Washington DC: Mass on Capitol Hill for migrants & their families

Communion on the border

Members of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration celebrated a Mass for “Immigrants and their Families,” on 29 May, at St Peter’s Catholic Church on Capitol Hill. During the Mass, Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami prayed for members of Congress to “show the political courage to act on this vital issue of immigration reform.” Bishops who concelebrated the Mass with Archbishop Wenski also celebrated Mass at the US-Mexico border on 1 April. (See picture).

Before the Mass, the bishops met with young persons, known as DREAM youth, who came to the United States with their parents as young children. They told the bishops stories of being separated from their parents because of deportations.

Following Mass, the bishops planned to visit several members of the House of Representatives, including House Speaker John Boehner, to urge them to consider immigration reform legislation as soon as possible.

“The time to act is now,” said Bishop Eusebio Elizondo, auxiliary bishop of Seattle and chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration. “We intend to convey the moral urgency of this issue to our elected officials. Delaying any longer is unacceptable.”

In his homily, Archbishop Wenski stated that the United States cannot accept the work and taxes of undocumented immigrant workers without offering them the protection of the law.

“Our immigration system is a stain on the soul of our nation. As a moral matter, it must be changed. We must pray that our elected officials recognize this and have the courage to reform it,” Archbishop Wenski said.

More information on the USCCB Committee on Migration can be found at: www.justiceforimmigrants.org and www.usccb.org/about/migration-policy/mass-on-the-border.cfm.

A video recording of the post-Mass press event can be viewed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=_svLDnsxYnU