Keynote speakers include an immigration attorney, a local world refugee service provider and a local refugee from the republic of the Ivory Coast, West Africa

 BUFFALO (July 7, 2008) On Wednesday, July 16 from 5 until 6 pm, the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities as well as a group of Secular Franciscans and members of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) will gather at St. Joseph Cathedral, 50 Franklin Street in downtown Buffalo to hold a public prayer witness for comprehensive immigration reform.  The public is invited to join the more than 300 participants.

Michael E. Marszalkowski, an immigration attorney, Brian Brown-Cashdollar, Executive Director of VIVE, Inc. as well as a local refugee from the Republic of the Ivory Coast, West Africa who has received assistance from the agency, will be among the presenters at the event providing valuable information about the need for comprehensive immigration reform in our country. “Our commitment to Catholic Social Teaching impels us to stand with the poor and vulnerable, to welcome the stranger among us­ – including immigrants seeking work, a safe home, education for their children, and a decent life for their families,” explains Sister Patricia Burkard, general minister of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities.

The Sisters concern for refugees, those fleeing homelands due to tremendous unrest, led them in the early 1980’s to work with other congregations of women religious in the LCWR and with other faith congregations in the Buffalo area to create VIVE, Inc. It provides services to the many refugees moving through the area to Canada.  For more than twenty years the Sisters of St. Francis have shown their deep concern for immigration reform by supporting, sheltering, tutoring, providing medical and spiritual services, serving as Board members and staff members at VIVE, Inc.  

Located at 50 Wyoming Avenue, Buffalo, NY, VIVE operates LaCasa, a shelter with 108 beds. This non-profit interfaith organization assists world refugees seeking asylum both in the United States and in Canada. VIVE provides food, shelter, clothing, healthcare and legal services to refugees as they await their appointment to enter Canada or the U.S. asylum hearing. In 2007, VIVE provided services to over 3500 individuals, 70% of which were women and children. Since its founding in 1984, VIVE has assisted over 63,000 refugees from over 106 countries.

Neumann Franciscan Sister Suzanne Susany, an immigration law student at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pa explains that “the entire immigration system with its quotas and now the added security clearances is just not equipped to handle the volume and the reality of war refugees. Most are waiting for years to have their documents processed. Many have greatly helped our government in the recent war, at great risk to their own life and family, and have not been compensated. The lawmakers need to revise the system in a way that is just and equitable, so that refugee immigration can be expedited, and others who have contributed to our country’s growth and vitality receive a just and equitable response.”

The Public Prayer witness is being held in conjunction with the Sisters of St. Francis general chapter meetings which are being conducted from July 12-20 at the Adam’s Mark. It is an especially important gathering since the delegates will set the agenda for the congregation for the next four years and elect new leadership.

The Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities consists of 550 members who serve in the ministries of education, healthcare, pastoral care, the missions, social services and retreat work in 33 dioceses and archdioceses around the world, including Hawaii, East Africa, Peru, Puerto Rico and Canada.