~ by Rhina Guidos, Global Sisters Report
Cardinal Robert McElroy wasted no time pointing out that this year’s World Day for Migrants and Refugees is not like the others — at least not in the U.S.
“For this year we are confronting — both as a nation and as a church — an unprecedented assault upon millions of immigrant men and women and families in our midst,” McElroy said during a Sept. 28 homily at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, as the archdiocese in the nation’s capital observed the church event that celebrates, on Oct. 4-5 this year, the resilience of displaced people around the world.
Though McElroy has been steadily defending migrants, the archbishop of Washington on Sunday focused on the government’s actions that kept many in his flock from attending the event, following reports of catechists and ministers detained on their way to Sunday Mass and other church activities.
No one argues that removing those convicted of serious crimes is a legitimate national goal, McElroy said, but the way he sees it, what the administration is doing in Washington and the rest of the country has a different goal.
During a procession — from Washington’s predominantly immigrant Shrine of the Sacred Heart to Mass at the cathedral that hosts Masses for government officials and workers — women religious and priests shared anecdotes about massive drops in church attendance, parishioners detained and others afraid of leaving their homes.
Holy Cross Sister Ruth Nickerson said she took part in the procession to “support the migrants and refugees, especially those who are being disappeared in our own city here in D.C. We’re hoping that the prayer and coming together will help people to understand that this is really about human rights for everyone.”
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~ article by Rhina Guidos reprinted with permission from Global Sisters Report
From October 1–3, 2025, just before the Jubilee for Migrants (October 4–5), a ‘Refugees & Migrants in Our Common Home,’ conference is being held in Rome. This will be the first in-person gathering of a three-year initiative uniting higher education institutions, NGOs, and community partners to address the urgent realities of migration and displacement.