Delaware students, staff fete ‘gift’ of Catholic education

St. Mary School students are in the midst of their celebration of their Catholic schooling.

The school, 66 E. William St., is among Catholic schools across the country marking Catholic Schools Week, held Monday, Jan. 30, through Friday, Feb. 3. The theme this year is “Faith, Academics and Service.”

“It’s a privilege to go to a Catholic school,” said Principal Ryan Schwieterman,”and this week is a fun week to celebrate that and thank those who often get overlooked throughout the year.”

Schwieterman said he is a product of more than eight years of Catholic school education and added he hopes his students will see its advantages.

“They may not see the benefits yet, but this type of education is a gift,” he said.

Schwieterman said what makes Catholic schools stand out among other schools is that they provide a faith-based education, great academics and a chance to get involved in community service.

“All schools do service in the community, but that is something that we, as Catholic schools, try to hone in on,” he said.

This week has been full of activities for students, parents, faculty and school volunteers, with each day’s events based on a central theme.

Monday was the 100th day of the school year, and many activities were centered on the number 100. For example, the 100th student in the lunch line was awarded a free lunch.

Tuesday was Teacher Appreciation Day, Wednesday was Volunteer Recognition Day, today is Service Day and Friday will be Student Appreciation Day.

Back by popular demand, the Religion Game Show from last year was on this week’s schedule. Students and teachers competed against each other Wednesday to answer questions about the Catholic faith.

“Some of the questions include things like, ‘What book are the Ten Commandments written in?’ or ‘Name the Saint’ in a picture,” Schwieterman said.

Students and staff will say four ‘Hail Marys’ and one ‘Our Father’ each day of the week for their priests. This will be a “spiritual bouquet” of more than 10,000 prayers, Schwieterman said.

“We wanted to teach students that they don’t have to spend money or give someone something tangible, but you can give the gift of prayer,” he said.

Ann Hood, author of young adult novels, will be at the school Friday to give a 45-minute presentation and to sign books. She is the author of the Scholastic book How I Saved My Father’s Life.

Also back by popular demand is a volleyball game between eighth-grade students and school staff Friday.

“We look forward to this week every year,” said Schwieterman. “It’s a good time to take a break and celebrate the benefits of a Catholic school.”

Priest formerly assigned to Island, publishes collection of homilies

Advance File PhotoFather Escobar was assigned to the St. Charles Mission Center in Dongan Hills, from 2005 to 2011.STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — “Thorns and Thistles: Pathways to Discipleship” is the most recent collection of Sunday homilies published by the Rev. Mark A. Escobar.

Father Escobar, who also just published an autobiography, “Counting My Blessings,” is a member of the Missionaries of St. Charles, also known as the Scalabrinians.

The priest, who was ordained in the Philippines in 1995, is no stranger to Staten Island. He was assigned to the St. Charles Mission Center in Dongan Hills, working in its archives and provincial office from 2005 until August 2011. He is now an assistant priest at St. Bartholomew’s R.C. Church in Providence, Rhode Island.Of the new collection, Father Escobar said, “My homilies articulate relationships in a variety of settings and lifestyles of being in the world with others.”

Using historical and literary allusions, the priest connects marriage, family and other social issues with biblical teachings.

“Amidst the rush of today’s current trends and up-to-date technologies, people often forget to go back and seek comfort amongst the scriptures in times of difficulties, struggles and quagmires,” he writes on his web site, Markescobar.com, where the books are sold.

“While society has changed, propelled by globalized economy and modern technology, some biblical perspectives open up practical and creative challenges in any age,” Father Escobar said. “They address the integration of ideals, reflective ministry, and on-going conversation with cultures in the context of church.”

He believes that celebrating mass and giving homilies are effective ways of communicating God’s teaching.

“The homilies are offered to help us continue with confidence and enthusiasm to move on and, in every sense, be men and women of the gospel,” Father Escobar said.

Ordained in the Philippines in 1995, Father Escobar first was stationed in the US in 1999, in Chicago, Ill.
    

Does federal mandate impose on faith?

 An effort by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to encourage more women to access preventive care is being met with accusations of encroachment upon religious freedom.

Catholic-affiliated institutions are among those resisting the Obama administration’s new mandate that requires some faith-affiliated employers to provide free health-insurance coverage for services that include birth control and sterilization.

Under the Affordable Care Act, employers who provide health care would be required to cover such services without charging a co-pay. Other services employers would be required to provide at no cost: prenatal care; screenings for cervical cancer and gestational diabetes; and counseling for STDs, breastfeeding and domestic-violence issues.

The government exempted employees who work directly for churches and religious organizations, but on Jan. 20, it refused requests to broaden the exemption to employers of some colleges and hospitals founded by religious groups. The administration has given these employers until August 2013 to comply, including Mercy Medical Center, an arm of the Sisters of Charity Health System.

“It’s very disheartening, very disappointing that our rights and our conscience clause that we’ve had for 40 years are expected to go away as far as this is concerned,” said Sister Judith Ann Karam, president and CEO of the Sisters of Charity Health System. “You will see a significant challenge to this from the Catholic Church. We’re united on this as an organization.”

DISAPPOINTED

Karam said contraception is inconsistent with her church’s moral and ethical values. Birth control is not covered under Mercy’s insurance plan, although it is available when considered a medical necessity, through a physician’s order. Approximately 15 percent of all women on birth control take it for medical reasons other than pregnancy prevention.

“This could have been a tremendous opportunity to be consistent with out existing federal conscience laws and state laws that allow us to exercise our First Amendment rights in regard to conscience protection,” Karam said. “It’s very disturbing to Catholic-faith institutions, and I would think, to other religions. It puts government in the middle of rights we have to exercise our conscience.”

Karam criticizes what she calls a lack of clarity on what the government considers a “religious employer.”

The federal department of health and human services defines a “religious employer” as one that “(1) has the inculcation of religious values as its purpose; (2) primarily employs persons who share its religious tenets; (3) primarily serves persons who share its religious tenets; and (4) is a non-profit organization under Internal Revenue Code section 6033 and section 6033.”

While not all of Mercy’s employees are Catholic, Karam said, “they were attracted to the mission at Mercy, which is a faith-based mission.”

SECOND-CLASS?

Nancy Yuhasz, chancellor of the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown, said Bishop George V. Murry will release a statement Monday addressing the issue.

On Tuesday, Murry signed on to a letter by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that states, in part: “Unless the rule is overturned, we Catholics will be compelled to violate our consciences or to drop health coverage for our employees (and suffer the penalties for doing so). The Administration’s sole concession was to give our institutions one year to comply. We cannot — we will not — comply with this unjust law. People of faith cannot be made second-class citizens.”

But the Church’s tenets on contraception is sometimes in  contrast to what its laity practices.   Some Catholic-affiliated employers already offer health care coverage that includes contraception.

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

Jim FitzGerald, executive director of Call to Action, a liberal Catholic organization, contends the mandate actually supports religious liberty.“Ever since ‘Humane Vitae’ came along in 1960s, one person, Pope Paul VI, decided he was going to ignore the advice of his own papal birth-control commission, who stated it was OK to use contraceptives. Essentially, Catholics have, by their behavior, rejected that,” FitzGerald said.

He rejects the argument that Catholics are being forced to violate their own rights, but rather, the mandate supports religious pluralism because Catholic institutions hire people of many faiths.

“It’s not fair for a small group of people to make that ‘conscience decision’ for other people,” he said. “Bishops make up less than 1 percent of Catholic people in the U.S. The majority of U.S. Catholics believe health insurers, private or public, should offer birth-control coverage.”

“People have choices as to either work or not work in a faith-based organization,” Karam countered, adding that Mercy’s yearly missions audits have found employees are attracted to the organization because it is a faith-based mission.”

Karam said one possibility, though extremely cost-prohibitive, might be for institutions, such as Mercy, to create their own health insurance programs.

RESPECT

A spokesman for Rep. Jim Renacci, R-Wadsworth, said he has fielded calls from constituents unhappy about the mandate.

“This is an assault on religious freedom,” Renacci said in a statement. “I do not believe religious organizations should be forced to violate their beliefs by providing coverage that pays for contraception or the morning after pill.

“This is just one more ridiculous mandate within the President’s health care law.”

Still, FitzGerald says “it’s a matter of one’s life circumstance, to decide if and when they have children, and that’s not going to change.”

HHS Mandate Basics

•  Churches are exempt from the new rules.

•  No individual health care provider will be forced to prescribe contraception.

•  No individual will be forced to buy or use contraception.

• Drugs that cause abortion are not covered by this policy.

•  Over half of Americans already live in the 28 states that require insurance companies to cover contraception.

Source: White House  Domestic Policy Council

Math helps Romney rivals

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What’s the difference between Florida and Ohio?

Aside from Florida’s white sand beaches, Lake Okeechobee and the occasional gator in the backyard, that is.

When it comes to presidential politics, the Florida GOP presidential primary, won handily by Mitt Romney Tuesday, is a winner-take-all state, with all 50 of the state’s delegates going to Romney because of his big win.

Ohio is not. Ohio, in the March 6 primary, will award its at-large delegates proportionally and its district delegates to the winner in each district.

And every other primary between now and April 1 will be operating under the same rules.

In other words, you, Mr. Candidate, can lose the statewide vote and still walk away with some delegates.

Is that enough to keep the ball in the air for another couple of months for candidates like Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul?

Maybe so. Probably no.

Momentum in this race swung sharply back to Romney in Florida, after losing to Gingrich in South Carolina. And he still has the upper hand when it comes to money and organization.

What he doesn’t have is near enough delegates to win the nomination. It is way too early for that.

Romney’s win in Florida left him with 87 delegates, followed by Gingrich with 26, Santorum with 14 and Paul with four.

He needs 1,144 before he can start writing his acceptance speech.

Could Ohio, with votes along with nine other states in the March 6 “Super Tuesday” contests that will decided about 24 percent of the total number of delegates, slow him down a bit?

A lot of it has to do with what happens between now and then – Arizona and Michigan are coming up on Feb. 28; and could create unstoppable momentum for Romney.

But there are probably some opportunities in Ohio for Gingrich and Santorum to pick up some Ohio delegates on March 6.

Here’s how Ohio’s GOP delegate distribution works:

There are 66 delegates up for grabs. Of them, 48 are district delegates – three each from Ohio’s 16 congressional districts. If a candidate is the leading vote-getter in an individual district, he wins those three.

Father Bill Rowe resigns

Mt. Carmel’s catholic community was surprised to learn this week
that Father Bill Rowe is resigning from his post at St. Mary’s
Catholic Church.

After 18 years of service to the local church and its private
school, Fr. Bill resigned in what is being called ‘an incident that
may tie into global changes to the Catholic liturgy.’

At issue is the local catholic priest’s tendency to improvise at
the pulpit, saying traditional prayers in his own words.

Principal of St. Mary’s Catholic School Alice Wirth says that
the children, and the entire church family are “stunned” at the
news of Fr. Bill’s pending exit, which is slated for June. The
announcement was made to the students at an assembly Thursday, and
many left with tears.

One student even said that when entering the school, church or
anywhere Fr. Bill is present it makes him “feel safe.”

Local sources indicate Fr. Bill sent an e-mail this week stating
that he will be leaving in June. So, for now, Mass will be
conducted as usual, with Rowe standing at the pulpit this weekend
and through the spring.

The St. Louis Post Dispatch’s online stltoday.com Friday
reported Fr. Bill’s resignation, describing the improvising he has
done during Mass on Sunday mornings and Saturday evenings as he has
been saying many of these traditional prayers in his own words.

However, in December the Vatican mandated that the Mass itself -
the central ritual of the Catholic faith – hasn’t changed, but the
English translation has, according to an Associated Press report by
AP writer Tom Breen. In a late January story, the AP reporter
wrote, “A years-long process of revision and negotiation led to an
updated version of the Roman Missal, the text or prayers and
instructions for celebrating Mass, which originally was written in
Latin. The new translation was rolled out across the
English-speaking Catholic world, and some say it gives bishops an
opportunity to rein in freewheeling priests who have been praying
in their own words for decades.”

According to the Post Dispatch, instead of saying “Lord our God
that we may honor you with all our mind and love everyone in truth
of heart,” during the opening prayer on Sunday, Father Rowe altered
the prayer to better reflect the day’s Gospel message, in which
Jesus heals a man with a troubled spirit.

“We thank you, God, for giving us Jesus who helped us to be
healed in mind and heart and proclaim his love to others,” the
72-year-old priest prayed instead.

Father Bill told the Register at mid-morning that he often says
this prayer, and verified the report of St. Louis writer Tim
Townsend.

In October, two months ahead of the introduction of the new
Missal translation, Bishop Edward Braxton discussed with Rowe the
changing of the liturgy. According to the Post-Dispatch, the bishop
told Rowe that he could not continue improvising, and Rowe said he
could not do that. Rowe then offered his resignation, but didn’t
receive a response.

However, this Wednesday, Feb. 1, Father Rowe received a letter
from Bishop Edward Braxton accepting his resignation.

The Register contacted the bishop’s office but had not reached
Bishop Braxton as of press time today. The Diocese of Belleville,
Ill., serves 127 parishes in 28 counties.

The staff and teachers of SMS have already penned a letter
stating they are “heartbroken” by the bishop’s decision.

“Father Bill is the backbone of our parish and school families,”
the letter says. “He LIVES the life of Jesus. He truly represents
the Catholic Faith. It is not all about the Mass ritual, but about
LIVING out the faith.”

His role in the school and the church are irreplaceable, the
letter indicates.

Catholicism: A tradition of respect for women and femininty – The Beacon-University of Portland’s student

I trust that it is out of ignorance, not malice, that many people accuse the Catholic Church of being a harsh patriarchal religion with a disregard for women. In my experience, Catholicism not only upholds respect for women, it also celebrates the unique aspects of femininity.

It is often pointed out that the Catholic Church is built upon a hierarchy of men. However, what is often ignored is one of the most controversial practices of Catholicism: the veneration of Mary.

Distinct from other religions, Catholicism places Mary, a woman, in a special light, claiming that God blessed her more “than any other created person” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd edition, p. 124) when he allowed her a very important part in the salvation of humanity by asking her to carry Jesus in her womb.

The veneration the Catholic Church gives to Mary is so intense that Catholicism has actually been (falsely) accused of worshipping her above God! How is that for respect for women?

Some argue that Mary’s veneration in the church is based on two “demeaning” aspects: her servitude and her ability to bear children. While it is true that these two aspects do play a part in the Catholic Church’s respect for Mary, they are by no means demeaning.

In the Catholic Church, obedience to God is highly thought of. According to the Church, “by her complete adherence to the Father’s will, Mary is the Church’s model of faith and charity (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd edition, p. 252).”

By saying this, Catholic theology is clearly stating that obedience to God is something desirable, not only in women, but in all members of the Church.

Some people seem to be under the impression that in order for women to be truly appreciated, we must be seen as the same as men. To say that to be respected, we must lay aside what makes us unique as women, is ultimately a continuation of the idea that men are the desired sex.

From this ideology springs the belief that having children is demeaning because it reduces women to “baby makers” and keeps them from being viewed as carbon copies of men.

It is my opinion that real feminism entails demanding the right to be seen as equal to but unique from men. Real feminism is to celebrate and respect not only what both men and women can do, but also the strengths that are exclusive to the female sex.

One of these strengths is the ability to bring new life into the world. One of the ways Catholicism shows its respect for the female sex is through its deep regard for giving birth.

The Catholic Church is often misconstrued as forcing women to be subordinate to men. It is through a deeper understanding of Catholicism and its intense respect for Mary and for human life that we can begin to understand the true regard the Church holds for women.

Ann Cowan is a senior nursing major. She can be reached at cowan12@up.edu

St. Louis Archbishop Spells Out Future for Success for Catholic Schools

St. Louis Archbishop Robert Carlson spoke to a full house at Manchester’s John F. Kennedy High School Thursday afternoon about increasing enrollment at all the Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Saint Louis.

His first point, and the one he said was most important, was to strengthen Catholic identity; hand-in-hand with that is cooperation and collaboration among all Catholic schools.

“Gone are the days when schools see themselves as competing with one another on and off the athletic field,” he said. “We must all work together to ensure that Catholic schools are alive in Christ and that our Catholic faith is transmitted to future generations.”

O’Fallon is home to the Catholic schools: St. Dominic High School and Assumption Grade School. 

Carlson said the following 10 points are key in the plan to grow student enrollment by 2018.

• Strengthen Catholic identity. This is the most important item in the list, according to Archbishop Carlson. It includes ensuring that students begin their day with prayer, that every teacher has read the Catechism, and training each principal in her role as a faith leader.
• Establish benchmarks of excellence and then make sure they are implemented and measured by testing.
• Provide opportunities for adult faith formation through classes on the sacraments their children are receiving and implementing a new lay ministry formation program.
• Strengthen evangelization efforts in parishes and schools that are effective and ongoing by offering follow-up programs, such as the Catholics Come Home effort. Provide outreach programs for parents after a child is baptized into the parish community.
• All elementary school are expected to have a current creative and proactive marketing and enrollment plan that will show how they will increase enrollment.
• A strong commitment to help the poor and any that are marginalized, including immigrants and any minorities, including special-needs students.
• Facilitate planning among schools so if any schools are deemed to be needed to be cut, it comes from planning and not outside pressure.
• New funding to increase financial resources for tuition assistance. This assistance would go to families for the elementary level. Parishes will contribute 2 percent of all parish external revenue, excluding endowment contributions,  towards scholarship assistance. This would be phased in over a two-year period with parishes contributing 1 percent of such revenue for the 2012-13 school year and 2 percent of parish revenue for the 2013-14 school year. The contribution will remain as a permanent annual contribution.
• Work with the Missouri Catholic Conference to see government assistance where appropriate and achievable.

Carlson wrapped up his address Thursday with what he said were three important points to keep in mind for the success of the program:

• Trust God, with a deep and abiding prayer
• Provide leadership in Catholic identity and education
• Sacrifice–there’s a history of sacrifice in the Catholic church, and it’s needed here

JFK principal Mary Hey tells Patch she’s pleased his priority is Catholic education, and is happy for the financial assistance for tuition.

“I know that our enrollment would be much larger if we were able to give more financial assistance. That’s what’s needed with so many Catholic families,” she said. “If we can get them to see how wonderful Catholic school is at the elementary level we will have such a greater chance of continuing their education at the secondary level.”

Parent, Amie Koenen, said her children are enrolled at St. Michaels in Shrewsbury. She supports Carlson’s plan.

“We’re involved in Holy Cross Academy, which is exactly what’s he telling us to do. We need to work together and stop competing with each other, so I’m thrilled to hear him say that. We need to be strategic in our planning, strategic in are marketing that we work together instead of competing,” Koenen said.

Tim Tebow, faith and the Super Bowl

View Photo Gallery: The quarterback for the Denver Broncos has become a polarizing figure in football, in part because of his outward displays of Christian faith.

     Super Bowl XLVI will likely escape a God connection this year.  While references to a “Hail Mary pass” always crop up in football jargon, this year the contest will be played without Tim Tebow. Tebow’s Denver Broncos went further than expected, largely because of last-minute heroics from their leader.

  The kick-up is about his overt display of prayer while on the playing field and his penchant to attribute athletic success to God’s Holy Will. 

Some think it a wonderful form of evangelical faith; some think it exaggerated posturing. A more provocative issue is whether Tebow’s praying and piety CAUSE football victories. 

Did the Broncos win because Tebow is holier than other quarterbacks?  Did they lose because he has committed a sin?  Or has his faith nothing to do with football?

            Strangely enough, these were the same sort of questions asked about St. Joan of Arc, the “Maid of Orléans,” who led French troops against the English during the Hundred Years’ War. 

Of course, a century-long war is of greater importance in history than this year’s Super Bowl, but people of faith have always wondered about how closely God follows politics and personal affairs.  Remember that if you say God is on only one side – armies or teams – you equate the Divinity with human advantage.  If victory proves God’s presence, then defeat proves His absence. 

Joan’s English foes refused to treat her as a saint who heard heavenly voices; instead they considered her a witch who conjured up evil spirits.  The English Catholics simply could not stomach the conclusion that God favored the French Catholics. 

            An atheist might invoke a pox on both houses.  God could not be on the side of either the French or the English because God does not exist.  From a rationalist atheistic perspective, the “voices” that Joan heard and soldiers’ belief that she heard them is nonsense.  Joan’s leadership to victory was not a matter of battlefield strategy – she herself admitted as much.   But her conviction built up the morale of the common soldiers. 

The French won in battles they were supposed to lose (e.g., lifting the Siege of Orléans, May1429) because seeing this teenage girl at the head of the troops carrying the white banner of the nation gave them a confidence and vigor in war that they had sadly lacked in previous engagements against the English.  Thus explained, the psychological factors of victory are completely reconcilable with contemporary science, and are to be preferred to a religious explanation.  Such rationalizing can be applied to Joan of Arc – and also to Tim Tebow.

            However saying that “The religious impact was not religious, but merely psychological”  becomes a circular argument.

It is foreign to Catholic theology because we hold “grace perfects nature.”  An impact that is religious, we would argue, is simultaneously psychological because our religion is incarnational.  Faith manifests itself by producing measurable human effects.

Thus, it is a foolish denial of reality to argue that Joan of Arc or Tim Tebow would have behaved the same way even if they had not been religiously motivated.  The fact is they WERE religiously motivated.  That is the wisdom of religion: it encompasses the spiritual dimension of human existence and doesn’t reduce our humanity to mechanical predictability. 

      I have seen no evidence that Mr. Tebow thinks he is holier than other players. He acknowledges mistakes on the l field and recently withdrew participation with an enterprising pastor much too eager to use the star to boost attendance at a religious rally. 

Without sharing Tebow’s evangelical theology, I am led to surmise he prays on the field not only in thanksgiving for success but also to witness his faith, hoping that example might incline others to believe. 

If he concludes his actions do more to turn people off than to motivate them, I think he will tone down the piety.  After all, that’s Jesus instruction (Mt. 6:5-8).  Meanwhile, considering the goofy gyrations of other “end zone demonstrations,” pause for prayer provides sane relief.  

Holy Cross Catholic Schools Week

Holy Cross School opened its doors in 2008 and has seen tremendous growth each year ever since. “We are a community that is rich in faith and we do what we can to serve those in need. Beyond serving those students and families entrusted to us with a superior academic and spiritual atmosphere, it is our mission to continually give back as we are grateful for haven been given so much,” says Principal Weis.

This year our newly formed student council, run by Andrea Bobosky and Kailin O’Connell, has taken the mission to serve to a level where the kids are initiating the service projects. It was the students who decided what they wanted to do for Catholic Schools Week. They came up with four days to exemplify their excitement about their school while likewise encouraging students to be generous to the less fortunate. On Monday the students wore silly socks and collected 723 pairs of socks, Tuesday it was P.J. Day and 359 tubes of toothpaste and 344 toothbrushes were collected. Wednesday students were caught streaming in with Cat in the Hat replicas and colorful berets. Jake Lee tabulated 286 hats/mittens. On Thursday students collected nearly 442 canned food items.

“There was such a tremendous spirit about the week and the kids who collected the items were smiling from ear to ear when they saw the stockpile of classroom donations,” said, Mrs. Bobosky. “We are at our best when we give of ourselves, having the opportunity to watch these students realize that they can have an impact, is a gift.”

The week will culminate with a Mass where students will place the items collected on the altar. Msgr. Deutsch will bless the donations before parents will drive the boxes of goodwill to places like Hessed House, The Lazarus House and their women’s and children Day center and the Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry. Student Council president Christian Surtz remarked, “We learn our Catholic Faith at Holy Cross. . . .we learn the importance of being faithful children of God through our actions. Seeing the tables overflowing with donations truly shows who we are as a school and a Church.”

Do-It-Yourself Deportation

From the time I was just a baby in Mexico, I lived with my grandparents while my parents traveled to other Mexican states to find work. I was 6 in 2000 when they left for the United States. And it took five years before they had steady jobs and were able to send for me. We’ve been together in this country ever since, working to build a life. Now I am 17 and a senior in high school in New York City. But my parents have left again, this time to return to Mexico.

Last week, when asked in a debate what America should do about the 11 million undocumented immigrants living here, Mitt Romney said he favored “self-deportation.” He presented the strategy as a kinder alternative to just arresting people. Instead, he said, immigrants will “decide they can do better by going home because they can’t find work here.”

But really this goes along with a larger movement in states like Arizona and Alabama to pass very tough laws against immigrants in an attempt to make their lives so unbearable that they have no choice but to leave. People have called for denying work, education and even medical treatment to immigrants without documentation; many immigrants have grown afraid of even going to the store or to church.

The United States is supposed to be a great country that welcomes all kinds of people. Does Mr. Romney really think that this should be America’s solution for immigration reform?

You could say that my parents have self-deported, and that it was partly a result of their working conditions. It’s not that they couldn’t find work, but that they couldn’t find decent work. My dad collected scrap metal from all over the city, gathering copper and steel from construction sites, garbage dumps and old houses. He earned $90 a day, but there was only enough work for him to do it once or twice a week. My mom worked at a laundromat six days a week, from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m., for $70 a day.

But the main reason they had to leave was personal. I have a brother, 16, a year younger than me, still living in Mexico. He was too little to cross the border with me when I came to the United States, and as the government has cracked down on immigration in the years since, the crossing has become more expensive and much more dangerous. And there was no hope of his getting a green card, as none of us have one either. So he stayed with my grandparents, but last year my grandmother died and two weeks ago my grandfather also died. My parents were confronted with a dilemma: Leave one child alone in New York City, or leave the other alone in Mexico. They decided they had to go back to Mexico.

Now once again I am missing my parents. I know it was very difficult for them to leave me here, worrying about how I will survive because I’m studying instead of earning money working. I’m living with my uncles, but it is hard for my mother to know that I’m coming home to a table with no dinner on it, where there had been dinner before. And it’s hard for me not having my parents to talk to, not being able to ask for advice that as a teenager you need. Now that they are in Mexico, I wonder who will be at my graduation, my volleyball games or my birthday? With whom will I share my joy or my sad moments?

I know a girl named Guadalupe, whose parents have also decided to return to Mexico, because they can’t find work here and rent in New York City is very expensive. She is very smart and wants to be the first in her family to attend college, and she wants to study psychology. But even though she has lived here for years and finished high school with a 90 percent average, she, like me, does not have immigration papers, and so does not qualify for financial aid and can’t get a scholarship.

People like Guadalupe and me are staying in this country because we have faith that America will live up to its promise as a fair and just country. We hope that there will be comprehensive immigration reform, with a path to citizenship for people who have spent years living and working here. When reform happens, our families may be able to come back, and if not, at least we will be able to visit them without the risk of never being able to return to our lives here. We hope that the Dream Act — which would let undocumented immigrants who came here as children go to college and become citizens and which has stalled in Congress — will pass so that we can get an education and show that even though we are immigrants we can succeed in this country.

If, instead, the political climate gets more and more anti-immigrant, eventually some immigrants will give up hope for America and return to their home countries, like my parents did. But I don’t think this is something that our presidential candidates should encourage or be proud of.

Immigrants have made this country great. We are not looking for a free ride, but instead we are willing to work as hard as we can to show that we deserve to be here and to be treated like first-class citizens. Deportation, and “self-deportation,” will result only in dividing families and driving them into the shadows. In America, teenagers shouldn’t have to go through what I’m going through.

Antonio Alarcón is a high school student and a member of Make the Road New York, an immigrant advocacy group. This essay was translated by Natalia Aristizabal-Betancur from the Spanish.