US parish places 'ICE was here' sign in crib

Source: Pax Christi USA

St Susanna Parish in Denham, Massachusetts, USA is an active Pax Christi parish. For this year's outdoor Nativity scene, the figurines of the Holy Family are not displayed - instead, the parish placed a sign: "ICE was here."

When contacted by a Boston Globe reporter who asked if the photo was authentic and if ICE actually had visited the church, St Susanna's pastor Fr Steve Josomo confirmed the veracity of the image and wrote the following response:

"Each year our Peace and Justice group (Pax Christi) tries to hold a mirror up to the world around us and reflect the celebration of Christmas ( the mystery of the Incarnation) with the reality of the world around us.

"The divine became flesh not in a palace at the centre of an empire but on the margins of life through a lowly people - born in a manger.

"This insignificant infant threatened a jealous king to the point of him ordering the killing of all children up to a certain age to eliminate this perceived threat. I always wondered what kind of men (soldiers) would carry out such a cruel and brutal order.

"It seems we are living in a time when that dynamic is now part of daily life. We see it in the work of ICE.

"It is reported that ICE is specifically targeting churches this season from Thanksgiving to Christmas. It is also reported that that the majority of these deportations are of people who have no criminal records. People in our parish have known targeted people- one who served time in prison and led an exemplary life afterwards serving those re-entering society after being released from prison.

"We also have had the privilege of assisting 10 refugee families resettle in the area since 2018 ( from Burundi, Afghanistan, Honduras, Guatemala and Myanmar). These families have all experienced trauma (witnessing family members being killed, etc.) and carry both physical and emotional scars that will be with them for a long time. They come seeking a place of safety, and a chance to heal and live their lives in peace. Assisting these families in resettlement and accompanying them on their journey has touched and transformed many of the members of our Refugee Resettlement Collaborative over the years.

"Some of these people are now worried that despite following all the rules to date that the current administration is retroactively changing the rules and putting them at risk of being deported to places where they would face certain violence, if not death. (As I mentioned, one man has already died after being returned to his place of birth.)

"Of course this is all being carried out by the masked men in unmarked cars. While they have not (yet) come to our church, they have been reported in Denham removing parents from their children at school bus pick up spots while telling onlookers they are removing some 'bad people' from the neighborhood.

"As this brutality unfolds and becomes commonplace, we look to the promise of the peace Christ brings into the world at Christmas. We commit ourselves to the way of His nonviolent love to all people, particularly those on the margins of life who have been deemed expendable and whose dignity is denied.

"This Christmas it seems the administration - in the name of Christianity - is extinguishing the very spirit that the babe born in a manger brought into the world.

"Symbolically, our Holy Family is safe in the sanctuary of our church - church writ as the people of God.

".... Hope that helps answer your questions.

"Peace, Fr Stephen Josoma"

LINK

Saint Susanna MA: www.saintsusanna.org/