The Catholic Accompaniment and Reflection Experience (CARE) Program is a new pilot initiative that was launched by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Office of Migration and Refugee Services (USCCB/MRS) in the fall of 2018.
CARE is committed to connecting Catholic volunteers as well as men and women religious with fellow community members who are undocumented immigrants, unaccompanied children, and their families in need of accompaniment and emotional, social service, and spiritual support when integrating into their communities or attempting to comply with immigration proceedings such as reporting to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for check-ins or attending immigration hearings.
Contact Todd Scribner at TScribner@usccb.org with any questions or contributions.
Current CARE Program Sites
Goals of the CARE Program
1) Connect Catholic parishes with members of their communities who have to report to ICE, appear in immigration court, or request accompaniment for other immigration proceedings so that no one stands alone.
2) Encourage and foster Catholic pastoral responses to the uncertainty and fear that many immigrant communities around the United States are experiencing.
3) Connect immigrant families and individuals to existing community resources which will help integrate, protect, and enable families to comply with legal requirements and reach their full potential and human development.
4) Build awareness regarding existing immigration policies and their impacts on communities. Further create solidarity and public support for new policies that support immigrant families and improve local communities.
5) Create avenues for education and learning about the diversity of modern Catholic parish life and the centrality of welcoming the newcomer to Catholic Social Teaching as well as create new formation and immigrant leadership opportunities at the parish level.
6) Bridge cultural differences to foster a community of welcome and understanding.