During a Sept. 15 Mass followed by a procession and day of advocacy for migrants, Washington Auxiliary Bishop Gary Studniewski said, “Welcoming migrants means encountering Christ.”
“Immigrants are not a problem to be solved. They are our brothers and sisters, and we must welcome, respect, and love them. They are an opportunity to help build a more just society, a stronger democracy, a more united country, a more brotherly world, and a more open and welcoming Christian community,” Bishop Studniewski said during the Mass at St. Peter’s Church on Capitol Hill that was part of a “Witness for Our Immigrant Neighbors” on the feast day of Our Lady of Sorrows.
In the first public event where, as a bishop, he had the opportunity to raise his voice for immigrants, he said, “No more mass detentions or deportations. We need to create fair pathways to citizenship.”
Bishop Studniewski was ordained as an auxiliary bishop of Washington on July 7 after most recently serving as the pastor of the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament Parish in Washington. He earlier served as the pastor of St. Peter’s Parish from 2018 to 2022.
During the event, which included a Mass, a procession, and advocacy visits organized jointly by the Dorothea Project, a community of Catholic women that promotes Catholic social teaching on human dignity; CLINIC (the Catholic Legal Immigration Network); and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, the bishop affirmed the importance of immigrants to the community, condemned the separation of families, and spoke about the shortcomings of ICE detention centers.
“These days, in our own country, we are aware that so many people are suffering the pain of injustice at the hands of a hostile power, just as Jesus suffered on the cross. We gather today thinking of the many men, women, and children, real families who suffer the injustice of being mistreated because they are immigrants. They are wounded by fear, by separation, and by the loss of everything that was once familiar to them,” the bishop said.
“Like our Blessed Mother, we want to stand at the foot of the cross of the suffering Christ, to be present alongside our suffering brothers and sisters to offer them our tears, our prayers, and our comfort,” he said.
Bishop Studniewski said he hopes that through that support, the suffering of immigrants will be relieved, and they will feel that “they are not alone; they have companionship in their suffering and are loved.”
Noting the words of Pope Leo XIV in his recent encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, he said, “A true test of social justice today is how migrants, refugees, and those forced to leave their homes because of poverty, violence, climate change, and environmental disasters are treated.”
The bishop said that Catholics respond to the call of the Holy Spirit when they accompany their brothers and sisters who suffer in their local communities, when they help make their parishes more welcoming places for strangers, when they help others learn about Catholic social teaching, and when they take time to reflect, pray, and act.
That is what some 200 people did, arriving from nine states to join the event and raise their voices for immigrants. They came to the nation's capital, the bishop said, to advocate for change and promote the common good. “You are making your own small contribution. Sometimes it seems so insignificant, doesn’t it, in the face of such enormous challenges? But God takes our small contributions and multiplies them.”
Before the participants walked in procession to the U.S. Capitol and visited 13 congressional offices, he told them to “be courageous and bold in Christ” and urged them to call on their members of Congress to “see this historic moment as an opportunity to change a system that has failed the most vulnerable.”
The bishop said Congress and the government must reform the immigration system to protect the dignity of every person, including reforms that keep families together and restore asylum protections and due process.
Bishop Studniewski concluded his homily with a prayer https://archsa.org/regresare-a-ustedes/#oracion-olg included in the recent pastoral letter of Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller of San Antonio, Texas, calling for solidarity with immigrants: https://archsa.org/regresare-a-ustedes.
In the prayers of the faithful at the Mass, Mary Castronuovo asked God to guide the Church so it always advocates for the poor, the vulnerable, and immigrants; that “we may not turn a blind eye to the suffering of our immigrant neighbors.”
She also prayed that government authorities may show compassion toward those seeking asylum or those being stripped of their temporary immigration status, and especially that members of Congress may exercise greater responsibility and oversight, act with compassion, and not deny anyone their basic rights.
She further prayed for humane treatment of those held in detention centers, and that ICE agents may respect human dignity. “Let us pray for their conversion of heart and that they may not conduct raids in churches, schools, and hospitals,” she said.
Walking for them
The people walking in procession to the Capitol and the speakers at the rally held on the upper Senate park grounds urged that undocumented immigrants be treated in a dignified and humane way.
“We ask that there be no more ICE detentions or family separations, that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) be extended to all immigrants who have obtained that protection, and above all, that the dignity of every human person be respected,” said a spokesperson for the Dorothea Project, which coordinated the event’s logistics.
“Human beings must always be treated with respect and dignity. They should be given economic and social opportunities, as well as a legal status, because that benefits the entire community,” said Giovana Oaxaca, 29. She is the government relations manager at NETWORK, a Catholic faith-based organization that advocates for social justice and immigration reform.
She visited the office of Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) to thank him for his support of immigrants and to encourage him to continue that support. “We are asking both political parties to support TPS,” she said, noting they are also advocating for comprehensive immigration reform “that provides a pathway to citizenship for our neighbors and families who have been waiting for many years.”
This issue is deeply personal for Sandra Sandoval, 21, “because I am an immigrant,” she said, adding, “I came to this country when I was four years old, my parents are immigrants, and it is part of my story.” Sandoval, who is originally from Mexico, lives in Iowa, and is currently participating in a study program in the Washington area.
“I have friends who do not have the opportunity I have to become citizens, and I want to be a voice for those who are undocumented. It is very sad what is happening with the detention of migrants... As a country, we are moving backward,” she said while walking through the streets of downtown Washington, passing the Capitol, the Library of Congress, and the Supreme Court.
Sandoval visited the office of Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), and the following day she was scheduled to participate in a virtual conference call with Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa).
During the day, participants also visited members of Congress from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Texas, Florida, Maryland, Indiana, and North Carolina, as well as Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton of the District of Columbia.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued a call to action in support of the American Dream and Promise Act (H.R. 1589), which could soon be brought to a vote in the House of Representatives. This bipartisan legislation would essentially provide a fair, equitable, and long-term legal solution for Dreamers (undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children), TPS holders, refugees, and others protected under the legal provision known as Deferred Enforced Departure (DED).
Only one additional congressional supporter is needed for the bill to be brought forward for debate on the House floor.
At the parish level
A group of parishioners from St. Camillus Parish in Silver Spring, Maryland, took part in the event.
“We want TPS protections for Haitian immigrants to be restored, for Congress to fulfill its oversight responsibilities, and for an end to the detention of immigrants and the separation of families,” one of those parishioners said.
Several temporary protections have expired, such as TPS for Haitians, leaving individuals and families at risk of deportation after spending years living in the United States. In the case of Salvadorans, TPS expired on Sept. 9, but the government has, for the time being, kept the program in effect, creating a situation of uncertainty.
Just as the Church advocates at the federal level for the most vulnerable immigrants and those without permanent legal status, it also does so at the state level, for example in Annapolis, and at the parish level, where concrete responses can be seen.
One example is St. Camillus Parish, where members of the English-speaking community have joined in taking the lead on this issue.
“Last week, five parishioners were detained. This past Sunday, one parishioner was arrested while on his way to a Baptism. These detentions often leave families with three or four children without any source of income,” explained Kathy Gallagher of the parish’s Immigrant Support and Advocacy Network.
St. Camillus Parish provides spiritual support, clothing, rental assistance, and legal aid. The parish also distributes food on site and delivers it every week to more than 100 families.
In addition, for parishioners who are detained, “we immediately deposit $50 from our St. Francis Fund so they can buy food and make phone calls. We are also exploring ways to send financial assistance to parishioners who have been deported to their home countries. We want to show them that they have not been forgotten,” Gallagher said.
Donations can be made at: https://stcamilluschurch.org/o... (include a note stating: “St. Francis Emergency Fund – Families Affected by Detention.”)
Mass for World Day of Migrants and Refugees
Like other parishes, the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington offers several initiatives in support of immigrants. On Sunday, Sept. 27, at 5:30 p.m., the cathedral will host the archdiocesan Mass for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, featuring a special liturgy that honors the cultural diversity of the Church. The Mass will be preceded by the praying of the rosary in several languages at 4:35 p.m. on the steps of the cathedral.
(Andrea Acosta is a reporter for El Pregonero, the Spanish-language newspaper and website of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington.)
