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Canisius students are welcoming the stranger as part of Campus Ministry’s Winter Service Week. Two sites worked directly with migrants and immigrants during the first week of January. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) called attention to the many issues surrounding migration January 3-9, 2016.

The USCCB writes:
“In the Gospel of Matthew (25:35) Jesus tells his disciples, “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”

The call to welcome the stranger plays an important role in the lives of faithful Christians. The migrant, who moves from one country to another is truly a stranger in the midst. Often unfamiliar with the local tongue of the new country, not to mention its customs, the migrant needs the support of local communities so that she can better adjust to her new surroundings. National Migration Week 2016 picks up on the theme of welcome and, in doing so, calls on each of us to welcome the stranger among us.”

The first group, led by Canisius alum Joshua Little ’14, will work with refugees at the Northside CYO in Syracuse, NY. The second group, led by Campus Minister Sarah Signorino, will spend the week learning from and about migrant farm workers in Lyons, NY at the Rural Migrant Ministries.

Three additional Winter Service Week groups will travel for Hurricane Sandy reconstruction in NYC, led by Canisius professor Julie Anna Golebiewski; working with the Benedictine Sisters in Erie, PA led by Donna Ortolani from the Griff Center; and learning about nature/Native American culture from the Ndakinna Education Center led by Patricia Waters from the Education Department.

Submitted by: Sarah Signorino, associate campus minister, office of campus ministry