For over 45 years, the Catholic Church in the United States has celebrated National Migration Week (NMW). This is an opportunity to reflect on our history as an immigrant Church and the ways in which our country has been enriched by generations of immigrants, including the many Catholics who have adopted this land as their own. It is also an occasion to grow in appreciation of the challenges faced by migrants and refugees, both in the United States and beyond, and to express solidarity through prayer, accompaniment, and advocacy.
This year, National Migration Week takes place September 21–27. It will culminate with the Universal Church’s annual commemoration of the World Day of Migrants and Refugees (WDMR) on the last Sunday of the month (September 27).
Pope Leo XIV chose “Even just one of these children” for this year’s WDMR theme, which is a reference to Matthew 18:5: “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” When this theme was announced, the Vatican noted, “With this choice, the Holy Father intends to express the Church’s concern for minors directly involved in migration, recalling the duty to welcome each one of them as the Gospel teaches us.”
~ USCCB website
We are Called to Respond
“Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.”
This quotation challenges each of us to reflect more closely on the often-dire situations that drive children to migrate – often alone – in search of a safe haven.
What can I/we do to ensure that child migrants are not exploited but receive the care that they deserve?
What steps can I/we take in our local community to welcome migrants and help them become more fully integration in their new home?
To learn more about the Church teaching on migration, please visit:
www.justiceforimmigrants.org
The Cabrini Pledge
The Cabrini Pledge is both a reminder of our immigrant heritage and a call to deeper engagement with our faith in response to current events. At a time when our culture is dominated by deep political divisions and reasonable disagreements about immigration policy, progress can feel impossible. But by witnessing to the God-given dignity of every person, including the migrants and refugees in our midst, we pave the way for an approach rooted in mercy, justice, and the common good. And together, like Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, we can be keepers of hope.
Explore the call
“Migrants and refugees remind the Church of her pilgrim dimension, perpetually journeying towards her final homeland, sustained by a hope that is a theological virtue.”
—Pope Leo XIV, Message for the 111th World Day of Migrants and Refugees
The history of the U.S. Catholic Church, like the history of the United States itself, is very much intertwined with the phenomenon of migration. The first American citizen to be canonized a saint, Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini, was the embodiment of this. An immigrant from Italy, she adopted this country as her own. While often facing discrimination and seemingly impossible odds, she never succumbed to hopelessness. With relentless faith, she accompanied her fellow immigrants and others living on the margins of society with a great missionary zeal.
But Mother Cabrini’s challenges, and the challenges of those she served, are not unique among the generations of Catholics and immigrants in general who have come to this land. This is not just a matter of history. It is a present reality in the life of our Church and nation.
I PLEDGE:
• To affirm, in word and deed, the inherent dignity of every person, regardless of immigration status or country of origin, seeing each as a child of God before all else.
• To engage with Scripture and the Church’s social teaching, reflecting on the role of migration in salvation history, the history of the United States, and the history of my own family.
• To listen and learn about the circumstances facing migrants and refugees, including those in my community, with an open heart and mind.
• To seek opportunities for encounter, so as to grow in deeper understanding and communion that leads to an authentic solidarity with those in need.
• To consider what it means to be a good neighbor and how I am called to reflect the love and hope of Christ to others.
• To encourage civic dialogue that places the human person and the sanctity of families at the center of policymaking, especially toward the end of meaningful immigration reform.
• To join with Pope Leo in praying for all migrants and refugees as fellow travelers on the journey to our true homeland.
Prayer for Migrants and Refugees
For all bishops in our Church that they may be encouraged by our prayers and support to lead God’s people in building a culture that respects the human dignity of all migrants, we pray to the Lord.
For all Catholics, that God inspire them to take action in their local communities to support and protect migrants and to advocate on their behalf, we pray to the Lord.
For unaccompanied migrant children, that God protect them on their journey and safely reunite them with their families, we pray to the Lord.
For our neighbors, coworkers, friends, fellow Christians, and all people, that they may grow in their awareness of the issue of migration and become a voice in the public square calling for greater protections for these populations, we pray to the Lord.
For migrant workers, refugees, and all other strangers in our midst, that they may find strength in our concern for justice and feel the warmth of our love, we pray to the Lord.
For the bishops, that they will continue in their commitment to refugee resettlement and provide in their communities a place of welcome, we pray to the Lord.
For all refugees who are forced to flee from their homes, that God bring peace to them and their country of origin, we pray to the Lord.
For refugees in Africa, and the Middle East, and elsewhere who are experiencing great suffering that God might bring them to a place of peace and safety, we pray to the Lord.
For the President of the United States and all government leaders: that the Son of God, who became human, will help them understand the great dignity of human persons, and support legislation that better protects vulnerable populations in our midst, we pray to the Lord.
For policy makers in our nation that God grant them the wisdom to enact laws that provide greater protection for all migrant populations, we pray to the Lord.