Irish Episcopal Council for Immigrants (IECI)

Contact

Irish Episcopal Council for Immigrants
Columba Centre
Maynooth

Co Kildare
Tel: +353 (0)1 505 3155
Fax: +353 (0)1 601 6401
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

About the Irish Episcopal Council for Immigrants

Immigration both voluntary and involuntary is a global phenomenon, touching every Irish parish today. Concern for the reception and treatment of immigrants and on the related question of pastoral care prompted the formation of the Irish Episcopal Council for Immigrants in September 2008. Its mission is to welcome, support and empower immigrants who live in Ireland.

The Council serves as the centre of a network of diocesan and parish personnel who minister various ethnic groups and people on the move throughout the country. It is tasked with increasing pastoral awareness, cultural sensitivity, and the dynamics of outreach, welcome and support throughout its network. Inherent in its mission is the promotion and development of mutual respect and incorporation of the gifts and talents offered by diverse cultures into our parish lives. To fulfil this mission, the Council aims to develop and foster initiatives between the Bishops’ Conference and the dioceses and parishes in relation to the pastoral care of immigrants.

Membership of the Irish Episcopal Council for Immigrants

Fr Brian McLaughlin CSSp
Fr Jaroslaw Maszkiewicz
Sr Kay Mulhall
Sr Louise O’Connell
Mr Brendan Schütte

Episcopal membership:

Bishop Éamonn Walsh

Work of the Irish Episcopal Council for Immigrants

The core objectives of the IECI are outlined as follows:

The empowering of immigrant communities to become active participants in the life of the parish by encouraging them to contribute to parish liturgies, take on roles of service (e.g. readers, Ministers of the Eucharist, membership of parish pastoral councils, altar servers)
The inclusion of migrant chaplaincies in parish communities and fostering cooperation and collaboration with them to provide pastoral care and support to immigrants.
The provision of welcome and information leaflets on the location of Churches and mass times.
The provision of general information to facilitate early integration into the civic realm (e.g. how to access health care, social services, legal services etc).
A recognition that to achieve effective pastoral care services for immigrants, there is a need to work with government and local authorities, as well as ecumenically with other Christian denominations, people of other faiths and the non government organisations sector.

Through these objectives and in accordance with the Pontifical Council’s Instruction Erga migrantes caritas Christi (2004), the Council aims to strengthen and augment the excellent work currently being carried out in the pastoral care of immigrants across the island of Ireland.