JULY 14 CITIZENSHIP WORKSHOP

On July 14, Nuestra Señora de las Americas and Church of the Advent are hosting the Citizenship Workshop sponsored by the Logan Square Neighborhood Association. At these workshops, between 50 to 200 individuals are screened and assisted in the application process for U.S. citizenship. Attendance on July 14 is expected to be high because the application fee will increase after July 31. The volunteers will arrive at 7:15 a.m. to set up their supplies for the day. The doors will open at 9:00 a.m. and applicants will be registered through 12:00 p.m. noon. Because the process takes about an hour per person, the volunteers will work until about 2:00 p.m.

The entire church and parish house will be utilized to accommodate the projected attendance of applicants. Volunteers will register the applicants at the church entrance. In the basement, volunteer lawyers will review the applicants’ eligibility to apply for citizenship and other volunteers will help applicants complete the paperwork. A photographer stationed in the basement will take the photos required to accompany the application. Another group of volunteers in the choir room will do “quality assurance”, reviewing all the paperwork.

St. Luke’s Lutheran Church and St. John’s Episcopal Church are lending us additional tables to accommodate the projected attendance. Our sexton, Sam Summerville, will be setting up tables and chairs the evening of Friday, July 13 and taking them down the afternoon of Saturday, July 14.

Your help in hosting this event is greatly appreciated. Both Nuestra Señora and Advent were very involved in the amnesty program twenty years ago and many members of Nuestra Señora were introduced to the congregation at this time. Through our active participation in this event, we are living out the gospel by opening our churches to the community. If you are interested in volunteering in the application process, you must be at least 18 years of age, speak some English and attend a training either at LSNA on July 9 from 6 to 8 pm or at Advent/Nuestra Señora (date/time to be determined). We also need volunteers to pick up and return tables as well as to help Sam set them up and take them down. High school students can earn community service hours as volunteer runners during the event. For more information, please contact Gloria Granda, or Rev. Sandra, 773/235-1161.