California Catholic Church Launches Statewide Initiative to Naturalize Legal Permanent Residents
Heeding the call of Pope Francis during the Holy Year of Mercy, the effort will help hundreds of thousands of immigrants who are not fully realizing the promise of citizenship.
Garden Grove, Calif., (Feb. 23, 2016) – The Most Rev. José H. Gómez, Archbishop of Los Angeles, will join other Bishops, clergy, and parish leaders from across California at Christ Cathedral for the launch of a comprehensive statewide initiative to promote citizenship.
This effort represents a new program that will offer practical assistance for legal residents seeking full citizenship and will work in parallel with the Church’s ongoing efforts toward comprehensive immigration reform.
Launch Event Details
- What: The launch of a statewide coordinated effort to naturalize the estimated 2.4 million eligible Legal Permanent Residents in California.
- When: Saturday, February 27, from 12:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
- Where: Christ Cathedral
- Key Participants: Archbishop José H. Gómez, Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Dominic Luong, and Bishop Kevin Vann.
“As part of the Holy Year of Mercy, Pope Francis has called on the faithful to offer the profound mercy of Christ to the marginalized. The Church is uniquely positioned through our established immigration and naturalization programs to help millions of immigrants benefit from the fullness of citizenship and truly join our society. Through this first-of-its-kind initiative our many disparate programs and resources will be brought together to assist permanent residents in gaining citizenship,” said the Most Rev. Kevin Vann, Bishop of Orange and Chair of the Board of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network.
Launch Event Highlights
Archbishop Gomez, Bishop Luong, Ned Dolejsi, Executive Director of the California Catholic Conference, and other leaders will participate in afternoon presentations at Christ Cathedral. Presenters will offer insights on the challenge faced and introduce an action and training plan for Catholic parishes across the state.
Following the meeting, the Bishops and clergy in attendance will lead a procession through a powerful campus exhibit called A Journey of Hope Along the Migrant Trail: “A Via Crucis Migrante” (Migrant Stations of the Cross), which features sacred artifacts found along the U.S.-Mexico border.
In honor of the Year of Mercy, the procession will be led by the very cross held by Pope Francis during his recent trip to Mexico.