TexLaMex, October 2007, Page 2

Father John Korcsmar and Sister Rose Moreno flew to Notre Dame for the Immigration Forum.

The Forum is actually a year-long event.  There is information on the Notre Dame website at www.forum.nd.edu.  After a topic is chosen, there are readings concerning the topic.  The president of the university, Father John Jenkins, C.S.C., then hosts a two-hour panel discussion on the topic.  During the rest of the school year, there are presentations, talks, debates, movies, etc. with the hope that faculty and students and others will discuss the topic.

This year's topic is immigration.  Father Jenkins introduced the session of the forum in the Joyce Center.  He commented on how appropriate it was for Notre Dame to focus on this issue since the University was founded by a French immigrant, Father Sorin, CSC, and has kept its original French name which has become part of the American vocabulary.

Ray Suarez from PBS was the moderator of the event and kept the conversation interesting and focused.  The panelists were Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL), the only immigrant in the U.S. Senate; Gov. Jane Napolitano, Governor of AZ; Mayor Louis Barletta from Hazelton, PA; and Cardinal Roger Mahoney from Los Angeles.

Ray Suarez, Sen. Martinez, Gov. Napolitano, Mayor Barletta, Cardinal Mahoney	Mayor Barletta and Cardinal Mahoney

The event went quite well and was interesting.  The tone of the conversations and of the student body was quite good.  Even though there were differences of opinion on many points, people were always respectful and listened to one another.  That would be a good tone to maintain in our parishes and other places.

After the forum, Father Chris Cox and some of his parishioners and friends met up.  Along with John and Sr. Rose, Chris and his friends all went to the reception and then out to supper. A good time was had by all!!

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Sr. Carlota LeBeouf and Fr. John Korcsmar flew to San Luis Potosi where Father Dan Panchot met them.  The first place that they visited was the Casa de la Caridad Cristiana.  John had met the director, Magda, at the conference in Tijuana. The people call her "Madre," although she is not a religious.  But she is a very dynamic and hard working person.

Magda	The entrance to the Casa
The nurses who attend to the migrants.	The altar at the casa.