College Church Immigration Justice Committee
Established in February 2025, the Immigration Justice Committee of College Church formed in response to parishioner desire to respond to threats of increased immigration enforcement and anti-immigrant sentiment in our communities. Grounded in the Catholic values of life and dignity of the human person and call to family, community, and participation, the committee seeks to engage parishioners in both: 1) learning about and taking action for immigrant justice and 2) supporting foreign-born community members and their families who are at risk.
The committee meets on second Sundays of the month from 9:15-10:15am in the College Church parish center. Contact Christine Dragonette to learn more or join the committee email list: christine@sfxstl.org or 314-977-7309.
Our Committee’s Work
“Walking With Our Immigrant Community: Realities and Responses”
October 26, 2025
Thanks to the generous support of a social grant from the U.S. Central and Southern Province of the Jesuits, our committee hosted a panel discussion on local immigration justice work featuring three parishioner panelists:
Sara Ruiz, executive director of the Ashrei Foundation
Jessica Mayo, co-director and attorney at Migrant and Immigrant Community Action (MICA) Project
Katherine Schoeberle, teen program coordinator at the International Institute
Fr. Tom Cwik, S.J. provided an overview of our Catholic and Jesuit call to support our immigrant neighbors and parishioner and community volunteer Vicki Simon moderated the panel. Over 100 participants joined us to learn more about the realities on the ground and how to take action for immigrant justice. Thank you to those who joined!
Save the Date: The second event of our speaker series will be held on Sunday, March 22nd after the 10:30am Mass in the College Church Ballroom.
Catholic Public Witness for Immigrants
November 13, 2025
As part of a national effort, College Church parishioners, SLU students, faculty, and staff, and other community members joined together on the steps of College Church to show public support for immigrants and immigration justice. Participants prayed, sang, held signs of support, and learned about ways to take action in our local community. We were grateful to see so many come out to support, and to know we were part of a national network of advocates for justice.
Take Action
Adapted from a handout created for World Day of Migrants and Refugees, below are some suggestions on how to take action for immigrant justice.
CALL TO ACTION: Learn, Pray, Accompany, Advocate
Learn & Pray
Read and reflect upon Night Will Be No More (Bp. Mark Seitz, 2019): https://www.hopeborder.org/nightwillbenomore-eng
Read and reflect upon Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope (USCCB, 2003): https://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/immigration/strangers-no-longer-together-on-the-journey-of-hope
Read and reflect upon Letter of Hispanic/Latino Bishops to Immigrants (2011): https://www.ncronline.org/news/letter-immigrants-33-hispanic-latino-bishops
Pray the Novena for Migrant Families (at http://www.loyno.edu/jsri/migration)
Study and use the CLINIC Catholic Social Teaching Toolkit on Immigration https://www.cliniclegal.org/toolkits/community-education/catholic-social-teaching
Attend Mass in a language and culture other than English. See https://www.archstl.org/find-mass-times and search by language.
Accompany
Get involved with the Immigrant & Refugee Ministry: Accompany our immigrant and refugee neighbors in South City. Contact Kevin Kuehl, MigrantMinistrySTL@gmail.com, 314-632-6521.
Host or attend a Welcome Neighbor Supper Club at your church. Visit https://welcomeneighborstl.org/ to fill out an interest form.
Host an Immigration Teach-in at your parish, school, or other community. Contact Marie Kenyon, mariekenyon@archstl.org, 314-792-7062.
Volunteer with the Bilingual Youth Program after school or summer at St. Francis Community Services (SFCS) Southside Center or hold a collection drive for Abriendo Puertas, SFCS Southside Center. Contact Esteban Bakx Bermudez, ebakxbermudez@ccstl.org.
Hold a collection drive for Oasis International, https://www.oasis4refugees.org/
Become an IHELP tutor to teach English. https://ihelpstl.org/
Patronize immigrant businesses. Many immigrants are struggling economically or are afraid to go to work, stores, or restaurants. Visiting an immigrant business provides hope and a much-needed income for families who are struggling.
Advocate
Sign up for action alerts from the US Catholic bishops’ Justice for Immigrants Campaign https://justiceforimmigrants.org/
Call, write, or visit your political and community leaders to share your concern. Share what you believe about the dignity of migrants with a friend or family member. You can also sign up for Missouri Immigration Policy Coalition email alerts by contacting moimmpc@gmail.com
“If one part [of the Body suffers], all the parts suffer with it” (1 Cor. 12:26)