Diocese publishes Guide for Persons with Immigration Needs

Friday, Jan. 31, 2025
Diocese publishes Guide for Persons with Immigration Needs + Enlarge
By Marie Mischel
Intermountain Catholic

SALT LAKE CITY — On Jan. 23, the Diocese of Salt Lake City released a Guide for Persons with Immigration Needs.

The guide includes contact information for and a brief description of a number of organizations in Utah that provide services to immigrants, including Catholic Community Services, Holy Cross Ministries, Utah Immigrant Advocacy Coalition, and the Utah Immigration Collaborative Referral Line.

In a letter that accompanied the release of the guide, Bishop Oscar A. Solis wrote, “Our Catholic faith is founded on the love and charity of our Lord, expressed in his sacrifice for us on the Cross and carried on in the world today through his Church. This Church community, the Mystical Body of Christ, can only live out our calling when we work together as one community, united to each other regardless of who we are or where we come from.

“Just as Christ went out to the peripheries, ministered to the Gentiles, and opened his arms to everyone, we must practice our Catholic faith fully and do the same for our neighbors. Our Christian vocation to love and serve one another extends beyond those only in our faith community, especially when we may find it difficult.”

Christians are called “to reach out and help anyone in need, without asking for the victim’s background, ethnicity, or social group,” the bishop noted, and “This is our sacred responsibility: to love and care for our neighbors.”

Nevertheless, “Catholic Social Teaching requires that the faithful be obedient to the law while maintaining the dignity of each person,” he wrote. “The immigration situation in our country is complex and the root cause of the issue must also be studied further. But we cannot remain indifferent, blind and deaf to the sufferings of those in need, especially the undocumented and the refugees.”

In his message in the guide, Bishop Solis expressed his solidarity “during these moments of uncertainty,” and added that “Immigration reform in the United States must be carried out in a proportional and humane matter, ensuring respect for human dignity in all due legal processes. Likewise, individuals who have obtained permanent residency should find a pathway to citizenship. Family unity must be the cornerstone of any system and reform, and all immigration procedures must be reliable and efficient. Finally, the root causes of immigration must be carefully studied.”

The guide, which is available in English and Spanish at https://www.dioslc.org/the-diocese/ministries/guia-para-personas-con-necesidades-migratorias, also includes a statement of pastoral concern from three U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops: Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops; Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, Texas, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration; and Bishop Jaime Soto of Sacramento, chairman of the board for Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc. In addition, there is a prayer from Pope Francis regarding immigrants, asking God to “Inspire us, as nations, communities and individuals, to see that those who come to our shores are our brothers and sisters. …”

On Jan. 25, Father Rogelio Felix-Rosas, pastor of Saint Thomas Aquinas Parish in Hyde Park and the diocesan liaison for the Hispanic community and Hispanic priests, posted on Facebook a link to the guide, saying, “It is important to note that there is no chaos; rather, our goal is to educate our brothers and sisters with migrant needs in the Diocese of Salt Lake City. In addition, we must prepare for possible contingencies with initiatives such as food support, legal assistance or other useful resources.”

While the federal administration now allows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to make arrests at churches and schools, Fr. Felix-Rosas urged Catholics to continue to participate in Mass as usual, saying he thinks it is important “that fear does not paralyze us, that we do not forget that without prayer we cannot walk or have the strength to move forward.”

On Jan. 24, Mark Longe, superintendent of Utah Catholic Schools, sent a letter to families noting that undocumented children have a legal right to attend private and public primary and secondary schools, and “The Utah Catholic Schools system, per diocesan policy, would only comply with document requests or searches of the premises if a search warrant or a subpoena to produce documents is presented. In this case, schools are always required to contact our legal counsel for guidance.”

However, “If there is an immediate threat to life or safety, e.g. law enforcement is actively in pursuit of someone, this situation is different, and schools should cooperate,” Longe wrote. “With an active pursuit, law enforcement does not need a written court order, they may act in the best interest for the safety and security of the public and carry out their duties.”

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