The Justice Commission of the Sisters of St. Joseph and Consociates’ Immigration Working Group hosted the May ICOM vigil together with the Basilica of Saint Mary’s Immigrant Support Ministry Team, the Maryknoll Lay Missioners, Twin Cities Nonviolent and Minnesota Center for Healthcare Ethics at the Whipple Federal Building (1 Federal Drive, Fort Snelling/Minneapolis). Our theme for the May vigil is “The Most Vulnerable Among Us.”
Sr. Ag Foley, CSJ shared the morning wisdom from Bell Hooks, “I want there to be a place in this world where people can engage in one another’s differences in a way that is redemptive, full of hope and possibility.” Fr. Dale Korogi, pastor from Ascension Parish in Minneapolis eloquently reminded us in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s daughter, Rev. Bernice King, “that it was faith and the spirit of God itself that fueled, that infused the movement that led to great change and transformation.” Fr. Korogi inspired the group gathered with “What fueled Dr. King and continues to sustain my friend, Sister Alice [Zachmann, SSND], and what brings us to the table of the immigrant justice and anti-racist and human and civil rights and equity movements—and what we bring to the table—is our faith.”
We continue to pray for the nearly 100 undocumented migrants in detention in Minnesota who are facing deportation. Our vigil also held in prayer the 20,000 migrants in detention at our southern border along with the tens of thousands of additional migrants waiting in Mexico for the end of the U.S. Government’s Title 42, which practically speaking prevented immigrants from applying for asylum. We sang and prayed that “both in our singing and in our sharing, we are bringing change, we are making peace.” Fr. Korogi re-energized those gathered with his challenge, “We are called to encounter, to share the journey with the immigrant, recognizing that, unless we are among the native people of our nation, we are, of course, all immigrants. As immigrants, we must continue our migration: we must leave our homes, our places of comfort, our comfort zones, and go to those places where we ourselves may feel dislocated—to the margins and with the marginalized. We must get to know the immigrants among us; to stand in solidarity with and accompany those who are undocumented and uncertain, with those who are terrified of detention or deportation; and to continue to advocate, against all odds, for a compassionate and realistic immigration system that works.”
NOTE: these vigils are held on a monthly basis and hosted by different groups each month. Join the CSJ Immigration Working Group and other immigrant advocates at the monthly Interfaith Coalition on Immigration (ICOM) prayer vigil at the Minneapolis Whipple Federal Building on the second Tuesday of every month at 7:30 a.m. (both in-person and online).
Contact mroers@csjstpaul.org FFI and/or any questions.
Check out the video of the special vigil hosted by the CSJ community along with the Basilica of Saint Mary’s Immigrant Support Ministry Team, the Maryknoll Lay Missioners, Twin Cities Nonviolent and Minnesota Center for Healthcare Ethics.
Hope you can join us for next month’s ICOM prayer vigil.
Advocacy Actions for Immigrants
The CSJ Immigration Working Group continues to advocate on behalf of our immigrant dear neighbors. Take a moment to consider some of advocacy opportunities to support the immigrant community or other actions on the CSJ Take Action webpage.
The CSJ community continues to pray and actively speak out in support of our immigrant neighbors as seen in some of the following community statements:
For more information contact Marty Roers at mroers@csjstpaul.org