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In honor of this year's theme for the World Day of Migrants & Refugees, we will share hopeful articles, homilies, and videos in each newsletter:
‘Our people are living in fear’: U.S. bishops stand up for migrants amid Trump crackdown, America Magazine:
"U.S. Catholics need to 'lift up the Gospel' and Catholic social teaching that speaks to 'the dignity of the human person, the sanctity of human life, the dignity of work, the common good, subsidiarity,' [Archbishop Wester] says, principles being violated by the administration’s current deportation regime."
Bishop goes to bat for migrant farm workers as administration mulls enforcement, visa changes, Catholic News Agency:
"The plight of migrant workers 'should be one of great concern to all Catholics, and we should be committed to recognizing the importance of their work and to upholding their God-given dignity,' Bishop Cahill, chairman of the USCCB’s Subcommittee on Pastoral Care of Migrants, Refugees, and Travelers, told CNA. Cahill is set to become chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration at the end of this November’s plenary session."
Americans largely oppose Trump’s ramp-up of deportations, CNN poll finds, CNN:
"In the latest survey, 55% say the president has gone too far when it comes to deporting immigrants living in the US illegally, up 10 points since February...A 57% majority also say they oppose plans to build new detention facilities capable of holding up to 100,000 undocumented immigrants, while 53% oppose increasing the budget for Immigration and Customs Enforcement by billions of dollars"
Catholic moms plead with their bishops to speak out on migrant detention, Religious News Service:
Catholic mothers formed the Dorothea Project, named after Dorothy Day and Sister Thea Bowman, launching a letter-writing campaign urging U.S. bishops and priests to publicly advocate for mercy and humane treatment of migrants and refugees in the US. The group underscores that “moms can act as the moral compass of a society,” and calls for “bold and courageous leadership in defense of the marginalized,” rooted in the Gospel and Catholic social teaching.
Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez Releases Pastoral Message to Immigrant Communities Throughout the Philadelpha Region, Archhdiocese of Philadelphia:
"As the son of immigrants, I have found recent events particularly heartbreaking. Today, I write to express my prayerful solidarity, and that of our local Church, with you. You are not alone. The Church is a community of faith, and the divine person of Christ, who was forced to flee his homeland as a child, holds you in his compassionate arms."
"An Asylum for Mankind," Catholic Standard:
Bishop Evelio Menjivar: "From before 1776, one of the things that immigrants have brought – and bring to this nation now – is hope and the desire to work hard, to make a living, but also to contribute to make society better through our own contributions. It is disturbing then that our national leaders today should betray the American Revolution and this nation’s heritage and instead play the part of the oppressive king with cruel policies and practices aimed at terrorizing migrants and refugees in this country."
As ICE fears continue, LA Catholics find creative ways to help, Angelus News:
In largely Latino communities across Southern California shaken by weeks of immigration enforcement raids on city sidewalks and local businesses, the fear has forced undocumented immigrants inside, shut out from work, from church, from life...But all that fear has also been channeled into action, as Catholic parishes throughout the Archdiocese of Los Angeles have gotten creative in looking for ways to help hurting families.
Renewing LA as a city of welcome, Angelus News:
Archbishop Gomez: "In Los Angeles and across the country, many of our undocumented brothers and sisters have been living here for a decade or more; they are working hard to raise their families. As generations of immigrants before them have done, they are sacrificing so that their children can have a better life. There are many others who were brought to this country as infants and children and, because their parents are undocumented, they are denied access to opportunities to lead an ordinary life. Any just reform of our immigration system must find a way to normalize and hopefully legalize the status of these categories of immigrants. They should be given the chance to become full participating members of our society."
Miami archbishop joins Knights on Bikes to pray for clergy access to Alligator Alcatraz, National Catholic Reporter:
"Archbishop Wenski and the Knights on Bikes ministry prayed the rosary outside the entrance of the facility in the Everglades. After the service, the Florida Highway Patrol trooper guarding the entrance — who had blocked the ministry from entering the facility — accepted a blessing from the archbishop."
Florida should listen to Miami archbishop: Detained migrants need spiritual comfort, Miami Herald:
"Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski is raising a powerful moral question: Should the hundreds of people detained inside the Alligator Alcatraz immigration detention center — many awaiting deportation — be denied spiritual comfort as they face sudden family separation, isolation and the end of their life in America? His answer, and ours, is clear: No."
"We belong to one another," Archdiocese of Miami:
Archbishop Wenki's homily: "When political leaders gathered in front of cages at a hastily constructed detention center they named 'Alligator Alcatraz' and made light of the fear and anxieties of those to be detained there, can we say that 'we belong to one another,' that the inherent dignity of another is recognized? Jesus came into the world that sin had turned upside down; he lived, died, and rose again to show us how to live right-side up in this upside-down world and thus give a witness to what a reconciled and reconciling world could look like."
Miami Archbishop Wenski on "Alligator Alcatraz," EWTN News in Depth:
Archbishop Thomas Wenski: “my greatest concern is the health and care of the people that are being detained there. It’s in a very isolated place far away from medical facilities. It’s in a swamp that is very hot on a tarmac, which makes it even hotter...We do wish a minimum of standards, and one of those standards should be access to pastoral care."
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