WASHINGTON—A Day of Prayer with a
focus on the plight of refugees and migrants will take place across the United
States on December 12, 2016, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It will be a time to place before a merciful
God the hopes, fears, and needs of all those families who have come to the U.S.
seeking a better life.

“As Christmas approaches and
especially on this feast of Our Lady, we are reminded of how our savior Jesus
Christ was not born in the comfort of his own home, but rather in an unfamiliar
manger,” said Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, archbishop of Galveston-Houston and
president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). “To all
those families separated and far from home in uncertain times, we join with you
in a prayer for comfort and joy this Advent season,” Cardinal DiNardo added.

Prayer services and special Masses will be held in many dioceses across the
country as the Catholic Church continues to accompany migrants and refugees seeking
an opportunity to provide for their families. If you are unable to attend or
there is not one near you, Catholics are invited to offer prayers wherever they
may be. For example, the United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops’ office of Migrant and Refugee Services (MRS) has
also developed a Scriptural Rosary entitled “Unity in Diversity” that includes
prayers for migrants and refugees at https://www.justiceforimmigrants.org/documents/Scriptural-Rosary-Eng.pdf.

“So many families are wondering how changes to
immigration policy might impact them,” said Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los
Angeles, vice-president of the USCCB. “We want them to know the Church is with
them, offers prayers on their behalf, and is actively monitoring developments
at the diocesan, state, and national levels to be an effective advocate on
their behalf.”

In the coming days, the USCCB will be developing
additional pastoral resources, reflecting the active collaboration of various USCCB
Committees whose mandates touch on the concerns of migrants and refugees. These efforts will continue to follow the
basic principles contained in Strangers
No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope, the 2003 pastoral letter issued
jointly by the bishops of the United States and Mexico. A pamphlet introducing
and summarizing this document is available in both English (https://www.usccb.org/about/migration-and-refugee-services/national-migration-week/upload/Broch-Eng-15-31-04-2.pdf)
and Spanish (https://www.usccb.org/about/migration-and-refugee-services/national-migration-week/upload/Broc-Sp.pdf).

# # #
MEDIA CONTACT:
Judy
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Keywords: U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishops, USCCB, Day of Prayer, Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Cardinal Daniel
N. DiNardo, Archbishop José H. Gomez, migrant and refugee services,
Advent, mercy, unity, solidarity.

Source:: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops