BOOKS

Border of Death, Valley of Life, An Immigrant Journey of Heart and Spirit (2002), Daniel G. Groody

Globalization, Spirituality, and Justice Navigating the Path to Peace (2007), Daniel G. Groody

Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario: In this astonishing true story, award-winning journalist Sonia Nazario recounts the unforgettable odyssey of a Honduran boy who braves unimaginable hardship and peril to reach his mother in the United States is the timeless story of families torn apart, the yearning to be together again, and a boy who will risk his life to find the mother he loves.

A Concise Guide to Catholic Social Teaching, Kevin E. McKenna

A God of Incredible Surprises, Jesus of Galilee (2003), Virgilio Elizondo

Galilean Journey: The Mexican American Promise (8th edition, 2000), Virgilio Elizondo

Guadalupe: Mother of the New Creation, Virgilio Elizondo

They Take Our Jobs! And 20 other myths about immigration by Aviva Chomsky: Chomsky dismantles twenty of the most common assumptions and beliefs underlying statements like "I'm not against immigration, only illegal immigration" and challenges the misinformation in clear, straightforward prose.

VIDEOS

Stranger No Longer – 22 minutes
This “Strangers No Longer” DVD invites us to open our hearts and minds and identify with today’s immigrants. It invites us to look into our past and notice the similarities that exist between ourselves and our ancestors when they came to this great land and those who are arriving now. We are made aware of the many global implications that cause people to migrate to the USA, including our need for more workers. It helps us to understand problems that exist with our current immigration system and underlines different solutions and activities that can be undertaken to fix what is broken. It reminds us of our moral responsibility to actively live our faith and our obligation to be a voice of change so that newcomers are strangers no longer. For further information, please visit http://www.justiceforimmigrants.org/snldvd.html where you can also find a bi-lingual study guide to accompany the DVD.

Faith and Justice – Justice for Immigrants –– 8-minute video by Alex Contreras (student at Columbia college) Coverage of 2006 rallies and marches in Chicago, actions and prayer services during the Lent season by the Priests for Justice for Immigrants. For further information, please contact Graciela Contreras at (847) 549-0163 or visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCImbPBBHvo

The Stuff that Dreams are Made Off – A 15-minute documentary DVD produced by Abby Pierce, 2006 graduate of Loyola Academy, Wilmette, IL. This remarkable amateur film reveals the existence of undocumented immigrants within the Loyola Academy environment and chronicles the political awakening of a group of high school students who get involved in the immigration reform movement as a result. In its simple presentation of the issues and the devastating impact on the undocumented children who have grown up in the U.S., the film is a powerful and poignant tool in our education mission. For more information, please contact Greg Pierce at (847) 676-2282.

The Line in the Sand : Stories from the USA and Mexico Borders uses the power of theater to tell the personal stories of people affected by U.S./Mexico border migration. Through an hour-long collection of monologues and photos, audiences are exposed to a variety of points of view on this complex and critical issue. For further information, please visit http://www.crs.org/dramaproject/

MAID IN AMERICA is an intimate, eye-opening look at the lives of las domésticas, as seen through the eyes of Eva, Telma and Judith: three Latina immigrants, each with a very different story, who work as nannies and housekeepers in Los Angeles, California. Filmmakers Anayansi Prado and Kevin Leadingham followed their subjects for several years, and their cameras caught some of the most intimate moments of these women’s lives, both on and off the job. More information also available at: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/maidinamerica/more.html

One Border, One Body
One Border, One Body tells the story of a ritual that unites people beyond political constructions which divide them. Amidst a desert of death and a culture of fear, it testifies to God’s universal, undivided, and unrestricted love for all people. It speaks of the gift and challenge of Christian faith and the call to feed the world’s hunger for peace, justice and reconciliation. More than just another documentary on immigration, this film is a meditation of the Kingdom of God, a globalization of solidarity, and a journey of hope. Discussion guide also available at: http://oneborderonebody.nd.edu/index.html

Under the Same Moon (La Misma Luna) tells the parallel stories of nine-year-old Carlitos and his mother, Rosario. In the hopes of providing a better life for her son, Rosario works illegally in the U.S. while her mother cares for Carlitos back in Mexico. Unexpected circumstances drive both Rosario and Carlitos to embark on their own journeys in a desperate attempt to reunite. Along the way, mother and son face challenges and obstacles but never lose hope that they will one day be together again. Director Patricia Riggen’s film is not only a heartwarming family story; she also offers subtle commentary on the much-debated issue of illegal immigration.

The Visitor is a movie about how a chance encounter with undocumented immigrants in New York City transforms the life of a disillusioned Connecticut economics professor, awakening him to a new world and new life. It is filmmaker Tom McCarthy's follow-up to his award winning directorial debut The Station Agent. In The Visitor, Richard Jenkins (Six Feet Under) stars as Walter Vale, a lonesome widower and college economics professor who finds his mundane existence suddenly shaken up when he befriends the immigrants, one of whom has recently been threatened with deportation by U.S. immigration authorities. Discussion guide available at: http://www.scribd.com/doc/6338125/The-Visitor-Discussion-Guide