Witnesses to justice: St. Camillus faith community accompanies migrants

Many of the communities served by the friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe are being affected by the increase in raids and arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Every day we hear reports of community members being detained by ICE.  

There are several ways we can accompany our migrant brothers and sisters here and now: 

• Address direct needs – Be present to immigrants, especially those who are fearful and isolated. 

• Offer legal resources and support – Connect migrants with resources (but do not give legal advice unless you are a lawyer). 

• Advocate for change – Work with others to call for real, comprehensive immigration reform. 

• Witness on their behalf – Uphold your Catholic/Franciscan values of treating others with humanity and dignity. 

Offering a counter message  

What does this look like in practice? One parish, St. Camillus in Silver Spring, Maryland, has begun building up the “witness” element of their efforts. (The parish already provides pastoral care and connects immigrants with legal services.) 

On Sept. 28, more than 100 members of the St. Camillus community – including all available friars, along with the postulants and formation team from nearby Holy Name College – joined more than 1,000 Catholics from the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., for a procession and a Mass for the 111th World Day of Migrants and Refugees.  

The procession was led by Auxiliary Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala, an immigrant himself with a story that mirrors that of many migrants today. The participants who sang and prayed as they walked together through the streets of Washington, D.C., offered a counter message to the way immigration enforcement is being carried out in that city. 

During the procession, people listened to the challenges faced by our migrant community members. In his homily, Cardinal Robert McElroy pointed out the inhumanity of some immigration enforcement action as he shared: 

“We are witnessing a comprehensive governmental assault designed to produce fear and terror among millions of men and women who have through their presence in our nation been nurturing precisely the religious, cultural, communitarian and familial bonds that are most frayed and most valuable at this moment in our country’s history.  

“This assault seeks to make life unbearable for undocumented immigrants. It is willing to tear families apart, separating grieving mothers from their children, and fathers from the sons and daughters who are the center of their lives. It embraces as collateral damage the horrific emotional suffering that is being thrust on children who were born here, but now face the terrible choice of losing their parents or leaving the only country that they have ever known.” 

Counter to this “campaign (that) relies on fear and terror at its core,” Cardinal McElroy shared how the parable of the Good Samaritan shows us a way to reject the norms of our society to embrace the norms of the Gospel. 

An invitation to something different 

Reflecting on his experience of the procession and Mass, Br. Juan de la Cruz Turcios, OFM, guardian of St. Camillus Friary, said, “This was an incredibly uplifting event, but it was also deeply sad. So many of the members of our community did not feel safe enough to join the procession or Mass. We need to share the cardinal’s message so that they remember that they are not alone.” 

Br. Juan’s quote tells us why witness is such an important part of accompaniment. It reminds those who are forced to the margins of society that they are not alone. It shows them, and the wider world, that the injustice they experience is counter to the direction of the Gospel. 

In addition to their presence at the procession and Mass for migrants, every two weeks, a group of St. Camillus parishioners and friars prays in front of an immigration court facility near the parish. It is another witness to offer support to immigrants going in for their cases, and a reminder that the Gospel invites all people to respond with compassion.  

One Church, One Family 

All of our communities have an opportunity to join this witness. The province is joining with other Catholic communities and organizations to sponsor “One Church, One Family.” This is an effort to do public witnesses of faith on Oct. 22 and/or Nov. 13. The website shares, “We invite dioceses, parishes, schools, religious communities, and other institutions and organizations to host public actions that lift up the dignity of migrants — especially in the places where that dignity is most often denied. This may be a vigil in front of a detention center, a prayer service at a place where migrants were publicly detained, or a rosary accompanying people who are going to immigration court hearings.”  

The province’s JPIC Office can help you plan such an event or find one to join. For more information, email rtesta@friars.us. Through witness and other methods of accompaniment, together we can be part of building a different reality of peace and justice.