One Church One Family:
Catholic Public Witness for Immigrants
Cumberland County Jail, Portland, ME
Pax Christi Maine members hosted a Prayer Vigil on November 13, 2025, the feast of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, patron saint of immigrants. This event was part of the One Church One Family: Catholic Public Witness for Immigrants national campaign initiated by the Ignatian Solidarity Network. We gathered outside of the Cumberland County Jail in Portland, ME where approximately 62 immigrants are currently being detained following arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Thirty people of faith answered the call to stand in solidarity with our immigrant sisters and brothers who are experiencing enormous hardship, fear and terror at the hands of government agents acting on orders to meet deportation quotas. Individuals and families are facing multiple crises every day due to displacement, detention and separation, often not knowing where their family member is located.
Pax Christi Maine members and other Catholics from various parishes statewide were joined by members of Christ the Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Portland and lay Franciscans. As disciples of Jesus, we are called to welcome the stranger; to love our neighbor; to uplift the oppressed; to provide support for the most vulnerable among us. Pope Leo XIV has sent a clear message to all, “The Church cannot stay silent before injustice. You stand with me, and I stand with you.”
Our prayer service combined prayer, scripture, reflections and hymns. We each recognized our own ancestral roots, naming the countries from which our families emigrated to the U.S., escaping famine, war, poverty, oppression and violence of many kinds. A litany of lament for the plight of immigrants was recited along with one Maine immigrant’s experience of working excessively long hours in dire conditions for very low wages. The service also included expressions of hopes and dreams cited by those in our country who continue to endure challenges and obstacles to attaining full citizenship.
At the recent meeting of the U.S. Bishops Conference in Baltimore, a pastoral message was issued. We are encouraged by their message, which in part stated, “Catholic Social Teaching exhorts nations to recognize the fundamental dignity of all persons, including immigrants. We bishops advocate for a meaningful reform of our nation’s immigration laws and procedures. Human dignity and national security are not in conflict. Both are possible if people of goodwill work together.”
More on the national Catholic public witness, One Church One Family campaign at this link –
