As we continue our journey through Advent, our thoughts turn to Joseph and Mary, traveling to Bethlehem, their ancestral home, in order to be counted in the Roman census. This was an arduous journey for all the travelers, but far more precarious for Mary, a young woman on the verge of delivering her child.
These days we hear accounts of other travelers, coming to our country because of life-threatening conditions in their own country. Citing political instability, crime and gang violence and extreme poverty, worsened by environmental disaster, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas announced the extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti for an additional 18 months, from February 4, 2023, through August 3, 2024. This extension allows Haitian nationals who have been residing in the United States as of November 6, 2022 and who meet other qualifications to attain a work permit and to remain in the United States until the August deadline. May Mary intercede for all who are forced out of their homes.
