Celebrating Mass on the universal Church’s observance of the World Day for Migrants and Refugees, Bishop Timothy Senior told members of the Hispanic Catholic community that he stands in solidarity with those who are experiencing stress and fear because of their immigration status.
“Please know that I stand in solidarity with you and hold you in prayer and in my heart. We are one body in Jesus Christ, and when one member suffers, we all suffer,” he told the congregation. “At the same time, our faith assures us that especially in difficult moments of anxiety and challenge, Jesus is very close to us. The one who loves us beyond our imagination will never abandon us, and his Blessed Mother always holds us close to her Immaculate Heart.”
St. Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg was filled with a spirited crowd for the Diocesan Hispanic Heritage Mass on Sunday, September 27, with many dressed in traditional cultural attire, waving flags representative of their homeland, and engaging in lively praise and worship music.
Celebrated in Spanish, the Mass was hosted by the Diocesan Office for Culture and Outreach and the Diocesan Hispanic Apostolate. It drew Catholics from across the diocese, which is home to 11 parishes with Hispanic ministry and Masses in Spanish.
“This Mass provides me with an opportunity to give thanks to God for the gift that you are, our beloved members of the Hispanic Catholic community,” Bishop Senior said in his homily, which was translated into Spanish by Deacon Armando Torres, Director for Culture and Outreach.
The bishop expressed his appreciation for the community’s devotion to the faith, their cultural traditions and the vitality they bring to the Church.
“Your witness to faith, your commitment to family life and to community – especially the poor and most vulnerable – provide a wonderful witness of faithful discipleship for all the people of our diocese. You are a great blessing to the Diocese of Harrisburg,” he said.
Bishop Senior urged all members of the Catholic Church to follow the call Pope Francis made on the World Day of Migrants and Refugees in 2018: namely, to embrace a shared response to the many challenges of contemporary migrants throughout the world, one that “may be articulated by four verbs: to welcome, to protect, to promote and to integrate.”
“These words must continue to guide us in our own current context in the United States and in responding to the needs of migrants and refugees throughout the world,” Bishop Senior said. “May God give us the grace and the courage to do so.”
Watch the live stream of the Mass on the Diocese’s YouTube channel.
(Photos by Chris Heisey, The Catholic Witness.)
By Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness
