Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota is sponsoring an advocacy training and town hall meeting focused on immigration Sept. 22 at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 512 S. Elm Ave. in Owatonna, according to a press release.

The day begins with advocacy training at 10 a.m., coordinated by the Minnesota Catholic Conference, followed by a break for lunch at noon.

The town hall meeting will be from 1 to 3 p.m., with candidates for Minnesota’s two U.S. Senate seats and U.S. House of Representatives District 1 seat invited to attend.

Participants are free to attend all or part of the day, but pre-registration is required. Lunch is $10 and can be paid for at the door. The event is free to those who forego the lunch.

Register on the Catholic Charities web site at www.ccsomn.org. The deadline to sign up is Monday. For more information, contact Tom Parlin at tparlin@ccsomn.org or 507-454-2270 extension 246.

Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota serves the 20 southernmost counties of Minnesota, spanning the territory from the Mississippi River to the South Dakota border. With a mission to serve the poor and vulnerable, the marginalized, the alienated, and the stranger, Catholic Charities’ staff and volunteers serve over 6,000 people a year without regard to religion, race or gender, according to the release.

Offices are located in Winona, Rochester, Mankato, Worthington, Albert Lea, Austin and Owatonna.