3-04 Big Stories: A Catholic Unpacking of Societal Stories We Tell About Immigrants

Immigration can be a polarizing issue in part because people tell conflicting societal stories about it. These “big stories” speak variously of immigrants seeking a better life, escaping danger, choosing legal pathways or not, or even posing some kind of threat. While these stories can feel compelling, they are often partially or even completely untrue. Instead we need to look to Catholic tradition—Scriptural stories, Catholic social teaching, theological ethics—for better “big stories” in which immigrants are persons made in God’s image, embedded in relationships in their families, communities, and nations.

Brett C. Hoover, Ph.D., teaches pastoral theology at Loyola Marymount University where he is also director of graduate programs in theology and ministry. His research focuses on immigration and faith, parish life across cultural groups, and ministry as it operates in different racial and ethnic expressions of Catholicism.