, towels, and toiletries. Thank you for your donation!
If you are interested in volunteering for our Migrant Ministry, please contact us at [email protected]. Donations to support our ministry can be sent to Ascension and St. Edmund Parish. Please note the Migrant Ministry on your check. Donations may also be made online through the Ascension and St. Edmund Give Central page https://www.givecentral.org/location/580.
April 14, 2024
Migrant Ministry Update: Migrant Ministry Continues
The shelter at Centro San Edmundo (formerly St. Edmund school) has now closed as of April 5. Our congratulations to the Oak Park Resettlement Team that so quickly and effectively relocated the many families.
The Migrant Ministry continues. We continue to run the program on Tuesday and Thursday mornings hosting our migrant brothers and sisters and of course the children, many children. We invite them for breakfast, for a change of clothes and shoes and coats. Then there is the opportunity to sit quietly over a cup of chocolate or coffee and tell their stories to the many volunteers there to listen. Even if the listening is through cell phones using Google translate. The link to everything that is needed is below. Right now one of the biggest needs is blankets and towels. They don’t need to be new but usable.
Finally the Housing Team continues to accompany families and will be adding 2 new families in April and May. We continue to need mentors to accompany them. Spanish speaking is not necessary.
Migrant Ministry wants to congratulate and celebrate the Oak Park Family Transition Center as it moves forward to opening this week by welcoming up to 70 people to their transition center at Centro San Edmundo. They will now occupy a space separate from Migrant Ministry.We see these as two different expressions of our ministry to our migrant brothers and sisters and look forward to collaborating on several levels. Migrant Ministry will continue to host our migrant brothers and sisters for breakfast and clothing and other items on Tuesday and Thursday morning. In addition we will continue to develop other programs such as classes to learn English and a room for quiet healing.
And alongside this work in a separate space, we welcome those people who needed to leave the YMCA and the Carleton Hotel. Welcome to all.
Migrant Ministry will also continue to host families in apartments as the opportunity and funding presents itself. We currently have 6 households with 7 families and 2 single men. And we are hoping to find ways to assist those applying for work documents.
The Migrant Ministry in the News
Holy Thursday
The St. Edmund Center in Oak Park Provides Services for the Migrants
View the YouTube Video below
Recently the Migrant Ministry was featured in a news story about the Catholic Community of Oak Park's migrant ministry.
You can make a financial donation. Please make mention that the donation is for the Migrant Ministry. Donations can be left at either office location, mailed in, or placed in the offertory basket. You can also make a donation online via Give Central by clicking here: https://www.givecentral.org/location/580.
If you are interested in volunteering for our Migrant Ministry, please contact us at [email protected].
ONLINE ITEMS DONATIONS – AMAZON WISH LIST click HERE to Donate through the Amazon website
Attached Files
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/oak-park-migrant-shelter-volunteers/?intcid=CNM-00-10abd1h
Source: CBS Chicago Channe 2