Happy New Year! I am so excited to share that ICSJ’s Refugee Ministry is starting off strong in 2025 with a new financial co-sponsorship for a family resettling in the Chicago area.
You may remember at the end of last year, we collected items for a family of six who recently resettled in West Rogers Park. We also connected the family with “New Neighbors” from our very own ICSJ parish community, Dan and Kim Stolze and Jaime and Maria Valle, to help them get settled into their new life in Chicago! These efforts are through our partners at Exodus World Service who…
Read moreWe are so excited to share with you a bit of an introduction to the sweet family I’ve been spending time with as a refugee volunteer - the Thabit family; a father, mother, and 4 year old boy. They waited 9 long years in Jordan after fleeing their home country of Yemen and finally made it safely to Chicago. Because of all of this, there is a nearly tangible, overflowing spirit of gratitude when you’re around them. The time my sons and I have spent with them has been seriously wonderful. I expected the first meeting to be a little awkward - just meeting one another, not speaking the same language…
Read moreIn December of 2022, our first ‘Pioneer Refugee’ family’s father became a U.S. Citizen. We are thrilled to share that his wife became a citizen in November, enabling their minor children to gain their citizenship also! They are grateful beyond words for the love and support from our ICSJ family of families since their arrival from Kabul, Afghanistan nearly seven years ago where the father had worked with our US Military. He has been employed consistently since their arrival, the mother has beautifully managed the family, and the children have been model students and great athletes at their schools.
Read moreAnd they are from Burma (or, as it was renamed in 1989, Myanmar). The country struggled under military rule for over 50 years till Aung San Suu Kyi, the former Prisoner of Conscience, won an overwhelming electoral victory in 2015. However, the military is not letting go—they redrafted the Constitution so she could only be “State Counselor,” not President.
Read moreThank you to all who recently contributed to our Refugee Family Collection. We were able to raise $20,469 to support the family that arrived in Chicago on March 29 from Afghanistan—far surpassing the $8,000 we needed. Besides this incredible financial support, so many of our parishioners have graciously offered to help the family get settled and adjusted in our big city, and offered other services as well.
The response has been phenomenal. Thank you for your generosity and support. This has been a great hallmark of our Lenten journey this year.
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