MRS > Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees > Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope
A historic joint pastoral letter by the bishops’ conferences of the United States and Mexico published in January 2003.
In their pastoral statement, Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope, the bishops of the United States and Mexico reflected together on the place of migration in the face of globalization. In this pastoral, the bishops present a vision of interdependent neighbors whose shared faith transcends borders and who are dedicated to building a more just and generous immigration system. Encouraged by the Holy Father’s call for a new evangelization and greater unity between Catholics in this hemisphere, Strangers No Longer examines ways to improve pastoral experiences for migrants and those who work with them. The statement also enumerates a number of public policy challenges and offers responses drawn from the bishops’ experiences.
Summary of Pastoral Letter
A summary of the pastoral letter has been prepared for the use of parishes seeking to understand the welcoming response they might be able to make to the call of the bishops for solidarity with migrants, refugees, asylees, and various other people on the move, particularly in the United States and Mexico. The summary can serve as an introduction to the statement for leaders in parish ministries, as part of a catechetical program on the social teachings of the Church, to spur reflection and discussion in small groups or parish committees, or for individual parishioners who may not have the time to read the entire document. While it would be helpful for those directly working for parish implementation of the statement to be familiar with the entire document, this can be considered as a first step even for those leaders.
Proceed to Summary
Strangers No Longer, Together on the Journey
of Hope, January 2003
A Pastoral Letter Concerning Migration from the Catholic Bishops of Mexico
and the United States
Order Copies of This Statement (English)
Order Copies of This Statement (Bilingual) (.pdf format)