From the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Justice for Immigrants campaign:
Members of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Migration, including those who celebrated Mass at the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona April 1, will travel to Capitol Hill, May 29, Ascension Thursday, to urge lawmakers in the House of Representatives to act on immigration reform legislation.
“Our trip to the border opened our eyes, even more than previously, to the human tragedies generated by our immigration system,” said Bishop Eusebio Elizondo, auxiliary bishop of Seattle, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration. “Bringing our experience, as well as the solidarity and spirit we felt with residents on both sides of the border, to our lawmakers in Washington is a natural next step.”
Bishops participating in the May 29 event, which begins with at Mass at 8:30 AM, include Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami; Bishop Elizondo; Bishop John Wester of Salt Lake City; Bishop Oscar Cantú of Las Cruces, New Mexico; and Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson, Arizona.
“The only real solution to this broken system is action by Congress,” Bishop Elizondo said. “We need a debate and vote on this issue. Inaction is equivalent to supporting the status quo, which Americans agree needs to be changed.”
The “Mass for Immigrants and Immigrant Families” will take place on May 29, at 8:30 a.m., at St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church, 313 2nd Street, S.E., Washington, D.C. 20003. Use this link to watch the Mass by livestream.
Take action: On May 29, the day that members of the USCCB's Committee on Migration visit Congressional offices, you're asked to call your representative and senators and remind them to:
- Vote for immigration reform
- Support a path to citizenship
- Preserve family unity, and
- Employ safe and humane immigration enforcement practices
Use the toll free number 855-589-5698 to connect with the offices of your members of Congress in Washington, D.C.