On September 27, the 112th World Day for Migrants and Refugees, faithful gathered at the Church of the Holy Spirit in Palmyra for the USCCB’s “A Path Towards Justice: A Prayer Service Honoring the Many Journeys that Shaped America.” Bishop Timothy Senior presided and Father Michael Metzgar, pastor, delivered the homily.
“In a sense, we are all migratory as we go through life,” Father Metzgar said. “All throughout Sacred Scripture, the theme is to help those who are in need and to love your neighbor which is our Christian duty – to see Jesus in every person.”
Throughout the prayer service, three heart-wrenching testimonies were presented of migrant families dealing with separation and duress from the current immigration enforcement policies practiced by law officials.
The Holy Father spoke on the 112th anniversary of the day that is set aside worldwide to recognize the plight of migrants and refugees seeking safety, economic opportunity or family reunification. “An urgent change of perspective is needed: the focus of the debate must shift from mere management of migration to the full and immediate protection of human rights, adopting coordinated, supportive and effective response capable of guaranteeing protection, welcome and genuine opportunities for integration to those who migrate,” Pope Leo XIV wrote.
The U.S. Bishops’ pastoral message on immigration recently stressed, “We are disturbed when we see among our people a climate of fear and anxiety around questions of profiling and immigration enforcement. We are saddened by the current state of debate and the vilification of immigrants.”
Bishop Senior spoke after the prayer service, expressing his gratitude for the migrant justice ministry work of the faithful at Holy Spirit. “You are doing holy work,” Bishop Senior told those gathered in the sacred space in Palmyra.
(Photos by Chris Heisey, The Catholic Witness.)
By Chris Heisey, The Catholic Witness
