This week, the Catholic Church in the United States is observing National Migration Week 2025, calling for “growing in appreciation of the challenges faced by migrants and refugees” and reiterating a call “for a more humane system of immigration.”
National Migration Week is Sept. 22–28. The event, in its 45th year, has served as a time for the Catholic Church in the U.S. to reflect “on its history as an immigrant Church and the ways in which the country has been enriched by generations of immigrants, including the many Catholics who have adopted this land as their own,” the bishops said.
“It is also an opportunity to grow in appreciation of the challenges faced by migrants and refugees, both in the United States and beyond, and to express solidarity through prayer, accompaniment and advocacy,” they added.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) recalled that Pope Francis chose the theme “Migrants, Missionaries of Hope” for the 2025 World Day of Migrants and Refugees, an event to be held Oct. 4–5 to commemorate the Jubilee of Migrants rather than on the usual last Sunday in September.
This theme, the bishops said, recognizes “the courage and resilience of migrants and refugees who bear daily witness to hope despite hardship.”
This year, National Migration Week takes place amid the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation operations against unauthorized immigrants, which have created controversy in various sectors of society.
The USCCB noted: “The U.S. bishops have consistently expressed solidarity with immigrants amid the fear and anxiety prompted by current immigration enforcement efforts.”
“The bishops have called for, and continue to press for, ‘a more humane system of immigration, one that protects our communities while safeguarding the dignity of all.’ This includes encouraging bipartisan collaboration among policymakers,” the statement noted.
The American prelates also pointed out that in his message for the 2025 World Day of Migrants and Refugees, “Pope Leo XIV has continued to emphasize the dignity of migrants.”
“In a world darkened by war and injustice, even when all seems lost, migrants and refugees stand as messengers of hope. Their courage and tenacity bear heroic testimony to a faith that sees beyond what our eyes can see and gives them the strength to defy death on the various contemporary migration routes,” reads the passage from the pope’s message, quoted by the USCCB.
Therefore, the bishops of the United States asked the faithful to use National Migration Week as a time “to reflect on how hope can shape and inform our collective response to migration.”
In this regard, they encouraged dioceses, parishes, schools, and Catholic organizations throughout the country to observe the week “with prayer services, educational programs, community outreach, and support for migration-related ministries.”
The bishops are inviting Catholics to visit the conference’s Justice for Immigrants website, which “offers a comprehensive 2025 National Migration Week toolkit, including resources to help communities prepare spiritually and pastorally.”
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