On Saturday, August 15, Sister Pat Murphy, CSJ was among many who attended the Public Prayer and Witness to Stand with Migrants in Jefferson City, Missouri.
Hosted by the Diocese of Jefferson City, Catholic Charities of Central and Northern Missouri and El Puente Hispanic Ministry, the prayer service served as a peaceful gathering to raise awareness of the Church’s teaching on migration and express compassion, hope, and solidarity with our migrant, immigrant, and refugee brothers and sisters.
Our prayer began with the rosary at St. Peter Catholic Church. Each decade’s meditation focused on the challenging and unjust realities facing our immigrant neighbors and was connected to a Catholic social teaching principle. Each decade was also prayed in a different language, reflecting the languages represented in that parish community.
Those gathered processed silently across the street to the Missouri State Capitol Rotunda and participated in a prayer service of solidarity for migrants and refugees, led by Bishop Ralph O’Donnell. During the prayer service, three people shared their migration stories.
Together, we asked the Lord’s mercy and protection for those who are far from home or in vulnerable situations and witnessed to the God-given dignity of every human person.