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FSPA ministry grants support programs which assist immigrants

The myriad issues related to immigration can seem insurmountable: language barriers, labor laws, cultural differences and even challenges related to daily living. It’s a long, complicated list. Yet the FSPA continue to work toward solutions to these problems, even in small ways, through the ministry grant program. While the total amount spent on such programs is a small percentage of the overall ministry grant budget, this year the amount has climbed, primarily due to the work of Sister Joyce Blum who ministers to immigrants in three parishes in Iowa.

The ministry grant program matches widely varied initiatives with much needed grant money, provided by the FSPA. The process is highly organized: in order to be awarded a grant, the program must have a sister sponsor who works on the project or serves on the board of the organization offering the program. Once an application is submitted, it is considered by several groups, and if approved, the request advances to FSPA leadership. The FSPA considered more than 100 grant applications in the beginning of 2007. Of those that were approved, nine relate directly to the needs of immigrants in the United States.

“They’re really putting their lives on the line when they come here. They’re willing to take the risk to help their people and help their families who are often in dire straits in poverty,” explains Sister Ladonna Kassmeyer, director of development for the FSPA. “I don’t think there’s one solution that fits all. I think there has to be a diversity of options that we need to continue and advocate for the immigrant.”

Sister Ladonna says, “Our own families—my great grandparents were immigrants. So, 100-150 years later, do we remember that? We are a nation that has resources and sometimes uses rather than receives the benefits of the labor that the immigrants provide for us. All of us benefit by it. When you think of the crops that are picked and processed, a lot of that is done by immigrant labor.”

Ministry grants are one step toward advocating for immigrants, and the projects supported by these grants offer much-needed support and education to the population.

For more specific information about immigrant-related programs supported through ministry grants, log on to www.fspa.org/helpus/ministry.asp.

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