Action That Flows from Prayer

Dear Sisters and Brothers –

A few weeks ago, I wrote to you about prayer, about the impossibility of moral neutrality in the face of injustice, and about the quiet but insistent question Jesus places before each of us: What do you want me to do? I don’t pretend that one letter resolves that question; discernment unfolds over time. Yet if we are serious about being disciples whose faith takes flesh in the world, we must begin to take concrete steps. Here are three groups in need of volunteers. These organizations offer safe and effective ways you might prayerfully consider responding. Each of us must ask the Lord how we are to use the body and voice we have been given.

Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity

Requirements: One or more 11:30 am–1:30 pm shifts on the second Tuesday of each month at the Sansome Street Courthouse; a smart phone to download a messaging app.

On the second Tuesday of each month, starting Tuesday, March 10, St. Ignatius Parish staff and parishioners will participate in weekday vigils, from 11:30 am–1:30 pm, at the Sansome Street Courthouse. These vigils are sponsored by the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity. The vigils create what organizers call a “sacred corridor” outside immigration courtrooms — a visible presence of prayer, pastoral care, solidarity, and witness. 

As a Catholic, let’s join our sisters and brothers to help ensure that no one walks into court unseen. Let’s remind all present that faith communities stand for dignity, mercy, and justice. Volunteers are asked to complete a registration form and sign up for a shift on the calendar. Participants are asked to download Signal, a communication app used by the organizers and to read the guidelines before coming to a shift. 

• If you would like to participate, please register today.

• If you have questions, you may contact [email protected]

Faith in Action Bay Area

Requirements: Training; at least conversational Spanish; availability during weekday court hours. US born citizen.

Faith in Action Bay Area organizes trained volunteer accompaniment teams to walk with individuals who have immigration court hearings, ICE check-ins, or other required appointments in San Francisco. Volunteers accompany people so they do not have to face these moments alone. They provide steady, warm support and, if a detention occurs, Faith in Action activates an emergency response to connect families with legal resources as quickly as possible. Volunteers are not attorneys and do not provide legal advice. 

• If you are interested, please visit their website.

• If you would like to participate, register today.

• If you have questions, you may contact [email protected]

San Francisco Interfaith Council

The San Francisco Interfaith Council has launched the Immigration Defense Fund to support immigrant families facing severe hardship — families separated without due process, parents afraid to shop or bring their children to school, elderly and pregnant individuals fearful of seeking medical care. Funds raised are distributed through trusted community partners to meet urgent needs such as food, rent, and basic necessities. The SFIC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization; contributions are tax-deductible. Contribute to the Immigration Defense Fund today.

None of these actions replaces prayer; rather, they must flow from it. Before choosing how to respond, I urge you to turn again to the Lord in quiet and sincerely ask the question: What do you ask of me now? Certainly, pray for those who are afraid, for families under strain, for those detained, for public officials and law enforcement, and even for those whose decisions or actions cause harm – that hearts may be converted and justice tempered with mercy. For, if we act without prayer, we risk anger hardening into resentment; if we pray without acting, we risk faith becoming sentiment. As disciples of Jesus, we are called to hold both together.

These are demanding days, and there is no simple path forward. We will not all discern the same response, and that is as it should be. What binds us is not uniformity of action, but fidelity to Jesus and to his mission. We move ahead as a faith community, committed to human dignity and to the quiet, steady work of justice and mercy. Our hope is not naïve optimism, nor is it denial of how serious this moment is. It is the conviction that God is faithful and that love is stronger than fear. Let us remain patient with one another, steadfast in prayer, and attentive to the Spirit who continues to guide the Church in every age.

Oremus pro invicem.

Fr. Greg