Irish bishops ask Catholics to remember compatriots in United States

Published: 2005-03-16

DUBLIN, Ireland (CNS) -- Ireland's bishops have asked Catholics to remember the plight of undocumented Irish workers living as illegal aliens in the United States. The undocumented workers are the focus of this year's Supporting Irish Abroad campaign by the Irish Episcopal Commission for Emigrants. A March 13 press statement said the commission was launching this year's campaign "to coincide with St. Patrick's Day" March 17. "This year's awareness campaign focuses on the challenges facing our people who are living furtive lives in the U.S.," Bishop Seamus Hegarty, chairman of the Irish Episcopal Commission for Emigrants, said in a March 13 press release on the program. "St. Patrick's Day is a special time for Irish people everywhere," he said. "It is an occasion both to reach out to those who have fallen on hard times and to celebrate the positive contributions of the Irish around the world. Above all it is a time to remember in our prayers family members abroad."

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