Recently, the Church celebrated the Passionist feast of St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows, an Italian Passionist seminarian who died in 1862 at the age of 23.
We, the Passionist provinces of Holy Cross and St. Paul of the Cross, together with the entire Passionist Solidarity Network, join our voices with all those who accompany and speak on behalf of the crucified of today. In particular, we stand with and for immigrants in the United States, who are too often treated with disrespect and cruelty, without regard for their rights or human dignity, or even the rights granted to them by U.S. law.
We are deeply moved and outraged by the “sorrows” inflicted upon them, as if mistreatment were the solution to the country’s immigration problems.
On February 16, 2026, the General Council of the Adrian Dominican Sisters and Associates issued a statement:
“decrying the practice of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers capturing and detaining children and calling on the Trump Administration to put an end to this inhumane treatment of the most vulnerable in our society.”
Statement of Adrian Dominican Sisters
On February 24, 2026, a group of 18 American Catholic bishops issued a statement recommending reforms to immigration enforcement in the United States:
“We speak out as pastors in border states and beyond concerned about the impact of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) recent and ongoing immigration enforcement activities against individuals and families who are without legal status in our country.”
Statement of the US Catholic Bishops in Border States and Beyond [PDF]
Women and men of faith, religious leaders, ministers and educators are speaking out. Immigration reform is needed. In the meantime, people deserve to be treated with dignity, respect, care, and compassion in every interaction, through every process and situation.
As carriers of the Passionist charism, recognizing the suffering of Christ in the suffering of so many people today, the Passionist Solidarity Network joins with the Adrian Dominican Sisters and these American Bishops:
- we call for an end to the mistreatment, detention, and isolation of children;
- we call for the creation of processes that protect the vulnerable and follow due process;
- we call for responsible immigration system reform that honors the value and dignity of each person;
- we call for an end to detention centres and the restoration of dignified due process;
- we call for an end to the indiscriminate arrest of detention of individuals and families who are vulnerable without regard for their rights, histories, or contributions to American society.
Please review their statements in the attached links.
Please stand with us, and with these most vulnerable sisters and brothers.
Please join your voices with ours as we journey through this season of Lent and honour the feast day of this young Passionist saint. Let us turn sorrow into hope and joy.
Fr. David Colhour, CP
Provincial, Holy Cross Province
Fr. Jim O’Shea, CP
Provincial, St. Paul of the Cross Province
Michael Nasello
Director, Passionist Solidarity Network
