Dear Friends --

Today, December 15, marks the release of 8th Day Center for Justice's
“Declaration of Sanctuary and Migration Statement”. The full document
can be found on our website www.8thdaycenter.org

This evening we will be having an event to celebrate with our members and
friends.  The event is made possible with help from Loyola University‑ Institute
of Pastoral Studies.  The program will include music, a reading of the statement,
testimony, and a closing liturgy, call to action and time for community and
refreshments.

We hope that this statement will help to move all to work on this issue and to
be bold participants in the work for immigrant justice and human rights.

8TH DAY CENTER FOR JUSTICE DECLARES SANCTUARY
AND RELEASES STATEMENT ON MIGRATION
 
As a member of Chicago New Sanctuary Coalition and New Sanctuary Movement
8th Day Center for Justice, a faith‑based organization grounded in the Catholic
tradition, declares itself a New Sanctuary Organization.

We stand in solidarity with our migrant sisters and brothers, particularly with those
who are the most vulnerable in today's climate of raids, criminalization and highly
politicized debate. We stand with the undocumented and recent immigrant communities.

Our scripture and tradition of Catholic Social Teaching (CST) emphasizes welcoming
migrants and honoring their human dignity, always extending hospitality to the stranger,
the hungry, and the exploited among us.

Today, people crossing into the United States of America "are among the most abused,
exploited and denigrated people in our society" (1), and we believe that to ignore them is
to ignore the call of the gospel. CST instructs us that "globalization, like any other system,
must be at the service of the human person; it must serve solidarity and the common
good (11)" and that "a just trading system should enhance the life and dignity of everyone,
lessen economic injustice, and help eradicate poverty (12)."

"The obligation to earn one's bread by the sweat of one's brow also presumes a right
to do so. A society in which this right is systematically denied, in which economic policies
do not allow workers to reach satisfactory levels of employment, cannot be justified from
an ethical point of view." (Centesimus Annus #43)

In Response:

8th Day Center for Justice publicly declares itself a New Sanctuary Organization. From
the historical understanding of sanctuary as a sacred place for protection from injustice and
persecution, the 1980s sanctuary movement to today ‑‑ a call has been made for a New
Sanctuary Movement in urgent response to the current failures of the immigration system
in the United States.

"Sanctuary is not a building. It is a response rooted in faith and nurtured by prayer and
conscience (10)."

As a New Sanctuary Organization:

"We stand together in believing that every human person, regardless of national origin, has
basic rights which must be safeguarded, including:

1) The right to earn a livelihood;
2) The right to family unity; and
3) The right to physical and emotional safety.

We believe that these undeniable rights are being violated under current immigration law." (6)

8th Day Center for Justice calls for the promotion of just economic policies, the decriminalization
of migrants and the removal of punitive legislation and procedures.

We ask you to stand with 8th Day and declare sanctuary as a congregation, community or
organization.  The following pages map out the different aspects of Migration and are important
educational tools for reflection, discussion or debate pertaining to immigration.

Note: the entire document, including our statement on migration and footnotes may be viewed
at  www.8thdaycenter.org