Louisiana Interchurch Conference

Love Your Immigrant Neighbor

On this World Communion Sunday, may Christ’s table remind us that we belong to one another.

Across languages, nations, and traditions, may the bread we share nourish our love for neighbors near and far. May the cup we receive renew our courage to seek peace and make room for one another.

Bless all who gather, all who serve, and all who long for a place at the table.

May our communion become compassion, carried into the world.

Amen.

This is the next Love Your Immigrant Neighbor Prayer Service, followed by an opportunity to write letters to our immigrant neighbors who are in detention centers. We hope you will join in! And if your faith community would like to host a Love Your Immigrant Neighbor service, please reach out.

Right now, many of our immigrant neighbors are living with fear. They are the families next door, the friends we do life with. They are part of the fabric of Greater New Orleans.

Come join us for a service of solidarity and shared purpose. Come to grieve, hold space, to hope, and to commit to showing up for each other. Whatever your faith, and even if you don't have one, there is a seat for you. After the service SouthEast Dignity Not Detention Coalition will host letter writing coaching for those who would like to send letters to detainees. We hope to see you there.

A Sunday blessing

May God meet us in the places that feel dry and uncertain, and help us make room for one another.

May we listen with humility, care for our neighbors, and let love move from our words into what we do.

Amen.

The Catholic Church in the United States will observe National Migration Week beginning September 21 and culminating with the 112th World Day of Migrants and Refugees on September 27.

For over 45 years, the U.S. Catholic Church has celebrated National Migration Week (NMW) by reflecting on its history as an immigrant Church and the ways in which the country has been enriched by generations of immigrants, including the many Catholics who have adopted this land as their own. Its connection to the World Day of Migrants and Refugees (WDMR)—which traces its origins to 1914 when Pope Saint Pius X called on all Christians to pray for the growing number of migrants at the time—demonstrates the U.S. Church’s solidarity with the Bishop of Rome and the Universal Church. Pope Leo XIV has chosen “Even just one of these children” as the theme for this year’s WDMR, which will also be the theme for NMW.

In his message for this year’s WDMR, reflecting on Matthew’s Gospel, the Holy Father observed how even one child calls each of us “to open our eyes and heart to a profound listening to his or her story, fears and dreams, overcoming that detachment which reduces the human person to a statistic that does not directly concern us.” At the same time, he underscored the need to safeguard their fundamental rights, among them the rights to life and full development.

Ahead of NMW, Bishop Brendan J. Cahill, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration, stated:

“Our Church in this country and beyond has a long, inspiring history of caring for migrant and refugee children—from the days of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini and her sisters sheltering many orphaned immigrant children when few others looked their way to today’s diocesan charities providing them and their families with vital support. We owe much gratitude to the law enforcement officers, social workers, pastoral staff, and caregivers who dedicate themselves to their safety and well-being. As we see protections for this population being undermined in various ways, including prolonged stays in detention and decreased access to legal representation, we urge governments and communities to ensure a high level of care rooted in their God-given human dignity. This requires promoting family unity and reunification whenever possible.”

Amid heightened social tensions regarding immigration, Catholics across the country are invited to reflect on how our faith is calling us to respond to this most vulnerable group within the context of migration. Catholic dioceses, parishes, schools, and organizations nationwide are encouraged to mark this observance with prayer, educational programs, pastoral outreach, and support for migration-related ministries.

May God bless all who preach, teach, serve, and worship today.

May we receive grace without comparing,
share what we have without fear,
and trust that God’s generous love is enough for us all.

Amen.

A blessing for this Sunday:
May we not grow weary in doing what is right, trust that even small seeds of love can take root, and rest in the promise of a harvest of justice and peace. May we be people of steady faith and hopeful hearts.
Amen.