NDP JOINS WITH OTHER CATHOLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS AT IMMIGRATION/FAITH CONFERENCE

Share this article with a friend.

May 6, 2022

For information on enrollment and registration at Notre Dame, an independent, Catholic, International Baccalaureate school, please visit the admissions section of our website here.

NDP students part of second conference sponsored by Strangers No Longer, which advocates for immigrant families and collects funds "for shelters and way-stations in Mexico that provide rest and food to traveling migrants."

Strangers No Longer is a network of parishes and congregations in the Detroit area that is creating "Circles of Support" to provide assistance to immigrants in the area and to advocate for a comprehensive and humane immigration policy.

On April 27, the organization hosted a special Immigration and Faith Conference at Detroit's Cristo Rey High School for students from 10 area Catholic high schools, including Notre Dame Prep. It's the second conference of its type after one held in 2020.

That conference's attendees included young people from Mexico and El Salvador who facilitated discussions about why people migrate and how climate change effects migration, according to Strangers No Longer. Students also learned how those guests build community with people who are deported back to their home countries after living most of their lives in the U.S. 

Strangers No Longer said campus ministers, theology teachers and some student leaders from 10 area Catholic High Schools had been meeting regularly with SNL staff to prepare for this year's immigration conference. Brother Rice, Marian, Mercy, UD-Jesuit, Cristo Rey, Notre Dame Prep, Shrine, Divine Child, Loyola, Catholic Central – and the youth ministry team at Christ the Good Shepherd in Lincoln Park – were all engaged in the planning. 

According to NDP Campus Minister Della Lawrence, who attended the April 27 conference with fellow campus minister, Alayna Manos, and NDP students Allison Voto, Maria Sedano, Grace Simon, Kate VanNorwick, Carmen Thomas and Selena Kalasho, all those in attendance left with a deep and profound understanding of the issues facing immigrants coming to the U.S.

"At this conference, students were able to hear stories of local immigrant leaders through the lens of Catholic Social Teaching (see), explore causes and effects of migration (judge), and learn about and plan action steps to create awareness to bring back to school (act)," she said.

Lawrence also said the students at the conference were encouraged to form Circles of Support at their own high schools. 

According to Strangers No More, their current Circles "serve immigrant families on a daily basis and collect funds for shelters and way-stations in Mexico that provide rest and food to traveling migrants."

For information on enrollment and registration at Notre Dame, an independent, Catholic, International Baccalaureate school, please visit the admissions section of our website here.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org

Follow Notre Dame on Twitter at @NDPMA.

About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame Preparatory School enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three schools are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the National Association of Independent Schools. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school’s home page at www.ndpma.org.