Café Eireann
Freshly baked breads were the order of the day at Café Eireann, followed by an exciting game of bingo. Thanks to Eileen Collins for organizing the games and prizes and also to Marilyn Ferrara who assisted. Many people take great enjoyment from playing bingo, including myself who had beginners luck on the day!! Our next scheduled game of bingo at Café Eireann will be held on January 7 2015, which is the first day back after the holidays.
Thank you to everyone who comes to both Cara Club and Café Eireann, making them such special and entertaining groups to be part of and, as always, many thanks to the numerous volunteers without whom the clubs would not be the success they are.
2nd Sunday of Advent
By Sr. Marguerite Kelly; Pastoral Associate
617-265-5300 Ext. 10
Jesus is kindness and truth
“Kindness and truth shall meet; Justice and peace shall kiss” (Psalm 85:11).
Kindness and truth aren’t usually considered compatible: “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” Hence, my mother was trained never to open a gift in the presence of the giver, lest her possible disappointment be revealed.
Common sense says something similar of justice and peace: to get the one, the other is going to have to take a back seat. A Savior who can combine both will have his hands full!
Jesus reveals a truth that frees us and heals us, proving that nothing based on deceit is any kind of kindness at all. The same is true of peace: if it is based on injustice, it is a bogus peace at best.
We are tempted, on the one hand, to settle for gentle appearances and, on the other, for ends that will justify the means. Jesus comes into our lives with no concessions, no temporary half-measures, no compromises.
Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly!
Living with Christ Mark Neilsen
Immigration and U.S. Citizenship News
By Kieran C. O’ Sullivan; Immigration Counselor
Call: 617-265-5300 Ext. 16
Undocumented Parents Invited to come forward
We had a good information session at the Banshee on December 2nd and wish to thank the attorneys and volunteers who showed up on that evening. Thanks also to the management and staff of the Banshee who donate their space to us for such events.
Deferred action and employment authorization is granted to undocumented parents if they meet guidelines including the following two key provisions:
Have continuous residence in the United States since January 1, 2010; Are the parents of a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident born on or before November 20, 2014.
Program participants must not be an enforcement priority for removal from the United States, pursuant to the November 20, 2014, Policies for the Apprehension, Detention and Removal of Undocumented Immigrants Memorandum.
Christmas Travel Warnings
The issue of whether or not those who are on deferred action employment cards can travel came up at our session on Tuesday. Based upon previous deferred actions, permission to travel on humanitarian parole was granted only after an application was filed for same. We will have to wait and see how this program is administered to see if there will be some discretion on the whole issue of traveling outside of the US. Meantime we must stress that leaving the US carries great risk if an individual does not consult an experienced immigration attorney.
Undocumented Irish in this region are invited to call or email us to find out more information on eligibility for the Deferred Action program. It has been suggested that some people might be nervous about coming forward for clarification on aspects of the deferred action. We want to remind readers that all calls are confidential and your contact details are not shared with any outside agency.
Marriage and U.S. citizenship cases
We remind readers who have paperwork prepared to file with the USCIS on a marriage based visa application or U.S. citizenship to have their applications reviewed by attorneys prior to filing. We will be prepared to review such cases at The Banshee after the initial presentation at 6:30 PM on December 17th.
Holiday Greetings but caution on the roads
We wish all of our readers and supporters a happy holiday season with their friends and families. However, we repeat our caution to people to use care on the roads during the holiday season. Apart from the obvious public safety hazards associated with driving under the influence, law enforcement is expected to be out in force to combat such activity. Immigrants not yet in lawful status face detention, jail, and deportation if apprehended by law enforcement during or after such an arrest.
Information Session: 6:30 PM on Weds. December 17th
We are holding a second information session on President Obama’s executive action on December 17th at 6:30 PM at The Banshee. We will answer questions on deferred action for undocumented parents, and host one on one consultation to those present on any general visa matter. While much of the focus has been on relief for the undocumented in the U.S., in terms of employment based visas, President Obama’s directive proposes to do the following:
· Modernizing the Employment-Based Immigrant Visa System
· Reforming "Optional Practical Training" for Foreign Students and Graduates from U.S. Universities
· Promoting Research and Development in the United States
· Bringing Greater Consistency to the L-lB Visa Program
· Increasing Worker Portability
Immigrants with visa or employment petitions pending who wonder what these elements of the President’s plan might mean for them are also invited to attend the information session on the 17th December.
Disclaimer: Please note that the information contained in it is provided to inform generally, and is not intended as a substitute for individual advice. Immigration law is subject to frequent changes and individual circumstances can affect the application of certain legal provisions. For individual legal advice, please contact the Irish Pastoral Centre directly regarding upcoming legal clinics or consultation with an immigration attorney.
Senior Program
By Audrey Larkin; Interim Senior Program Coordinator
[email protected]
Call: 617-265-5300 Ext. 13
Cara Club
We had a great turnout at Cara Club on Monday, with an abundance of baked goods, cookies and desserts available for everyone to enjoy. Dick Mahoney, ably assisted by Mary Logue, held a great game of bingo, with several lucky members winning and going home quite happy. Mike Finery treated everyone to a selection of songs, from different genres, which everyone enjoyed as usual.
Join Us
If you have never attended either club, please consider joining us for a variety of events and activities, you are always very welcome and will instantly become part of our “family”. Cara Club is held every Monday (except holidays) at the Veronica Smith Senior Center, Brighton from 1PM - 3PM. Café Eireann is held every Wednesday from 10AM-12noon (except holidays). If you would like to be put on our mailing list for our monthly calendar of events, please call Audrey at 617.265.5300 ext. 13.
Our next monthly Mass and luncheon will be held on Thursday December 18 at ICCNE. To reserve your place please call the RSVP line: 855-479-2472. Please RSVP before Friday December 12.
Congratulations
We would like to extend our congratulations to Mark Porter on being a recipient of an Irish Heroes of New England Award. Mark is a champion fundraiser who lends his time and resources to us every year in the organization of our Annual Fundraising Banquet. The third annual Irish Heroes of New England Awards took place on Wednesday, December 3 in Boston. Congratulations on this well deserved award Mark.
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