The Saint Anne Catholic Community is called to welcome the stranger and the marginalized, to counter the divisiveness of “us vs. the other,” and to see the face of God in all people. In that spirit, the initial focus of this new parish-wide ministry is to assist migrants newly arrived in the Chicago area in three main ways:

• Accompany the Newly Arrived In partnership with Catholic Charities, Saint Anne is sponsoring three migrant families living in Chicago.
  Our role is to walk alongside them in friendship and connect them to support services that will enable them to become self-sufficient within six months. This includes assisting with the paperwork to obtain work permits, ESL, schools, social networks, church communities, setting up an apartment, etc.
• Educate Ourselves Understanding the flight of immigrants and refugees from their homelands helps us better connect our Catholic faith to their issues and become stronger citizens.
• Advocate Experiences and knowledge compel us to speak up for just and compassionate policies around immigration and support reform efforts.

Parishioners are invited to journey with us as we welcome the newly arrived. More than a dozen Saint Anne volunteers have stepped forward to accompany three families from shelters to rental apartments in partnership with Catholic Charities. We can use more, especially Spanish speakers.

If you would like more information or would like volunteer time or treasures, please contact Saint Anne saintanne migrantministry@gmail.com