Sisters of Providence Leadership Statement on Immigration Reform

The Sisters of Providence General Council are (from left to right): Sister Dawn Tomaszewski; Sister Denise Wilkinson, general superior; Sister Lisa Stallings, vicar; Sister Mary Beth Klingel; and Sister Jeneen Howard.

When Saint Mother Theodore Guerin left her home in France to come to the woodlands of Indiana, she and her companions were filled with a vision that has truly made an impact on the state of Indiana.

These immigrant women learned the language of their new country and made a significant difference in the lives of so many people.

Today, the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, continue the legacy of Saint Mother Theodore as together, with so many partners across the United States, we are involved with immigrants and their families in a variety of ways.

We have seen their struggles and heard their stories. We recognize our moral responsibility to be active on their behalf and to move to action by praying, fasting and working to reform our immigration laws in a compassionate and comprehensive way.

We find ourselves at a pivotal moment in the movement for immigration reform. As people of faith, we believe that we must engage our communities in prayerful action in solidarity with those whose lives are directly impacted by our unjust immigration and economic policies and who will be most impacted by reforms being considered by policy makers. What we seek is immigration reform that reflects the best of our values as a nation, and helps to build stronger, more welcoming communities.

We agree with the United States Catholic Bishops that now is the time to pass just and compassionate immigration reform.

We ask your support for such immigration reform that:

• Provides a path to citizenship for undocumented persons in our country,

• Preserves family unity as a cornerstone of our national immigration system,

• Provides legal paths for low-skilled immigrant workers to come and work in the United States,

• Restores due process protections to our immigration enforcement policies, and

• Addresses the root causes of migration, such as persecution and economic disparity.

We ask you to prayerfully consider the history of your own family and then to look at the struggles of the immigrants who are trying to provide for their families. As an immigrant country, we can no longer wait. Now is the time to make a difference.