Café Éireann welcome Irish delegation

At Café Éireann we enjoyed freshly baked breads and tea and coffee, followed by a sing-song, with everyone joining in. We were delighted to welcome the Cllr John Campbell, Cathaoirleach Donegal County Council, Mayor of Derry, Brenda Stevenson and the Chief Executive of Donegal Council, Seamus Neely to the IPC on Wednesday. They spoke about the economic situation in Donegal & Derry whilst acknowledging the strong ties between the two communities. Our guests took time to speak to some of the participants of the group.

Don't forget to sign up for the monthly Mass and luncheon will be held on Thursday, October 16th at ICCNE. 855-479-2472

Senior Moments

By Audrey Larkin, Interim Senior Program Coordinator.

Email: audrey@ipcboston.org Call: 617-265-5300 ext. 13

Seniors at the Cara Club put their thinking caps on whilst taking on the challenging quiz hosted by Neil Hurley. Neil kept it lively and interesting and we extend many thanks to Neil - we really appreciate all his time and effort put into organizing this exciting quiz.

Folks at the Café Eireann will have the opportunity to have their Flu Shots Flu shots next week – don’t forget to stop by.

Immigration News

By Kieran C. O’Sullivan; Immigration Counselor

Email me at: kieran@ipcboston.org

Call: 617-265-5300 Ext. 16

DV Visa

Each year the State Department holds a Diversity Visa lottery. I suppose the most frequently asked question over the years has been to clarify if a person who is here in the U.S. undocumented eligible to apply for the DV lottery.

Diversity Visa eligibility

In the early years of the DV programs, some attorneys were suggesting those without status here could put in an application with an understanding that they would need a change in legislation between the time of application and selection for them to be eligible. Some DV winners then came forward after getting selected only to have their hopes dashed when informed that the change in legislation which was hoped for did not occur and their selection for the DV lottery was meaningless. Any person unlawfully present for 180 days or more faced a bar from returning to the U.S. if they decided to go home to Ireland for the consular processing required for the DV program.

In more recent years, with little hope of any positive changes in immigration laws, attorneys have counseled those who are not eligible at the time of application not to bother filing for the DV program.

Scams

Much has been written on the amount of scams on line, and we will just briefly confirm that there is NO charge in connection with the DV lottery. If you find yourself at a site which is seeking money for your application, you are at the wrong site.

It is alarming to read about how many general scams are going on out there. People of all ages including senior citizens are being preyed upon. A friend, who lost his young wife to cancer, was the victim of a telephone scam recently when informed by telephone that another young relative was critically ill after an accident and required urgent expensive care. Only after the money was wired, did the victim realize he was scammed.

Unfortunately so much of our personal and family information is available online; scammers are having an easier time presenting real life emergency scenarios to unsuspecting victims. If you are undocumented and have been the victim of a scam, do not be afraid to report it. Contact us for more information or attend one of our legal clinics. Anyone with questions on eligibility can email me for more information: kieran@ipcboston.org

November Free Legal Clinic

On the first Tuesday of every month, we hold a free legal clinic at The Banshee in Dorchester beginning at 6:30PM. Our next clinic will be on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014.

Disclaimer: Please note that the information contained in it is provided to inform generally, and is not intended as a substitute for individual advice. Immigration law is subject to frequent changes and individual circumstances can affect the application of certain legal provisions. For individual legal advice, please contact the Irish Pastoral Centre directly regarding upcoming legal clinics or consultation with an immigration attorney.

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By Sr. Marguerite Kelly; Pastoral Associate

srmkelly@ipcboston.org

617-265-5300 Ext. 10

Something to think and pray about this week

Let us presume that we have this desire to know-love Jesus. What is it that we want? We want to develop a friendship. But how do we develop any friendship? You do it by trying to spend time with the other and by asking the other to tell you about him or herself. That means looking and listening; it means contemplating.

When we look and listen to the other, what do we want to know? We want to know the other’s heart, his likes or her likes and dislikes, loves and hates, joys and sadness, don’t we? Of course, you want some information about this person whom you want to get to know better. You would like to know where this person is from, how many brothers and sisters the person has, what schools he or she went to, and so on. Would you be satisfied with that? What else would you like to know?

You would want to know how the person felt about his or her family, birthplace, schools. You want to know the heart: the moods, the passions, the likes and dislikes, the values of the person And ultimately you want to know how the person feels about you. So too, we want to know who Jesus cares about, values, loves, and hates.

Seek My Face William A. Barry, SJ