We Are All Children of God

Deacon’s Corner

We Are All Children of God

Summary: Immigrants must be treated with dignity and compassion.

In the sacrament of ordination for deacons, the bishop proclaims: In the name of Jesus Christ, you are to serve all people, particularly the poor, the weak, the sick, and the lonely.

Last week I had the joy of meeting with Episcopal deacons from all over the United States, and hearing about the amazing work they are doing. As we were arriving in San Antonio, plane loads of imprisoned immigrants were also landing at the airport, on their way to overcrowded detention centers.

Most of these people committed the simple crime of seeking a life free from violence, even if it meant traipsing with their children through jungles and across deserts, facing everything from jaguars to bandits to border control agents. They are the poor and the weak that Jesus tells us to care for. 

My great-grandparents were immigrants who were poor and hungry. They arrived in America through Ellis Island, and joined others from Germany in Northern Minnesota. Unless you are a Native American, you, too, come from a family of immigrants. They are not so different from you and I. When we see our immigrant neighbors being rounded up and put in jails or shipped out, Jesus calls us to treat them with dignity and compassion, regardless of your politics. How can you serve them today?

Deacon Joanie+

Rev. Dcn. Joanie Cahill

Deacon

St. Augustine of Canterbury