Prayer for the Intercession of Servant of God Dorothy Day

Dorothy Day the founder of the Catholic Worker movement died 29 years ago today. In March of 2000 John Cardinal O'Connor announced that the Vatican had approved a cause be opened for the sainthood of Dorothy Day.

Prayer for the Intercession of Servant of God Dorothy Day

God our Creator,
your servant Dorothy Day exemplified the
Catholic faith by her conversion,
life of prayer and voluntary poverty,
works of mercy, and witness to the justice and peace of the Gospel.

May her life inspire people to turn to Christ as their Savior and guide,
to see his face in the world’s poor and
to raise their voices for the justice of God’s kingdom.

We pray that you grant the favors we ask
through her intercession so that her goodness
and holiness may be more widely recognized
and one day the Church may proclaim her Saint.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen

Ellis Island is Closed - Ash Wed Pilgrimage to the Elizabeth Detention Center

The idea of this event is to tie together the myth of Ellis Island that people associate as a symbol of our immigration system with the reality of the immigration detention center in Elizabeth and the other county jails and detention centers like it throughout the country.

We will do this by walking from one to the other.

Outline of the Day

§ 11:00 am Press conference & Prayer Service at Liberty State Park in-front of Ellis Island foot bridge.

§ 11:30 am begin pilgrimage with stops at houses of worship along the way

§ 6:00 pm end at Elizabeth Detention Center in time for the annual Ash Wed Vigil

§ In other parts of the state hold mid-day vigils emphasizing target congressional districts of 2, 3, 4 & 7.

§ Encourage as many people as possible to attend the vigil at the EDC in the evening.

§ Simultaneous call-in for those who cannot walk or attend a vigil.



Co-Sponsoring Organizations so far

Sister of Mercy of the Mid-Atlantic Justice Office

IRATE & First Friends

Lutheran Office of Governmental Ministry – NJ

NJIPN

Wind of the Spirit

The Center for Community Change



Mid-day vigils throughout the state for those who cannot be in Jersey City -

Sisters of Mercy will hold vigils at noon in the 5 mother houses throughout the state. One is in Lakewood (Smith’s district), another is in Watchung (Lance’s district). These are two of NJIPN’s target districts. We should try to make sure there are mid-day vigils in the other target districts (LoBiondo and Adler).


Simultaneous call-in-

The Center for Community Change has reserved its toll-free call-in number for this event on Feb 17. We will be able to distribute a toll-free number for people to call. They will 1st hear a recording scripted by us with talking points about supporting immigration reform and our event. They will then be directed to the Congressional switchboard so they can ask to speak to their representative.


Pilgrims-

So far 6 people have signed up to walk the 10 mile route. The target is about 12. Probably better to keep this small a larger group will become unwieldy particularly when ferrying people across Lincoln Highway.

Route – There are several proposed stops, none of which have been confirmed yet. The proposed stops include: Assumption/All Saints, Islamic Center of Jersey City, Temple Beth-El and Grace Lutheran.

From Ellis Island to Assumption/All Saints (301 Whiton St., Jersey City, NJ)

1.7 miles – 33 minutes



From Assumption/All Saints to Islamic Center of Jersey City

0.6 miles 13 minutes



From Islamic Center of Jersey City to Temple Beth El (2419 JFK Blvd, Jersey City, NJ)

0.6 miles 11 minutes



Since we will not be able to walk over the bridges on Lincoln Highway, Temple Beth-El may be a good stopping off point. It provides a safe place to load people into cars, vans or a bus. We need a similar destination on the other side of the river on or near Raymond Blvd or Ferry St. For right now I am going to use Grace Community Lutheran on 7 Wilson Ave as the unloading point. As far as I can tell below is the most pedestrian friendly way to go. (This may need to be refined so there are less turns through Newark.)


From Grace Lutheran

7 Wilson Ave, Newark to

625 Evans St.

7.4 mi – about 2 hours 25 mins

Newark, NJ 07105


Planning Meeting

December 6th St. Joe’s Social Center (old church building) 118 Division St., Elizabeth

Immediately following the Stamp Out Despair Packing Party

Plan to arrive by 2:30 or come as early as 1:30 and help pack stationery & stamps for the EDC detainees.

Stamp Out Despair Packing Party & Ash Wed Pilgrimage Meeting

”I was a stranger and you welcomed me…I was in prison and you visited me.” Matthew 25: 35-36

You are invited to the IRATE & First Friends Stamp Out Despair stationery packing party, 1:30 pm, Sunday, December 6th at St Joseph’s Social Service Center (in the old church building), 118 Division St. Elizabeth.

We will be putting together individual packages of stationery and stamps and writing notes of encouragement for the non-criminal immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers being held at the Elizabeth Detention Center. The packages will be delivered before Christmas by the First Friends visitors program to each of the detainees to inform them of the visitors program and give them the ability to communicate with friends and family.

Immediately following the packing party there will be a planning meeting for the Ash Wednesday Pilgrimage from Ellis Island to the Elizabeth Detention Center which is being co-sponsored by Pax Christi NJ and IRATE & First Friends.

Please call 908-965-0455 or e-mail firstfriends2@juno.com for directions.

For more information on the First Friends visitors program go to www.irateweb.org/firstfirends.htm

Police Union in Morristown Says No to 287(g)

Good news for Morristown! The police union just announced it will not support the 287(g) program. The clock is running out on Mayor Cresitello's plan to implement 287(g) in Morristown. He will leave office at the end of December after failing to win the local democratic party's nomination. He will be replaced by Tim Dougherty another Democrat who defeated Jim Gervasio earlier this month. Both candidates voiced opposition to the 287(g) program which deputizes local law enforcement to act as immigration agents.

Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the Jesuit Martyrs

Sunday, November 15 • 2 to 5pm

8th Floor, 89 Market Street in Downtown Newark, NJ

On November 16, 1989 a US-trained commando unit burst into the Jesuit residence at the University of Central America (UCA) in San Salvador. They killed the six Jesuit priests there at the time, along with their cook and her daughter. More than 75,000 people died during El Salvador’s civil war, mostly civilians killed by Salvadoran armed forces and right-wing death squads. The UCA killings sparked an international outcry, shifted opinions in the US Congress, and helped lead to the peace process that brought the civil war to an end. Please join us to commemorate their lives and to hear about the “unfinished tasks to which the Jesuits were committed — efforts to reduce poverty and hunger and to promote educational opportunity, human rights, the rule of law and social equity for the people of El Salvador.” (see WOLA, www.wola.org)

Speakers & Highlights Include

Vanessa Cardinale, US-El Salvador Sister Cities

Fr. Terry Moran, SOA Prisoner of Conscience


Music & Central American Foods and Refreshments

$10 donation — proceeds to US-El Salvador Sister Cities projects


Sponsored by

Los Amates and the Garden State, US-El Salvador Sister Cities, CEUS, NJ Immigration Policy

Network, American Friends Service Committee, Pax Christ NJ, Wind of the Spirit, PeaceWorks

for information call PeaceWorks at (973) 765-9102 • peaceworks@peaceworks.org • www.peaceworks.org