Thousands join Episcopal Church vigil to lament violent immigration enforcement, unite in pursuing justice

[Episcopal News Service] Episcopalians and faith partners gathered virtually Jan. 13 for an evening prayer vigil to mourn, lament and remember people who’ve died by immigration enforcement actions in and out of detention.

“After all the things I have seen this week in Minnesota, I am weary; I am weighed down; I am angry; and I am heartbroken, and I have no doubt that all of you are, too,” Minnesota Bishop Craig Loya said to some 3,700 people gathered online for the vigil. “For those of you who are outside of Minnesota, it is hard to overstate the magnitude of the random and reckless cruelty that we are seeing and the depth of the fear that nearly everyone is living with all the time.”

The Episcopal Church in Minnesota and The Episcopal Church’s public policy, partnership and witness division co-hosted the vigil via Zoom in response to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s ongoing, often violent enforcement actions in the Twin Cities area.

On Jan. 7, Minneapolis resident Renee Nicole Good was shot and killed in her car by an ICE officer during an altercation on a city street in her neighborhood. Later that same day, Minneapolis Public Schools temporarily closed after U.S. Border Patrol agents went onto a high school campus during dismissal and tackled, handcuffed and released a chemical weapon on students, faculty and bystanders.

Since the killing of Good, the Department of Homeland Security has ordered more officers to Minneapolis, in numbers that now outnumber the city’s own police force.

Episcopal clergy and laypeople nationwide have joined anti-ICE protests and attended prayer vigils for Good. Some read her name in their Sunday services during the Prayers of the People. Many are looking to Jesus’ life and teachings for guidance on how best to respond, as Christians, to what some fear is an increasingly authoritarian and unchecked federal government.

“This past week, after the killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis, has been an incredibly challenging and painful time for all of us in Minnesota,” Loya said. “In these days, we have felt so held by the love and the prayers of this church.”

Rebecca Blachly, The Episcopal Church’s chief of public policy and witness, and the Rev. Lester Mackenzie, the church’s chief of mission program, opened the vigil with a collective confession from Rite II of the Holy Eucharist in the Book of Common Prayer. Other church leaders, including Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe, read prayers in different languages, including Spanish, French and English. The Rev. Shaneequa Brokenleg, the church’s interim Indigenous Ministries missioner and a Lakota, sang a song of mourning in the Lakota language.

Rowe read from the Book of Common Prayer: “Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for your love’s sake. Amen.”

“These days, [signs of God’s redeeming love] can seem hard to find, so it’s important that we stick together while we keep watch,” Rowe said during the vigil. “Thank God for the church, this risen body of Christ in the world. It is good that we have each other to lean on, because these days, we’re often exhausted.”

Since taking office for a second term in January 2025, President Donald Trump has pursued policies to follow through on his campaign promise to oversee mass deportations of millions of people living in the United States without permanent legal residency status. ICE has so far arrested and detained tens of thousands of people, including legal U.S. residents with no criminal background.

Some Episcopalians have been detained in the last year, including two Iranian-born asylum-seekers living in Virginia, a Venezuelan-born asylum-seeker living in Chicago, Illinois, and several Episcopalians living in New York.

As of Jan. 8, 68,990 migrants and asylum-seekers were in ICE custody, according to the latest ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Control data compiled by NBC News.

During the vigil, participants were invited to offer prayers and reflections through Zoom’s chat function:

“[I pray] for courage and to act and speak when needed in support of the most vulnerable,” West Texas Bishop Suffragan Angela Maria Cortiñas said.

“The Diocese of Idaho and the people of this great state grieve and pray with you,” Idaho Bishop Jos Tharakan, said in the chat. “May the Lord bring us all peace and healing and courage to be the people to turn the world upside-down.”

“[I pray] for courage and wisdom to face this hour,” New Hampshire Bishop Rob Hirschfeld said. On Jan. 9, Hirschfeld invoked the example of the martyrs during a vigil in Concord in remarks shared widely.

The Episcopal Church offers several resources for Episcopalians engaged in immigration advocacy work, including its Protesting Faithfully toolkit. The resource offers “spiritual grounding and practical resources for faithful presence at protests and public demonstrations.” The church’s Immigration Action Toolkit shares resources from organizations that address migrants’ legal rights.

Every Tuesday at 1 p.m. Eastern, The Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations and Episcopal Migration Ministries host a webinar via Zoom sharing the latest updates on U.S. immigration policy and responses from churches and communities.

Even though Episcopalians and immigrant rights activists are “exhausted,” Rowe encouraged everyone to continue “resisting,” “advocating” and “bearing witness.”

“I don’t know about you, but there were a few questions where I wanted to say, ‘OK, God, but … how hard do I have to, exactly, persevere in resisting evil? Because it seems like evil might have the upper hand these days, and we’re tired. Do I have to serve, seek and serve Christ in all persons – all of them?’” Rowe said, invoking the Christian promises contained in the Baptismal Covenant. “Jesus is with us, and the Holy Spirit is guiding us, and the kingdom has drawn near even when we are beset by rage and despair and we absolutely cannot see it.”

Loya echoed a similar sentiment and encouraged Episcopalians to resume advocacy efforts with love, hope and joy.

“The forces of evil in this world are always fed by mimetic anger and hatred. You can be sure those forces are out there tonight, as they ever are in a fallen world, daring us to become its food,” Loya said.

“We’re not going to do that. We, as followers of Jesus, are going, in this moment, to … turn the world upside down by mobilizing for love. We are going to disrupt with Jesus’ hope … because we know the cross of Jesus Christ settles forever, that love is the most powerful force for change and healing in the universe.”

-Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.