WAPAKONETA — The Petersburg Parishes Social Justice Commission presents “Immigration: A Matter of Faith, a Moral Imperative” with Sister Mary Wendeln, on Sunday 2 p.m. at St Joseph Church PLC/Adult Center, Wapakoneta. The event is free and open to the public. Attendees should use the Blackhoof Street parking lot to access the Adult Center.

Sr. Mary Wendeln, a native Daytonian and a Precious Blood Sister of Dayton for 53 years, currently lives in Cincinnati and advocates for comprehensive immigration reform, human rights, peace with justice in Palestine and Israel. She ministered on the U.S./Mexican border and with the Christian Peacemaker Team in the Occupied Territories of West bank. She credits the deaths of the four church women and the El Salvadoran martyrs as the inspiration for her 30 years with the immigrant community in the DC Metro and Cincinnati areas. In April 2012, Su Casa Hispanic Ministry Center awarded her with the Cesar Chavez award for her work with Latino Community in Cincinnati. Wendeln participated in the original Nuns on the Bus Tour in June and the subsequent tour in Ohio.

“Political polarization has made the issue of immigration so contentious today. We wanted to present the topic through the lens of our Christian faith,” Social Justice Commission member Rachel Barber said.

The Petersburg Parishes of Botkins Immaculate Conception, Fryburg St. John, Rhine St. Lawrence, and Wapakoneta St. Joseph are named for the now-vanished Petersburg settlement (between Wapakoneta and Botkins on Santa Fe-New Knoxville Road) from which the parishes emerged in the 19th century. They are served by the Rev. Patrick Sloneker, pastor, and the Rev. Daniel Hunt, assistant pastor.