By Jay Sorgi • Posted November 21, 2025

Many Philadelphia-area Catholics, inspired by the plight of immigrants to the United States and the fear they are experiencing, are taking to prayer to discern God’s calling for them to support their sisters and brothers.

Dozens of Catholics came together Sunday evening, Nov. 16 at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul in Philadelphia to pray in a Holy Hour for Migrants.

It happened on a day that Pope Leo XIV released a message for the ninth World Day of the Poor about “the duty to shoulder our responsibilities in history, without hesitation” and preached a homily at the Vatican where he said “there can be no peace without justice.”

“I felt it was very important for not only my prayers, but for us all (to) align our prayers and have a communal way to do something for this day,” said Samantha Fallacaro after the holy hour. “It’s the least we can do for the poor and the migrants.

“I have a lot of friends from across the aisles, but in both political extremes. Everybody I’ve come into contact with is filled with so much uncertainty, so much fear and anxiety. That’s part of why I wanted to come today, to have some sort of solace from that, to gain some sort of clarity.”

Father Dennis Gill, the rector and pastor of the Cathedral Basilica, led the holy hour. He had also led a eucharistic procession during a prayerful vigil at the office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Nov. 13 in Philadelphia.

“Our Holy Father called us to a culture of attentiveness, and part of that was to awaken our consciousness of those who are most in need, especially the poor. Among the poor today would be the migrant, especially here in the United States,” said Father Gill.

“We’re in an especially unique moment in our own history, and perhaps in our own country, where we cannot afford to take our mind off it. The news is filled, day in and day out, with situations all over the land where migrants live in great fear, are experiencing great struggle, and are immediately in the face of great difficulty. What is ours to do?”

One in five Catholics in the United States is in danger of being deported through current enforcement actions of the federal government, according to a USCCB-sponsored study by World Relief.

The congregation on Sunday night prayed before the Blessed Sacrament and heard part of the 25th chapter of the Gospel of St. Matthew, where Christ explained that the judgment of people  will be based on how they cared in love for those most in need.

“It is important to observe the laws of the country in terms of migration, and we do that. But we also attend to the greater law, the law that we heard in the Gospel proclaiming that whatsoever you do to the least, you do unto Christ. That pertains to everyone in every situation, but especially at this moment, the migrant,” said Father Gill.

“It’s necessary for us to do whatever we can, and one of the things that we can do is pray for all of us that we are aware of the need to treat one another as Christ would have us, and to do so with great respect, great regard, great care, and fairness.”

The faithful at the cathedral prayed a special Litany of the Saints in song which included Philadelphia’s own St. Katharine Drexel, who has her resting place inside the basilica.

“Saint Katharine was outstanding in her care for the marginalized, and for her it was the Native American Indian and the African American,” Father Gill said. “She spent her life and her money. She founded a religious community of sisters to be attentive to these men and women and provide the Gospel for them and the hope of life now, a proper life now, (and) an eternal life. She’s interceding (for) us.”

Many of the other American saints in that litany were migrants to the United States, including St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, the patron saint of immigrants, and St. John Neumann, who served the Catholic Church of Philadelphia heroically and found his final resting place in the city.

“They had the force of the Gospel to open their own minds, the Gospel that we just heard proclaimed from Matthew,” said Father Gill.

“With the power of the Eucharist, with the intercession of the saints and with our own desire to be faithful to the Gospel ourselves, let us be filled with hope that our efforts this evening will bear fruit.”

The presence of Christ in the Eucharist, Father Gill said, remains the ultimate reminder of how we must be present to each other, particularly migrants and others who are marginalized.

“He took on our humanity to share, so we might have a share in his divinity. He’s divinized us,” said Father Gill. “That, along with many other things, gives us the compelling duty to treat one another as He treats us, and we should be treating Him in one another.”