St. Michael the Archangel Parish
The Immigration Ministry: O
HELPING NEIGHBORS HANDLE M
ur challenge as Christians is to do Christ’s work in our families and communities. That work looks different for everyone. St. Teresa of Avila gave us a great picture of what serving those around us looks like. She said, “Christ has no body but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes with which He looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good. Yours are the hands with which He blesses all the world.” Here on Hawai`i Island, in our parish and in the community, many immigrants who are here from around the world need assistance with matters of immigration law. The members of the newly formed Immigration Ministry stand ready to be the hands and feet of Christ. There are very few resources on this island to help immigrants. To meet this need, the law school at the University of Hawai`i in Hilo is sending students periodically for open office hours in the Immaculate Conception Mission Church Hall here at St. Michael's Parish. Our goal is also to provide translators for the different languages to help during office hours. The processes related to immigration law can be very complicated, and this is just one way we can help. Several community agencies are also involved in this ministry. Deacon Sándor Hernandez Morales is himself a political refugee from Cuba and he knows how vital this ministry is. His family came to the United States in 1979 with political asylum and legal resident status. “I am very grateful for the life I have and know personally what it is like to seek freedom and a life of dignity,” Deacon Sándor says. “All my life, I have seen countless friends and relatives do the same. Thankfully, the U.S. remains a beacon of hope and freedom around the world. This ministry is a small way to help people lawfully remain in the land of freedom and opportunity by going through the processes afforded them by our nation’s laws.” Deacon Sándor says we need to be aware that there are immigrants present here from all over the world — not just Latin America. There are Asians, Micronesians, South Pacific Islanders, Filipinos, Europeans, Russians, and
“I am very grateful for the life I have and know personally what it is like to seek freedom and a life of dignity. All my life, I have seen countless friends and relatives do the same. Thankfully, the U.S. remains a beacon of hope and freedom around the world. This ministry is a small way to help people lawfully remain in the land of freedom and opportunity by going through the processes afforded them by our nation’s laws.”
— DEACON SÁNDOR HERNÁNDEZ MORALES
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