Experience being foreigner creates empathy

By RENEE WEBB, Globe editor
Feb. 28, 2008

As the immigration debate continues, the director of catechesis, evangelization and RCIA in the Diocese of Sioux City urges parishioners to consider the human element.

Regardless of the complexities of this issue, Mark Thomason would like Catholics to keep human dignity and compassion at the heart of the matter.

"Think about how hard it is for people who have travelled to a different country, with a different language," he said. "They are stretching themselves in real ways and generally it's for an obvious reason - for work."

As a recent "foreigner," Thomason had a little taste of the difficulties that immigrants face and wanted to offer his personal perspective.

In January of 2005, he spent about five months in Italy through a study abroad program of the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio.

He pointed out that there were many hoops the students had to jump through in order to stay there. They had to have passports, 12 extra passport photos, student visas, questo giorno (stamp for the day they arrived and journal signed), signed and notarized affidavits of support, proof of financial means and Italian health insurance coverage.

"We had to have our questo giornos signed within eight days at the police station," recalled Thomason. "The police only signed five to eight people's giornos everyday. If you weren't one of first people there, you didn't get it signed. We had to be at the police station at 4 a.m. on two different occasions."

Even though the students had someone in Italy who helped them meet the requirements, he said it was difficult. If they didn't need to follow all of the legalities in order to receive college credit, some were tempted to pass on following all of the requirements for a legal stay.

"It was an amazing amount of work and that's with someone there who knew the system," said Thomason. "Without our guide there in Italy we would have never gotten it done."

Through his personal experience, he said he empathizes with migrant workers who often do not have financial means and contacts in this country.

"To try to do things 'the right way' is very hard sometimes," said Thomason.

In Italy, they had housing taken care of and the school was picked out.

"I couldn't imagine if you had to find housing. I can really empathize with how much work it takes," he said.

Moving to a new country can be frightening, he added and takes "a huge leap of faith." Thomason recalled that it had been a little scary for him and he had many safety nets - the benefit of his passport, money in his pocket and the knowledge that he could have gone home if needed.

In Rome, he saw that many of the immigrants there were from Africa. Some had nothing and literally walked their way to Italy.

Reading about politics and the volatile immigration issue made Thomason think about his personal experience in a foreign country.

"We can forget about the human element of this, how hard it is," he said. "We need to stop and think about how it affects people."

Thomason stressed the fact that as a member of the church, "we are called to charity."

He referred to the U.S. bishops' document titled Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States. Within that document, immigrants were among the topics. For instance, under the Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers, #52, it stated, "Employers contribute to the common good through the services or products they provide and by creating jobs that uphold the dignity and rights of workers - to productive work, to decent and just wages, to adequate benefits and security in their old age, to the choice of whether to organize and join unions, to the opportunity for legal status for immigrant workers, to private property, and to economic initiative."

That same document referred to immigrants under the listing of Solidarity, #53. It stated, "Solidarity also includes the Scriptural call to welcome the stranger among us - including immigrants seeking work, a safe home, education for their children, and a decent life for their families."

He called immigration a life issue, relating to the dignity of the human person.

"We must ask, 'Is this preserving the dignity of the human person?'" said Thomason, who added that they also reflect on the Golden Rule - "loving our neighbor as our self."

While he is aware that the immigration debate will not be easily solved and he personally does not have the answers, he encourages Catholics to help immigrants when possible through outreach and a charitable attitude.

If people wish to gain more knowledge about the church's perspective on the dignity of the human person, he suggested they read Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life) by Pope John Paul II. Thomason referred to the late pope's document as one of the best learning and teaching tools.