Pastoral Message
Beloved of God,
I join so many across our diocese in grief, concern, and lament after yesterday’s ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States allowing the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status for Haitians and Syrians in our country. This decision will impact approximately 350,000 legal immigrants in our country, including 45,000 Haitian TPS holders in Massachusetts, the state with the third largest Haitian population in the United States. This decision directly affects members of our parishes, neighborhoods, and communities in Eastern Massachusetts and beyond.
To members of our Haitian community in the Diocese of Massachusetts, as your bishop, I want you to know that you are not alone as you face the ramifications of this unsettling, dangerous ruling and the cruel policies it enables. You remain beloved members of our community. As the body of Christ, we are members of another, and I and many others throughout our Diocese will continue to support you in any way we can.
No matter our country of origin or political affiliation, our Christian faith calls us to love our neighbor. That faith compels us to care for those who seek safety, sanctuary, and safe harbor. And our baptism convicts us to respect the dignity of each and every human being. I lament that the highest court in our land has taken steps which I believe deny not only the ideals of our Constitution, but also run counter to central tenets of our Christian faith.
Jesus Christ calls us all to follow his example by standing with the vulnerable and oppressed and by acting in the name of love and justice – for all. That is why I stood with Governor Maura Healey, Attorney General Andrea Campbell, Mayor Michelle Wu, and civic leaders from across the Commonwealth yesterday in our State House to affirm our solidarity with TPS holders in Massachusetts and all immigrants under threat in our country. My office remains in close contact with state and local officials as well as community partners as we work together to provide support and resources for those whose lives are upended by this decision. I encourage those affected by the ruling to consult these resources prepared by the Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General.
I invite you to join me today at 11 am at our Cathedral for a time of prayer and public witness with partners from the Massachusetts TPS Committee, Episcopal City Mission, and other community organizations.
I also encourage you to consider making a gift to our Immigrant Legal Emergency Fund.
Please keep our immigrant siblings, their families, and our country in your fervent prayers.
Faithfully,
The Rt. Rev’d Julia E. Whitworth
Bishop Diocesan