In the midst of a wave of arrests and apprehensions of undocumented immigrants, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles has announced its intention to strengthen the delivery of hot meals, grocery store and prescription drugs to parishioners living in the fear of deportation and raids in application.
The family assistance program funded by the Archdiocese seeks to help some of its 4 million faithful in its 288 parishes in the counties of Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara.
Immigrants targeted by American immigration and customs raids are “good men and women who work hard” who “make important contributions to our economy,” said the Archbishop of Los Angeles, José Gomez, in a statement.
“Now they are afraid to go to work or be seen in public for fear that they will be arrested and expelled”, ” He said.
The money given directly to the family aid program will be channeled on parishes with vulnerable members. Donations can be made online or in a local church.
Catherine Fraser, director of development of the archdiocese, said that each dollar contributed directly to help families in need.
Most churches already have programs to serve the elderly and at home that were developed during the interruptions and limits of the COVVI-19 pandemic, according to Yannina Diaz, spokesperson for the Archdiocese.
“We explain what already exists and what already works,” said Diaz.
Diaz noted that the Catholic church St. Patrick in southern Los Angeles has a robust program that helps food, clothing and the delivery of drugs for people confined to the house.
The pastor of this church, Mgr Timothy Dyer, helped find the family help program.
At the Catholic church St. Agatha de Los Angeles, Azalie Nickleberry founded the hands of St. Agatha reaching everywhere or share the program.
The ministry opened its doors in 1980, offering hot meals on Christmas Day and desserts around 2,000 people per year.
Sharing generally provides 70 to 80 grocery bags – containing cereals, a mixture of pancakes, preserves and pasta – to customers monthly. Until now in July, this issue has already increased to 150.
“There is a real need for this service, and we are happy for help,” said Nickleberry.
About 2,800 undocumented immigrants were arrested since the ice began to carry out generalized raids in Los Angeles in early June.
These arrests have included hundreds of undocumented immigrants Without case of criminal records. Some American citizens and immigrants with legal status have also been detained.
Many members of the Catholic community of Grand Los Angeles are immigrants or have family members born outside the United States, leaving the archdiocese particularly exposed to the impacts of raids.
About 58% of people living in the United States who were born abroad consider themselves Christian, according to Results of the Pew Research Center. Among these, 30% identified as Catholics, the largest share of any name.
In Los Angeles, 28% of all Christians consider themselves Catholics, the highest of any name of 12 percentage points, according to Pew.
The announcement by Gomez of the assistance program comes after the Bishop Alberto Rojas of the diocese of San Bernardino published an exemption allowing parishioners fearing the deportations to stay at home rather than attending mass.
Rojas’ decision followed a series of arrests on the property of the Church, although the Ministry of Internal Security insisted that the churches were not targeted – affirming that those apprehended had fled on parish terrains.
Diaz said she was not aware of any arrest made on the property of the archdiocese. She also said that Gomez did not plan to give an exemption for her followers.
She said that she was not sure if the parishes offered an Eucharistic – Vitale communion for a Roman Catholic service – to those who are too afraid to leave their house.
In an open letter, Gomez wrote that he was “deeply disturbed” by detentions and called the government to reform the immigration process.
As for the family aid program, he has already received his share of donations.
The businessman Rick Caruso, a former candidate of the town hall, made a donation of $ 50,000 and proposed to correspond to an additional $ 50,000 in contributions.
“We must help these families and, by working with the archdiocese, we can provide essential relief at a time when many have trouble getting out of it,” said Caruso in a statement.
Catholic insurance. For Latin leadership, a donation of $ 10,000, while Vallarta supermarkets contributed $ 10,000 in gift cards.
The Beverly Hills Teddy Bear Company donated an unhappy amount, as well as stuffed animals for children with raids, according to the archdiocese.
