THE POWER OF A PUBLIC VIGIL MASS
BY CARLEY HASELHORST
This spring, I was asked to help coordinate a public vigil Mass outside an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement processing facility five miles from my home in Indianapolis. This is where anyone detained in central Indiana for immigration reasons is processed for release, deportation, or further detention at a facility elsewhere.
The Indiana Organizing Project had already been working for a year to curb ICE detention in Indiana. They were influential in ending overnight ICE detention in Indianapolis and are now working to end ICE detention at Miami Correctional Facility in northern Indiana where two ICE detainees have already died this year due to lack of medical care.
Discerning Deacons was planning their national assembly in Indianapolis this May and connected with the Indiana Organizing Project about coordinating a public witness as part of their weekend that would aid local humanitarian efforts. Discerning Deacons engages Catholics in the active discernment about women and the diaconate and seeks to embody the diaconal call to bridge liturgy with ministry to the marginalized. So it is natural that when they are in town, they will bring a pulpit to the streets.
I work full-time for the church and have four children ages 6 years to 6 months, so
I say no to a lot of things, but this was too exciting to pass up. I have been involved with Discerning Deacons through all their work engaging Catholics in the most recent Synod on Synodality and its implementation phase. Their work helped me name the call I feel to the diaconate, a call to preach the Word of God and to bridge liturgy with ministry to the marginalized. The invitation to coordinate this event was an invitation to live out this call now.
In connecting with Stuart Mora of the Indiana Organizing Project, I learned the details of how detention and deportation are playing out in Indiana. I became even more convicted that the motivations of ICE in Indiana are not to target immigrants with criminal behavior but to fill detention beds. These beds are being filled by mothers and fathers, and their families are in crisis. The social teaching and tradition of the church cries out against this, and I was eager to respond to the call of the USCCB to accompany immigrant families and to engage in public witness against this affront on human dignity and the sanctity of family life.
Through Catholics in Communion, we were able to get planning tools for coordinating a public liturgy. A local priest, Father Jim Farrell, eagerly agreed to celebrate the Mass. We worked with the city to gain permitting for having Mass in the street outside the facility. We also met
A public witness Mass at an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement processing facility in Indianapolis
with our Indiana Catholic Conference, the public policy arm of the Indiana Catholic Church, seeking to be in alignment with their work on immigration. Then we worked to get out the word.
On May 2, we were blessed with a cool, sunny day for our liturgy. About 300 people attended, including more than 100 from the Discerning Deacons assembly. Miguel Avila spoke at the beginning of the Mass about his own experience in ICE detention, describing total isolation and conditions unfit for human beings. Kate Williams of GIA Publications led powerful music throughout the Mass. After communion, Farrell led a focused reflection on what Jesus would say to each of us about the current immigration situation and what we should do about it. Congregants placed icons and flowers in front of the altar on the street. The event was solemn because of the horrible reasons for our being there, but it was also incredibly beautiful, joyful, and energizing to be together as Catholics publicly standing up for what we believe in.
Many people present at the Mass reported having very impactful experiences. After the Mass, about 100 people signed up to be involved with the local movement by praying with affected families, helping meet the needs of families in crisis, and planning more public actions. The event successfully provided inspiration and direction to many people who were concerned about ICE operations in Indiana but who were not sure how to respond. We pray we can build on the momentum from this public liturgy to continue supporting families and curbing ICE detentions. And we pray that more Catholics around the country have the courage to take their faith to the streets. In this work, if we focus on relationships and stay persistent, the Holy Spirit takes over.
Carley Haselhorst works as the faith formation director at St. Monica Catholic Church in Indianapolis. She has been active with Discerning Deacons since 2021.