“… the Church has always recognized in migrants a living presence of the Lord who, on the day of judgment, will say to those on his right: ‘I was a stranger and you welcomed me’ ” (Mt 25:35).
… In the nineteenth century, when millions of Europeans emigrated in search of better living conditions, two great saints distinguished themselves in the pastoral care of migrants: St. John Baptist Scalabrini and St. Frances Xavier Cabrini. Scalabrini, Bishop of Piacenza, founded the Missionaries of St. Charles to accompany migrants to their destinations, offering them spiritual, legal and material assistance …
… St. Frances Cabrini, born in Italy and a naturalized American, was the first citizen of the United States of America to be canonized. To fulfill her mission of assisting migrants, she crossed the Atlantic several times. “Armed with remarkable boldness, she started schools, hospitals and orphanages from nothing for the masses of the poor who ventured into the new world in search of work. Not knowing the language and lacking the wherewithal to find a respectable place in American society, they were often victims of the unscrupulous. Her motherly heart, which allowed her no rest, reached out to them everywhere: in hovels, prisons and mines.” In the Holy Year of 1950, Pope Pius XII proclaimed her Patroness of All Migrants.
Dilexi Te 73-74
I share the somewhat lengthy quote above from Pope Leo XIV’s first Apostolic Exhortation, Dilexi Te for a few reasons: first, in anticipation of the Feast of St. Frances Xavier (Mother) Cabrini, on Nov. 13; second, for those who have not yet had a chance to read the full text of Dilexi Te, I believe it is good to know that Pope Leo references Mother Cabrini, in the section of the Letter he calls “Accompanying Migrants”; and third, perhaps most importantly, because many of our immigrant sisters and brothers here in the United States at this time are very much in need of Mother Cabrini’s intercession.
In addition to Mother Cabrini’s intercession, many of our immigrant sisters, brothers, and families are currently in need of the care, concern, and advocacy that Mother Cabrini and others provided on behalf of the Church in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Her work, leadership, and advocacy on behalf of immigrants over the course of 28 years of ministry in the United States and South America, as foundress of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, establishing 67 institutions (schools, hospitals, and orphanages) led her, as Pope Leo reminds us, to be the first U.S. citizen to be canonized, in 1946. Is it a coincidence that the first U.S. citizen to be canonized was not born in the United States, but came here as an immigrant in 1889? For more on Mother Cabrini, click here.
Last week, a parishioner sent me an email that said:
“Dear Bishop Sweeney,
Please consider having the churches in the diocese participate in this action on Nov. 13, 2025. What is occurring in our country, the horrific treatment of immigrants, is an absolute disgrace. I am so pleased to see the Church publicly use its moral authority in standing up for immigrants.”
The email included a link to a group called “One Church, One Family.”
The group describes itself in this way: The One Church, One Family: Catholic Public Witness for Immigrants campaign is a nationwide movement calling Catholics and fellow people of faith to publicly demonstrate solidarity with migrant families, asylum seekers, and refugees.
I have received many similar emails, asking the Church to advocate on behalf of immigrants, especially since the current administration has begun a “massive deportation campaign.” I have also heard from many others who are upset at the Church’s care for and advocacy on behalf of immigrants, especially refugees and the undocumented.
As we look forward to the Feast of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini on Nov. 13, I would like to ask two questions and share a personal experience. My questions are:
- Would it make a difference if the undocumented person, currently fearing deportation, were your mother or father, your spouse, or a member of your family?
- Would it make a difference if the undocumented person or persons, currently fearing deportation, had been living and working in this country for 30 years, raised children, were currently helping to raise grandchildren, and were active volunteers and leaders in your parish?
It does make a difference to me, because I am blessed to know countless members of our family (the Church) who have been literally living in fear for the past 10 months. While my heart breaks for so many undocumented loved ones who are currently living in fear, I was personally impacted a few weeks ago, at the end of September, when a family, who, over the past 15 years, have become part of my family, received a notice that they had to appear for an immigration hearing. To protect their identity I will not go into too many details, but this faithful, generous, hard-working couple has been trying to “regularize” their immigration status for more than 20 years and, finally, are close to receiving legal residency, but, as they were called to appear for a procedural hearing in immigration court, they were unsure whether or not they would be able to return home to their children and grandchildren that evening.
In Dilexi Te, Pope Leo quotes Pope Francis, who said: “… Every human being is a child of God! He or she bears the image of Christ! We ourselves need to see, and then to enable others to see, that migrants and refugees do not only represent a problem to be solved, but are brothers and sisters to be welcomed, respected and loved. p.75
Sadly, as a nation, in our current circumstances, too many of our immigrant sisters and brothers are not being “welcomed, respected, and loved,” but are living in fear that they could be detained at any time and thrown out of the country that they have called “home” for decades. If we believe that St. Frances Xavier (Mother) Cabrini is an example for us to follow, then the Church needs to continue to advocate and care for our immigrant sisters and brothers and, perhaps, do more? Let us each ask ourselves, as Catholic Christians and as faithful citizens of this great nation, a “nation of immigrants,” what we might do, so that we can hear Jesus say to us, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Mt 25:35).
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, pray for us.
