On Saturday, April 8, 2017 hundreds of people gathered at the campus of St. Louis University to stand and march in solidarity with our immigrant and refugee neighbors.  This Solidarity March and Mass at the St. Louis Cathedral Basilica was sponsored by the Archdiocese of St. Louis and co-sponsored by a number of other religious congregations including the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word.  Present at the march representing the Congregation was Sr. Anne Marie Burke, Sr. Pilar Neira, and Jennifer Reyes Lay.

The group gathered began the event with a series of prayers and songs in both English and Spanish, and reflections led by immigrants and refugees and those who serve them.  Then after about 30 minutes we began a march of solidarity down Lindell Ave. for about one mile, carrying signs of support welcoming immigrants and refugees as a faith commitment.  There were also songs and chants as we marched both in English and Spanish.

The march ended at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis where a Mass of Solidarity was celebrated.  The Mass was a beautiful multi-cultural celebration incorporating seven languages throughout in prayer and song.  The homilist exclaimed with great joy that this was the first Mass celebrated in Spanish in the Basilica and the whole congregation gathered applauded and cheered!  It was truly a beautiful witness of the diverse Catholic community in St. Louis coming together to celebrate our faith and show our commitment to standing together in these difficult times.

Originally posted in the Congregational Office for Justice, Peace and Integrity of creation’s blog.