by Dionel Rodriguez | Aug 3, 2026
Migrant workers in Taiwan often arrive with limited formal training beyond the specific labor roles that brought them to the country, leaving them with few options if they wish to change careers, start a business, or return home with marketable skills. Long and demanding work schedules further limit their ability to pursue additional education through conventional means.
Maryknoll provides free vocational and technical training programs specifically designed to accommodate these constraints, offering instruction in areas such as computer technology, hospitality, caregiving, photography, baking, and language development. Classes are scheduled with migrant workers’ demanding jobs in mind, making participation genuinely feasible rather than theoretically available but practically inaccessible.
This program embodies the Catholic Social Teaching principle of the Dignity of Work, affirming that migrant workers deserve more than temporary labor arrangements, they deserve the chance to develop skills that open genuine, lasting opportunity. It also carries forward Maryknoll’s founding charism of crossing cultural and linguistic boundaries to serve those far from home, meeting migrant workers with practical support suited to the actual constraints of their daily lives.
Gifts to this project support vocational and technical training that helps migrant workers in Taiwan gain marketable skills, prepare for future careers, and build greater financial independence for themselves and their families.
by Dionel Rodriguez | Mar 5, 2025
Music has a distinctive power to inspire, unite, and transform the lives of those who create it, offering benefits that extend well beyond artistic skill alone. For young people in particular, sustained participation in a structured musical program can build discipline, teamwork, and confidence in ways that carry over into other areas of their lives.
The St. Cecilia String Orchestra brings together young people, parents, teachers, and volunteers in a program that promotes artistic growth alongside Christian values and community spirit. Through regular rehearsals, performances, and shared musical goals, participants develop not only technical musical ability but also the discipline and teamwork that come from working toward a collective artistic achievement.
Forming young musicians reflects the Catholic Social Teaching principle of the Call to Family, Community, and Participation, building bonds among young people, families, and volunteers around a common artistic and spiritual goal. This project also reflects Maryknoll’s charism of forming the whole person, recognizing that beauty and creativity, no less than direct service, can be genuine expressions of a life of faith.
Gifts to this project support instruments, instruction, and program costs that nurture the artistic talent and character of young people while fostering a vibrant, connected Catholic community in Taiwan.
by Dionel Rodriguez | Feb 22, 2023
Across Asia, many migrant workers face exploitation, unsafe working conditions, and violations of their basic human rights, often within complex global supply chains that make accountability difficult to trace and enforce. These abuses can range from illegally charged recruitment fees to unsafe labor conditions to outright human trafficking, and workers frequently have little power to address them individually.
Maryknoll works alongside laborers, community organizations, corporations, and government agencies to confront labor abuses, human trafficking, and environmental concerns embedded within global supply chains. Through advocacy, worker education, research into supply chain practices, and structured collaboration with multiple stakeholders, this ministry works to promote ethical business practices and greater respect for human dignity within international commerce.
This project embodies two interconnected Catholic Social Teaching principles, the Dignity of Work and Care for God’s Creation, recognizing that exploitative labor practices and environmental harm frequently share the same root causes within global supply chains. It reflects Maryknoll’s prophetic charism of confronting injustice at its structural source, working directly with corporations and governments rather than addressing only its downstream effects on individual workers.
Gifts to this project support advocacy, research, and worker education that advance justice, protect vulnerable migrant laborers, and promote responsible, ethical business practices across global supply chains.
by Dionel Rodriguez | Jun 11, 2020
Far from home and family, migrant workers and new immigrants in Taiwan frequently face loneliness, the risk of exploitation by employers or recruiters, and significant uncertainty as they work to build stable lives in an unfamiliar country. Language barriers and unfamiliarity with local systems can compound these challenges, leaving many without clear avenues for support when problems arise.
Maryknoll provides pastoral care, emergency shelter, vocational training, advocacy, and broader community support to migrant workers and immigrants navigating these difficult circumstances. This comprehensive approach reflects the reality that migrants often need more than a single form of assistance; a worker facing exploitation, for instance, may simultaneously need legal advocacy, emergency housing, and emotional support.
This ministry directly embodies the Catholic Social Teaching principle of Rights and Responsibilities as applied to migrants, affirming the Church’s teaching that every worker deserves protection from exploitation and access to just treatment regardless of nationality. It reflects Maryknoll’s charism of welcoming the stranger and standing as an advocate for those most vulnerable to abuse, offering both practical assistance and a consistent, trustworthy voice on their behalf.
Gifts to this project support pastoral care, emergency shelter, and advocacy that help ensure migrants and new immigrants in Taiwan are treated with dignity, compassion, and respect as they build new lives far from home.
