Lowell Carlson, St. Henry’s
“They just want to work.”
Lowell Carlson gets very fired up when he talks about immigration.
As a tax preparer, he has seen first hand all the “garbage” that immigrants go through to try to be on the right side of the law and pay their taxes. “To get an ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number), these people have to go through the wringer—and all so they can forfeit the benefits we have, like social security and earned income credit,” Lowell said. “But even then they don’t care—they just want to work.”
Lowell was in the military service for a number of years, and was stationed close to El Paso, Texas. “We would go to El Paso for everything—food, gas, drinks—everything was cheaper,” said Lowell. That was his first real interaction with Mexican culture, and he looks fondly upon those days.
“I’m worried that this is a repeat of history,” said Lowell, referencing the Holocaust, and the way that citizens in Germany stood by as Jews were forced out.
Lowell lives in Monticello.
Meg McMurray, St. Joan of Arc
“We need to open a meaningful dialogue.”
When she was 14, Meg McMurray’s family moved to Brussels, Belgium. The next four years spent there proved to be very formative. Though she knows it was different than a typical immigrant’s situation, she thinks it developed her sense of awareness. “I understand what it’s like to be a stranger.”
Meg became involved in the IAT partly through her parents, Rose and Charlie, and partly through her desire to make a difference in issues of social justice. She is also a member of JustFaith, a group that empowers people of faith to develop a passion for justice.
“I think we need to open a meaningful dialogue about this,” said Meg. “I feel like it’s all a misunderstanding of each other.” Recently, she talked to her uncle and tried to open his eyes to the reality of the issue, using her faith as the common denominator. “Jesus was an advocate for the poor and the alien, and the shunned,” she said. “We should learn from his example.”
Meg is employed at Common Hope, a St. Paul nonprofit that aims to end poverty in Guatemala.
Tom Kremer, St. Joan of Arc
“I really cherish and value diversity.”
After retiring from his work as a Federal government employee, and living in Hawaii for 8 years, Tom Kremer came back to in Minnesota. In looking for volunteer opportunities here, he connected with the Archdiocese site online—and then found the Office of Social Justice and the IAT.
“Living in Hawaii, I really learned to cherish and value diversity,” Tom said. Immigration became an issue of concern to him as he began to realize the unfairness being endured by immigrants.
“There is so much injustice, and so many people just don’t understand,” said Tom. Even worse, he noted, this ignorance often turns to prejudice and racism.
In addition to involvement in the IAT, Tom also teaches a citizenship course with CLUES. He is originally from Fulda, MN.
Mark Padellford, St. Ambrose of Woodbury
“I believe our challenge is to change the hearts and minds of the community.”
Mark went to college in Texas in the ‘70s, had a Hispanic roommate, and also had a Hispanic boss in his work study job. Through the ‘80s and ‘90s, he lived and worked in the Southwest—Houston, Phoenix—working with hundreds of Hispanics, and then in California with a myriad of cultures. “Through these experiences I found immigrant communities welcoming, hard-working, family-focused, honest and fair. We could not have done the work we were doing in the communities without their help. In those communities I found friends and mentors.”
With these experiences informing his views, Mark also looks to his faith for guidance. “As with all justice issues, there is a way we are supposed to think and act toward others. Our faith calls us to love one another, as Jesus loved us and as we would like to be loved. If we could bring ourselves as a global community, parish, city, state, country… to make all decisions with that simple guide, we would not have to worry about immigration. I believe our challenge is to change the hearts and minds of the community to truly accept and follow that teaching.”
Mark came to the IAT through his church, where he has been an active member of the social justice committee. He has always been interested in global justice issues, and currently works as Director of Product and Marketing at Pioneer Rim and Wheel in Minneapolis.
Rose McMurray, Risen Savior of Burnsville
“We must serve the poor and vulnerable through our words and our actions.”
Rose remembers the story she heard during a forum on immigration at Just Faith. “It was a high school student, a girl, who spoke about her mother working a hard job so she could have a better life,” said Rose. The girl was an honor student, but had no chance of going to college because her family could not afford the out-of-state tuition required of those that are undocumented in Minnesota. “That day I decided I was going to do all that I could to help remove these barriers for her and others.”
Rose has passion for a myriad of social justice issues, and devotes her time to volunteering. She is currently an ESL tutor through MIRA, and helps with a Clothing Share at her church. “I feel that our faith calls us to follow Christ and His examples. He showed us that we must serve the poor and vulnerable through our words and through our actions.”
This viewpoint has roots in her family, and her upbringing. She has strong memories of her mother befriending another mother in a Polish family in the neighborhood, though her mother knew no Polish and the other knew no English.
“Many times I would walk into our kitchen to find my mom there trying to explain something to the neighbor or telling her how to say something in English, or crying or laughing with her over a cup of coffee. I guess she showed me through her example that it is up to all of us to help the stranger, just as it says in Exodus 22:20. I look at the new immigrants in the same way… someone who has been through a terrible time in their lives, who has sacrificed much to come here and left all that they love behind, and who now really needs us to stand with them in solidarity.”
Tom Kelly, St. Jude of Lake Mahtomedi
“I believe in the interconnectedness our own family, and the human family.”
Tom became hooked on the issue of immigration when he took the Juarez immersion trip with his wife two years ago. Sponsored by the Office for Mission, the trip made it “impossible not to be moved.”
Before that, Tom had worked much of his career in the international arena, and traveled off and on for 23 years. In Latin America, he felt a strong connection to the workers he came in contact with. He met families, ate at their homes, and has had many to his home to visit. “Most wanted out of their living conditions and wanted to immigrate. It was really tough to tell them no, not through (our current) system.”
With a brother-in-law who is a legal Mexican immigrant, Tom does have emotional ties to the issue. “Why is immigration important? Just go to Latin America and see, smell, touch, see the difference that birth a hundred miles south of the border can make to opportunity and you KNOW.”
Though faith plays a big part in his devotion to the issue, he also sees that immigration affects us all, regardless of faith. “My family immigrated from Ireland, long ago, and my wife’s father immigrated from Ireland… I believe in the interconnectedness of our own family, and the human family.”
Vickie Schaaf, Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis
“I don’t like to see people discriminated against, and I speak up against it when I can.”
Vickie’s interest in the issue of immigration comes down to a very simple principle. “I don’t like to see people discriminated against, and I speak up against it when I can.”
In 2004, with the current government in place, Vickie became very politically active and responded to a church bulletin about a social justice legislative briefing, which led her to attending IAT meetings. Much of Vickie’s concern with immigration centers around a deeper concern with our government. “I don’t feel threatened by people coming to our country. I feel more threatened by our own government and corporations… It’s surprising that even with all the wrongs our government has done, people still see our country as somewhere they want to make a life.”
Vickie is also sensitive to the hate-filled and hypocritical rhetoric surrounding the issue—particularly with politicians. “We all need to practice what we preach and get back to common sense. People seem to forget to treat others as they would like to be treated.”
Raised Catholic, Vickie is encouraged that church teachings support her views, and is also encouraged by fellow IAT team members. “I’m constantly surprised by the spirituality of others I’ve met while working with this team. I have a lot to learn and am surrounded by some great teachers.”
Bob & Lori Radecki, Risen Savior Parish, Burnsville
“Once an immigrant becomes a real person in your eyes, the immigration issue begins to take on a whole new meaning.”
Bob jokes that he and his wife, Lori, are a “package deal,” and for purposes of telling the story of their involvement in the immigration movement, the metaphor is true.
A couple years ago, Bob and Lori had the opportunity to go on an immigrant Immersion trip. “That trip really opened our eyes to the plight of immigrants. We met several awe-inspiring people and heard stories that truly changed our view of the immigration issue. We came away from that trip wanting to tell these stories to everyone we met and to educate them about the reality of immigration. The IAT was a perfect place to begin.”
Both would really like to see the fear factor taken out of the immigration equation. “We believe the issue of immigration is really an issue of justice and respect for people needing to provide for their families. We feel the best way to do that is through education and telling the stories of the immigrants. Once an immigrant becomes a real person in your eyes, the immigration issue begins to take on a whole new meaning.”
When they look at immigration through the lens of faith, Bob and Laurie feel the urge to fight for the rights of those who are struggling. “We see the face of Jesus on every immigrant we meet and it reinforces the fact that we are ALL made in the image of God; no matter what color our skin is, where we were born, whether rich or poor.”
Gina Detviler, St. Ambrose of Woodbury
“We hope and pray for the day when we can visit my husband’s family, and have a family of our own— a family that won’t have to worry about their father being forced to leave them.”
For Gina, talking about an immigrant’s struggle means talking about her husband’s struggles, and her brother-in-law’s struggles. The issue’s consequences literally hit home, and last fall she was heartbroken when her brother-in-law Wilson was arrested and detained for deportation.
Though the whole experience led her to the Office of Social Justice and the IAT, and other organizations like Sowers of Justice and the Bi-National Immigration Conference, it was a low period in her life. “I believe that God answered my prayers and led me to the Archdiocese back in December… I have met so many faith-filled people who care about this issue and are dedicated to it— not because they have family who are being affected, but because they believe, as followers of a loving and forgiving God, in upholding the human dignity of all God’s people.”
She has found much support in the IAT. “The love, faith, and spirituality of our team is truly amazing. I felt like I was family the first night I attended a meeting.”
Gina needs the IAT family more than ever now, as her husband Angel, an undocumented immigrant from Ecuador, faces the challenges of our current system. Though he has been here 14 years and is fluent in English, and has paid taxes and social security for 13 years, these facts matter little without comprehensive immigration reform.
“In my eyes, my husband represents the very foundation of what this country was created and made strong by. He left everything he had to go in search of something better with nothing more than raw courage. He loves this country, even thought the love is not mutual right now. We hope and pray for the day when we can visit his family, and have a family of our own— a family that won’t have to worry about their father being forced to leave them.”
Keeping faith, hope and love at the forefront of her mind, Gina hopes for change. “This is a human issue, and our country has a responsibility in providing a path for justice in this world. History will continue to repeat itself over and over again, until we realize that poverty, lack of opportunity, and above all, lack of justice and human dignity are the driving forces behind the instability in the world.”
