US Bishops introduce Cabrini Pledge in support of migrants and refugees

Source: USCCB

For the start of National Migration Week, (September 22-28) the chairman of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Migration, Bishop Mark J Seitz has invited the faithful to join the 'Cabrini Pledge' to be guardians of hope for migrants and refugees.

Named after St Frances Xavier Cabrini, patron saint of immigrants and the first US citizen to be canonized, the pledge was launched "as a reminder of our Church and nation's immigrant heritage and a call to deeper engagement with our faith in response to current events," according to a webpage explaining this initiative.

"Migrants and refugees remind the Church of her pilgrim dimension, perpetually journeying towards her final homeland, sustained by a hope that is a theological virtue." Pope Leo XIV says in Message for the 111th World Day of Migrants and Refugees

The US Bishops Conference say in a statement:

"The history of the US Catholic Church, like the history of the United States itself, is very much intertwined with the phenomenon of migration. The first American citizen to be canonized a saint, Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini, was the embodiment of this. An immigrant from Italy, she adopted this country as her own. While often facing discrimination and seemingly impossible odds, she never succumbed to hopelessness. With relentless faith, she accompanied her fellow immigrants and others living on the margins of society with a great missionary zeal.

"But Mother Cabrini's challenges, and the challenges of those she served, are not unique among the generations of Catholics and immigrants in general who have come to this land. This is not just a matter of history. It is a present reality in the life of our Church and nation.

"As Catholics, we are called to recognize the face of Christ in each person we encounter, especially the poor and vulnerable. Jesus tells us in his own words: "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me" (Matthew 25:35). The Gospel and the social teaching of the Church continually affirm the equal dignity of every person, irrespective of race, nationality, or immigration status.

"The Cabrini Pledge is both a reminder of our immigrant heritage and a call to deeper engagement with our faith in response to current events. At a time when our culture is dominated by deep political divisions and reasonable disagreements about immigration policy, progress can feel impossible. But by witnessing to the God-given dignity of every person, including the migrants and refugees in our midst, we pave the way for an approach rooted in mercy, justice, and the common good. And together, like Mother Cabrini, we can be keepers of hope."

Watch Bishop Seitz Introducing the Cabrini Pledge: www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkQMdVSdhYY&t=5s

Sign the pledge here: www.usccb.org/cabrinipledge