For Advent 2023, the CLINIC team reflected on their work in light of the Advent themes of hope, love, peace, and joy. Many Christian communities focus on one of those themes during each of the four weeks of Advent, starting with hope and ending with love the final week before Christmas. We hope this resource will help you step back and engage in reflection this Advent. Where have you had true experiences of hope, peace, joy, and love, even despite the many challenges facing our world?

Modern Catholic social teaching is the body of social principles and moral teaching that is articulated in the papal, conciliar, and other official documents issued since the late nineteenth century dealing with the economic,political, and social order. This teaching is rooted in the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures as well as in traditional philosophical and theological teachings of the Church.

The Church has celebrated the World Day of Migrants and Refugees each year since 1914. This is an occasion for the Church and people of faith to reflect upon the role migration has played in our tradition; express concern for migrants, refugees, and people on the move; and build awareness about the challenges and opportunities migration presents. Each year, the pope releases a message in honor of World Day of Migrants and Refugees reflecting on a new theme related to the Church’s call to welcome the stranger.

During Advent, the four weeks before Christmas, Christians prepare to welcome the light of the world through daily practices of prayer, reflection and actions of love. In this Advent Reflection Guide for 2022, we showcase four affiliate partners in their work of practicing welcome, highlighting the ways that, through their work, they are acting as beacons of light in a world that so often seeks to exclude. Download the guide and reflect on practicing welcome in the CLINIC network this Advent.

CLINIC Executive Director Anna Gallagher spoke to the annual general assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Nov. 13, focusing on our border-region initiative, the Estamos Unidos Asylum Project. Gallagher describes the conditions in which thousands of asylum seekers are waiting in crowded, unsanitary conditions to be admitted to the United States. CLINIC is using volunteers to help provide legal guidance to those waiting in Juarez, Mexico.

Oración escrita por Alondra Vázquez López, 2019 FirstGen Fellow de CLINIC.

Heavenly God, we come before you with a heart full of thanksgiving and praise.

For it was you, Lord, who watched over our brothers and sisters as they journeyed from one land to another, in search of a safe, and bountiful life.

It was your grace and mercy that guided their path, and has allowed them to earn their rightful place as citizens of the United States.   

We come before you, to ask for continued guidance and protection as they embrace all that is before them.

The prayer on this card was written by a Dreamer at Cabrini University. Download and share it with your fellow parishioners to keep Dreamers in your thoughts.

Every year, families celebrate the holidays with a variety of cultural traditions, many passed down through generations and across borders. While the songs, food and decorations may change, the meaning stays the same—surround yourself with those you love.

Cuando Maria y José viajaron a Belén justo antes del nacimiento del niño Jesús, no esperaban encontrar todos los mesones llenos. Los evangelios según San Mateo y San Lucas nos cuentan que la pareja no tenía donde quedarse hasta que un posadero de buen corazón les ofreció su establo. Ahí nació el niño Jesús y se quedó dormido en un pesebre, donde pronto lo encontraron ángeles y los Reyes Magos.

The gospels of Matthew and Luke tell us that Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem on the eve of Jesus’ birth. When they were unable to find a place to sleep for the night, a kind innkeeper allowed the family to stay in his stable. It was there that Mary gave birth to Jesus, placing him in a crib fashioned for him out of a manger. They were soon to be visited by wise men and angels.

Each of us wants to be part of a welcoming community, but we often find ourselves at a loss as to where to start. We know the Lord calls on us, but how? What if I don’t have the space or the means to provide shelter? What if there are no immigrants in my community? What if those around me are reluctant to learn about immigration?

Please download this prayer card to share with your friends and family. The prayer was written by Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn (available in Spanish).

Prayer for Migrants

Lord, we pray for the protection of all refugees, migrants and displaced people in the world today. You experienced the life of a migrant in the flight to Egypt, when Joseph and Mary fled their home to protect your life. Today, this phenomenon continues in a world that does not respect the vulnerable.

Check out the following flyers below for points on why your community should care about immigration issues and what you can do.

Pope Francis has spoken out on immigration issues since the beginning of this papacy. CLINIC's "Quotes from Pope Francis" is a compilation of select excerpts from Pope Francis' homilies, messages, and teaching documents on immigration issues. Download Quotes from Pope Francis on Immigration (pdf) This document will be updated periodically. Last updated February 11, 2016.

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to St. Juan Diego in 1531, speaking in his native language and requesting that he go to the head of the church in Mexico and ask that a church be built in the place where she appeared. Juan Diego faced rejection and later was tested by having to persuade Bishop Juan de Zumárraga of the miraculous apparition. Mary offered him consolation and guidance. Faithfully following her instructions, Juan Diego went to the top of a hill, where he found his sign—a garden of roses in a typically barren spot.

In advocating on behalf of migrants, immigrants, and refugees, it is important to understand that the Catholic position is based on Catholic social teaching, which is derived from the Gospels and the words of Christ; statements and encyclicals of the Popes; and statements and pastoral letters of bishops around the world, including the bishops of the United States.

The Feast of Pentecost is upon us! This is a time to celebrate the missionary outburst to share the evangelii gaudium, the joy of the Gospel, with all people. And, it is at this wondrous time that we join Catholics in prayerful action to repair our disjointed immigration system.