New Windsor Holds Ritual of Solidarity with Immigrant Brothers and Sisters

As the New Windsor Presentation congregation gathered at our yearly assembly to consider our future, we were asked to reflect also on the plight of our immigrant sisters and brothers whose futures were being tragically affected by current government policy.

On each table was an envelope with names of persons who were either DACA recipients or TPS designees. Each sister was invited to choose names for prayer. We reflected on the real life circumstances of the persons whose names we had chosen and then transferred the names to colorful paper strips. These strips were made into paper chains and carried into the liturgy by sisters who work directly with the immigrant community. After the call to worship, the assembled congregation read a public statement of solidarity with our immigrant brothers and sisters. After the liturgy the chains were given to sisters living in different congressional districts to be brought, along with a copy of the public statement, to their local congresspersons.

The ritual and liturgy were powerful reminders of our call as Nano’s daughters to “walk one” with the immigrant community.

Statement of Presentation Sisters and Associates in Support of our Immigrant Sisters and Brothers
June 24, 2018

In keeping with our Chapter call to “make visible the values of human dignity, freedom and justice among all people, especially women, the poor, and the powerless,” we Presentation Sisters and Associates claim the courage to speak out on behalf of our immigrant sisters and brothers.

We speak out against the decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status for the people of Honduras, El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, Nepal, Liberia, and Sudan. Ending their protection will tear families apart and jeopardize the safety of those forced to return to countries torn by criminal violence and political instability.

We call on the House of Representatives and the Senate to pass bipartisan legislation that will address the root causes of migration, provide immigration courts with the staffing they need, and grant DACA recipients a pathway to citizenship. We will continue to advocate for humane immigration reform and alternatives to family detention.

As people of faith, we choose to stand with our immigrant sisters and brothers whose future is so very much in peril.