Faithful Witness: Immigration February 18, 2026

Lenten Justice Collective: Reflection & Action

We encourage you to use the first week of Lent to deepen your understanding of your immigrant brothers and sisters and turn silence in action. Engage in the disciplines of Lent: Prayer, Almsgiving, and Fasting.

PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, today you call us to welcome the members of God’s family who come to our land to escape oppression, poverty, persecution, violence and war. Like your disciples, we too are filled with fear and doubt and even suspicion. We build barriers in our hearts and in our minds.

Lord Jesus, help us by your grace,

  • To banish fear from our hearts, that we may embrace each of your children as our own brother and sister;
  • To welcome migrants and refugees with joy and generosity, while responding to their many needs;
  • To realize that you call all people to your holy mountain to learn the ways of peace and justice;
  • To share of our abundance as you spread a banquet before us;
  • To give witness to your love for all people, as we celebrate the many gifts they bring.

We praise you and give you thanks for the family you have called together from so many people. We see in this human family a reflection of the divine unity of the one Most Holy Trinity in whom we make our prayer: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen

During this Lenten Season of Faithful Witness, we remember the many immigrant families The Basilica has accompanied over the past 11 years. We bring these families into prayer, including:

  • We pray for a 22-year-old brother caring for his four younger sisters in a one bedroom apartment.
  • We pray for an immigrant family who waited 15 years before entering the US, now employed full time, but too fearful to ride the two buses to work.

Prayer Opportunities:

  • Join SARI vigil (Sanctuary & Resistance to Injustice) at Sherburne County Government Center / Jail on Wednesdays at 3:00 pm (email rich.krisch@gmail.com)
  • Say the rosary at the Whipple Building on Fridays at 7:30 am
  • Attend Immigrant stations of the Cross at The Basilica of Saint Mary on Feb. 27 at 5:30pm
  • Attend the ICOM vigil at the Whipple Building the second Tuesday of every month at 7:30 AM
  • Visit Renee Nicole Good memorial site at Portland and 34th street
  • Visit Alex Pretti memorial site at Nicollet and 26th street

ALMSGIVING:

  • Patronize businesses and restaurants that are immigrant-owned
  • Donate to or volunteer at food shelves, such as:
    • Search Minneapolis food shelves for volunteer opportunities
  • To support immigrant families, consider donating to The Basilica’s SVdP Ministry or The Ascension’s Emergency Relief Fund
  • Contact your local grocery store about donating extra food
  • Volunteer with ACT-TC (act-tc.org)

FASTING:

  • Fast from social media
  • Fast from TV and read books about immigration, such as:
  • Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen, by Jose Antonio Vargas
  • Solito, by Javier Zamora
  • The Undocumented Americans, by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
  • Against the Wall, by Jenn Budd
  • Watch HBO documentary, Critical Incident:  Death at the Border

We are actively looking for volunteers to be on a team supporting Asylum seekers.  Please contact JAndersen@mary.org for more information.

These are concrete ways to turn silence into action.

Together, let us hold on to hope and deeply enter into this Lenten season.