Anne Sokolowski, a member of St. Stanislaus parish in New Warsaw, Michigan, is planning her own version of today's "A Day Without An Immigrant" protest, intended to draw attention to the plight of illegal Mexican and Central American workers in the United States.
"I was talking to the Catholic Women's League at the parish Sunday," said the spry 90 year old, "and we were saying we were immigrants too. Our beloved John Paul II and the homeland embraced the virtue of solidarity with those striving for human dignity. So that's what we're going to do. We're going to join them en la lucha."
A friend in the CWL, Florentyna Wadewitz (88), admitted this idea was a little confusing to her. "I think Anne is right, but what are we supposed to do? Latino immigrants are staying home from work today. We're all retired at this parish. There are no protests in town, some of us are in walkers and wheelchairs, and half of us are on oxygen anyway. So we had to think hard about how to show solidarity with this movement."
In the end, the group (pictured above right) plans to disrupt their daily Monday activity--knitting prayer shawls at the senior center--and plans to sit outside the senior center downtown with placards, in what they call a "Combination Knit-in-Sit-in." The placards, made Sunday afternoon, state "Solidarity: Guest Worker Program Now," "A Day Without an another Immigrant," "We (heart) Poland, Mexico and the USA", "'We Belong to Each Other'--Mother Teresa," "Pierogies and Empanadas: same food, same human beings", and "We may be old but we're spunky and right."
Mrs. Wadewitz is looking forward to the event. "We haven't been so energized in I don't know how long. And maybe I can get some suggestions from the hecklers on embellishing my prayer shawl. I'm hoping to make it look more like a poncho, but I've only got 12 hours."
--I.C.
Anti-child
5 hours ago
2 the midrash:
I am a devout Catholic, also, who's parish has been completely taken over by Mexican illegal immigrants. At the Parish Fiesta last Sunday, all of the live entertainment was in Spanish. We got a few old Eagles standards thrown in "for the English speaking people". I cannot understand why the Church thinks the change in my Parish, in less than 20 years, doesn't hurt any of us. At 50 I am one of the youngest native English speaking people still active in Parish life. My wife was baptised in this Parish, we were married here and most of our children were baptised here. My wife taught at the Parish school and after being at the Fiesta for almost five hours I saw three people I knew outside of my friends in the Knights of Columbus. I cannot do anything "in solidarity" with a people who have illegally taken so much from me. Illegal immigration is a great deal for the illegal immigrant, but all I get out of it is a deep sense of loss, and a huge hit to my pocketbook.
Since when does Holy Mother Church care about illegal immigration in America?
After all, the Pope knows of two peoples - Catholics and Non-Catholics.
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