Catholic scholars, law enforcement officials and national immigration experts will gather next month for a day-long conference stressing the importance of faith in mending the country’s broken immigration system.
Rev. William R. O’Neill, SJ of the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley and Graduate Theological Union will give the keynote address at “An Ethical Perspective on the Accompaniment of Immigrants: A Faith Response” on Fri., Nov. 2 at Catholic Theological Union. O’Neill will draw from his pastoral experiences on the U.S.-Mexico border, as well as his current post as Catholic chaplain at the federal women’s prison in Dublin, Calif., which houses many migrant women.
Rev. vanThanh Nguyen, SVD of Catholic Theological Union will also speak on the sympathetic teachings of Old Testament laws toward strangers and immigrants. Various panels will feature experts from the National Immigrant Justice Center, Lake County Sheriff’s office, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Archdiocese of Chicago.
The Office for Immigrant Affairs & Immigration Education of the Archdiocese of Chicago and Catholic Theological Union are organizing the conference. Registration is $35 for individuals or $20 for students, and is due by Fri., Oct. 26.
To learn more about the conference or to register online, go to www.archchicago.org/immigration, or call (312) 534-8383 or fax (312) 534-3459.
Additional sponsors include DePaul University, Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters, Loyola University Chicago, and Viatorians.