Theology of Migration

Click Here for the homepage of "And You Welcomed Me: Migration and Catholic Social Teaching," the upcoming publication of the Theology of Migration Project

Project Description

Pioneered by Woodstock’s Director, Gasper Lo Biondo and the Migration Policy Institute's Vice President for Programs, Donald Kerwin, this project was launched by Woodstock and its partners in 2007. It brings together immigrants, academics from different disciplines, migrant service providers, theologians, and Church leaders to consider many issues related to the spirituality of migrants and the emerging theology of migration, including root causes of migration, integration of immigrants into society, and the ways in which the Church addresses the needs of migrants.

The project is driven by a desire to increase public understanding of the academic and theological foundations of the Catholic Church’s teaching on issues of migration, and to assist the Church’s ministries and its public policy work on behalf of migrants and newcomers.

Woodstock’s Collaborators

Organizations whose personnel are collaborating in the project have included:

• Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc. (CLINIC), a subsidiary of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
• The Center for Faith & Public Life at Fairfield University
• The Program in Latin American & Latino Studies at Loyola College in Maryland
• GU’s Institute for the Study of International Migration
• The U.S. Jesuit Conference
• Catholic Common Ground Initiative
• Just Faith Ministry
• The national and local Justice for Immigrants campaigns

Participants in one of the Theology of Migration project's national conferences

Conferences & Events

The project's major event have included:

• The initial Theology of Migration Project conference, held at Fairfield University on July 19-20 2007, which addressed immigration as an issue for those of the Catholic faith. The major co-sponsors were Woodstock, CLINIC, and the Center for Faith and Public Life at Fairfield University. The conference covered many topics, such as the spirituality of migrants, human rights and sovereignty, and the integration of immigrants. These subjects were addressed from many perspectives during the conference, involving a number of immigrant advocacy organizations, academics, and migrants themselves.
• A second conference was held on August 25-26, 2008, at the North American Paulist Center in DC, involving participants from the original 2007 conference, authors of chapters in project's book, and other key collaborators. The conference was focused around discussing how to better educate the public on Catholic Social Teaching and migration, and included individuals and organizations who are involved in educating Catholics on such issues.