Mission
Rooted in the gospel and Catholic Tradition and committed to the mission of Jesus Christ, the Saint Toribio Romo Immigrant Center exists to strengthen and coordinate pastoral ministry to immigrants in Pilsen and Little Village in a way that fully integrates and empowers them socially and spiritually.
History
The Center originated as one of the Archdiocese of Chicagos responses to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops call for organizing Catholic and other community networks to assist immigrants to help them flourish in their new home (Pope Benedict XVI 4/16/09).
Parish and archdiocesan officials saw a need to focus and streamline the various services being offered by parishes in Deanery III-E in the lower west side of Chicago and established the St Toribio Romo Immigrant Center as a collaborative model for immigrant-to-ministry in that deanery. Dedicated in May of 2009, the center opened its doors in later July 2009.
The center serves the Pilsen and Little Village communities and is a liaison group in the Department of Parish Life and Formation.
St Toribio Romo, martyr
Toribio Romo Gonzalez was a Roman Catholic priest martyred by Mexican federal troops in 1928 during the Cristero Wars, an uprising against Mexicos anti-Catholic government. It is believed that St. Toribio appears to migrants in the Sonoran Desert on the US-Mexico border and assists them as they make their way across the border and into the United States.
Programming/Services
Establishing a Parish-Based Ministry
The St. Toribio Romo Immigrant Center works closely with pastors andparish leaders in Deanery III-E to establish a parish-based immigrant-to-immigrant ministry by assisting them in:
- Identifying, training and providing formation to lay leaders committed to the pastoral care of immigrants.
- creating an atmosphere that is welcoming of immigrants by encouraging and supporting their participation in parish life and in the church at large.
- making sure each parish community is poised to serve as a source of information and to accompany immigrants as they establish themselves in their “new home†which is the United States.
- securing necessary resources for this ministry.
Training and Ministry Formation
Formation & training opportunities for parish ministers include:
- "Know Your Rights" workshops in areas such as labor, immigration, legal rights, documentation, etc.
- Acquiring knowledge of public resources that are available to immigrants.
- Understanding Catholic social teaching, pastoral care, theological reflection, and pastoral collaboration.
- Development of leadership skills (e.g. communication, relationship building, teamwork, social analysis, etc.)
- Developing the capacity to accompany immigrants to referral destinations and in moments of crisis.
Networking
- The Center collaborates with many community partners such as Catholic Charities of Chicago and the Mexican Consulate in Chicago among others to achieve its goals.
- Through these and other local partnerships the center also assists the parishes in accessing community services in such areas as emergency food and shelter assistance, legal services, adult literacy, ESL and Citizenship classes.
Social Justice Advocacy
The Center maintains a close relationship with such groups as the Priests for Justice for Immigrants, the Sisters and Brothers of Immigrants, the Office for Immigrant Affairs and Immigration Education of the Archdiocese of Chicago, the US Bishops' Catholic Campaign for Immigration Reform and other partners to:
- update parishes about developments leading to a compassionate and comprehensive immigration reform.
- coordinate parishes' participation in local and national campaigns, guided by Catholic Social Teaching, that are directed at bringing about a compassionate and comprehensive immigration reform.
The center also encourages participation of immigrants and their advocates in socially conscious related activities such as, voter registration, voter turnout, and civic engagement as indicated by Catholic Social Teaching and as a way of integrating immigrants more fully into our democratic society.
Financial Contributors
- Parishes of Deanery III-E
- Archdiocese of Chicago's Catholic Campaign for Human Development
- Religious Communities
- Chicago Community Trust
- Newman's Own Foundation
- Polk Brothers Foundation
- Raskob Foundation
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