We must treat every person with same compassion and dignity we would show Jesus, Father Scott Jones said
Catholics from the Archdiocese of St. Louis were among a couple hundred people who gathered under gray skies to pray, sing and proclaim the Gospel in solidarity with ICE detainees.
The prayer vigil was held on March 7 across the street from the Ste. Genevieve County Detention Center, which contracts with the federal government to house people arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Father Scott Jones, episcopal vicar for the Northern Vicariate of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, conveyed Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski’s prayers and blessing for the gathering.
“We are here today, Catholics, Protestants, priests, religious, ministers, people of other religions — we are here today to share that we do know what is happening, we see it, and that we do care, and that we are willing to speak up,” Father Jones said. “You are not forgotten. Whether you are detained, or at risk of detention, or have loved ones who are at risk, you matter.”
God’s love demands that we love others, including people who disagree with us. “That’s why today isn’t about judging anyone, or saying hateful things that drive the wedge in deeper. There has been enough of that.”
“Today is an invitation, first to us, that we set aside any judgment or animosity we have towards anyone, including those who disagree with us on the issue of immigration,” Father Jones said. “If we accept that invitation to love, then we can become the means by which God invites others to lay aside their own animosity or, more likely, their fear.”
Pope Leo XIV, the U.S. bishops and Archbishop Rozanski have all clearly stated that countries have the right to regulate immigration, Father Jones noted. But they have also acknowledged that our current system of immigration enforcement is morally flawed. The Church opposes the indiscriminate mass deportation of undocumented persons and has said there need to be fair and just pathways to achieving legal status and means of welcoming those who are fleeing injustice from other countries. Leaders have spoken out against separating families and the use of dehumanizing language, whether it is toward undocumented persons or law enforcement.
“At the heart of their teaching is the Gospel of Jesus: That we treat every person with the compassion and dignity we would show to Jesus Himself, because it is Jesus Himself who asks that of us,” Father Jones said.
“Today we pray for our undocumented brothers and sisters. We pray for their families. We also pray for anyone who is living with fear, be it fear for immigrant communities or fear of immigrant communities,” he said. “There are many wounds that need to be healed, but the healing power of Jesus will do just that — heal — and the day will come when we will see how God was walking us through this particular moment of salvation history, bringing us not only closer to Him, but to each other as well. May our hearts be open to healing, and may we become agents of God’s healing in the world.”
Father Thomas Greene, SJ, provincial of the Jesuits’ U.S. Central and Southern Province, shared a prayer first in Spanish and then in English, asking the Lord’s guidance and blessing for migrants seeking better lives, law enforcement officers, judges and elected officials.
“We pray for all of us gathered here, that our hearts may be enlarged, our voices courageous and our actions aligned with the mercy of the Gospel,” Father Greene said.
Sara Drost, president of Abide in Love Ste. Genevieve, thanked participants for coming together in prayer.
Peggy Keilholz, a parishioner at Seven Holy Founders in Affton, made the trip down to Ste. Genevieve to participate in the vigil. She felt compelled to attend by Catholic social teaching, including the life and dignity of the human person and the call to solidarity.
“We are all brothers and sisters, and while it is true that our country has the right to say who can come into the country, how we treat people is very important. We follow the laws that we have — and if they’re not right, we fix them — but no matter what the law is, I can still treat another person with dignity, and that’s not what’s happening now,” she said.
Read Father Scott Jones’ full reflection from the vigil at stlreview.com/4liA68W
