COR SUPPER FOR STUDENTS
Nation of Immigrants: Sharing Our Stories
September 29, 2005

The first COR event of the year was held at Queen of Peace High School in Burbank, IL on Tuesday, September 29, 2005. The evening began with an opening prayer, led by Christie Billups and Cristina Ortega from Notre Dame High Schools for Girls, during which we sang “We Come to Tell Our Stories,” reminding us of the goal to share our stories of both being and welcoming the newcomer during the evening. We then heard from the presenters for the evening—Megan Carney and Zahra Baker—who explained the process and goal of storytelling and warmed up the crowd with song and storytelling exercises.

Then five student storytellers shared their stories of being the newcomer, of being the stranger. We heard from a student who lived for a year in Peru and struggled to find a way to fit in. Another student told of being adopted from Russia at the age of six and of being separated from her brother in the process. A student who moved here from Poland only two years ago shared her realization that home is in the people around you rather than a place. One student described the difficulty of making and keeping friends as she has transferred from high school to high school. Finally, a fifth student shared the struggle of integrating the Guatemalan and Mexican sides of her heritage into her own unique self.

These students’ sharing of their personal struggles and triumphs as immigrants of all types inspired the other students attending the evening to join their small groups with open hearts to tell their own stories and to listen to the stories of others. Students met in small groups of 5-8 students with an adult story collector. Every student shared a story of either being the newcomer or stranger or of being in the position to welcome the newcomer. All stories were taped and will be used to develop a play about immigration that will be performed at the COR Supper in February.

After their storytelling groups, students went to dinner together, during which they got to know one another better and created a statement in response to the prompt “What does God say to us about welcoming the stranger?” to share during the closing prayer service. Students returned to the chapel after dinner to participate in a closing prayer service, during which each group shared how they think God calls them to welcome the stranger.

The evening included students and faculty from 13 schools in the Archdiocese; there were over 125 participants.

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