Abstract
This study proposes a renewed pastoral care program for elderly Filipino women who once enlisted as mail-order brides for Australian men and have since migrated to the country. The scarcity of pastoral care strategies, particularly for migrant women in Church documents, is what gave birth to this undertaking, in addition to Pope Francis’ strong persisting call to care for migrants. The dearth of references about women migrants in Church documents stems from the fact that it is usually the husband/ father who migrates to work. The results of this study contribute firstly to the Theology of Migration, which aims to interpret Divine Revelation using the lens of migration, and secondly to Pastoral Theology, aimed at the care of souls. The study surveys existing conciliar, papal, and magisterial documents on migration and does a close reading of these, keeping in mind what applies to the situation of migrant women. The existing Church documents uphold the Catholic Social Teachings with emphasis on Human Dignity and Solidarity. The documents also promote comprehensive pastoral care programs for migrants, urging nations to integrate migrants and avoid discriminating against them, calling local churches to provide material and spiritual support, and warning individuals against indifference and xenophobia. The general themes of the existing Church documents can be expanded to include paying attention to the unique needs of women, particularly the aging ones, helping them make sense of their experiences as elderly and as women who may have been victims of domestic and sexual abuse in the past.
Presenters
Vince Henry SallesStudent, PhD in Theology, University of Santo Tomas Manila, Philippines
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Mail-order brides, Migration, Filipino, Theology of Migration, Adelaide, Women Migrants
