MIGRANT JUSTICE MINISTRY
SUPPORT FOR IMMIGRANTS, REFUGEES, & ASYLUM SEEKERS
​JUSTICE, PEACE, AND INTEGRITY OF CREATION (JPIC)

MISSION

The mission of our JPIC Migrant Justice Ministry is to welcome, accompany, serve, and advocate for migrants and their families - upholding their dignity and fostering compassion, justice, and belonging.

​The ministry’s work may include:

  • Welcoming newcomers and helping them feel part of our parish community.
  • Connecting families with trustworthy immigration legal services and resources for food, housing, healthcare, English classes, and other essential needs.
  • Organizing “Know Your Rights” presentations and emergency-preparedness workshops.
  • Accompanying individuals to appointments when appropriate, without providing legal advice unless qualified to do so.
  • Educating parishioners about Catholic social teaching, human dignity, and the realities migrants face.
  • Organizing prayer services, cultural celebrations, and opportunities for migrants to share their experiences.
  • Advocating for humane immigration policies and collaborating with reputable community organizations.
  • Responding compassionately when families experience detention, deportation, discrimination, or separation.
The ministry does not replace an immigration attorney or encourage anyone to violate the law. Its purpose is to help ensure that every person is treated with dignity, welcomed as a neighbor, and supported with compassion and accurate information.

JOIN OUR MINISTRY

Parishioners of all backgrounds are invited to participate.  No immigration experience is required, only a compassionate heart and a desire to welcome, accompany, and serve our migrant neighbors.
To learn more or join our JPIC Migrant Justice Ministry, please contact:
Marianella Marsano McCole, Migrant Justice Ministry Parishioner Leader
Phone: (910) 231-6586 | Email: [email protected]
Marianella habla español
Staff Liaison: Ken Chiha, Director of Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC)
Additional "Know Your Rights" information (responding to ICE, etc.) can be found on our Migrant Support Resources & Advocacy webpage. More ways to support our migrant community can also be found on our Migrant Worker Hygiene Kits and The Franciscan Network on Migration (FNM) webpages. 

UPCOMING PROGRAMS & EVENTS

LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN:
​OPPOSE NC ICE DETENTION CENTER
October 3-4 | Gathering Space, After All Masses

Please join us next weekend, October 3-4, in the Gathering Space after all Masses to participate in a letter-writing campaign sponsored by the Diocesan Cabrini Collaborative. Rooted in the principles of Catholic Social Teaching and in solidarity with migrants and refugees, this effort responds to plans to open a 1,400-bed ICE detention center at the former Rivers Correctional Facility in Winton, NC.
As people of faith, we are called to uphold the dignity of every person. Through this letter-writing initiative, parishioners are invited to urge our leaders to oppose the opening of this for-profit detention center and to support humane, community-based immigration solutions. Together, we call for greater accountability, transparency, and the protection of human rights throughout North Carolina. We invite you to add your voice in advocating for policies that respect human dignity, promote justice, and reflect our Gospel values.

A STAND FOR DIGNITY:
PEOPLE OF FAITH RAISING VOICES FOR IMMIGRANTS
Sunday, October 11, 2026 2:00 pm
North Carolina State Capitol, South Lawn, Raleigh, NC

Join us in downtown Raleigh for a community gathering of prayer, song, and shared witness.
We will gather together to unite as neighbors through a program of prayer, song, sharing, and a way forward. We will leave with a list of actions we can take to express the teachings of our many faiths through love for our immigrant neighbors. Will you join us?

​Bring an open heart and mind, but no signs please. Registration is not necessary, but sign up to receive updates about the event.
Together, we will call for the dignity and due process that every person deserves: no more unidentified masked men, no more inappropriate use of force to intimidate, basic human decency for all, and due process too.
We know there are problems with the way our nation deals with immigration and our immigrant neighbors today. We know we can do and be better. That’s the change we seek.

If you too are concerned but get overwhelmed, don’t know what to do or where to start, come stand with us. Sing with us. Listen to what our faiths expect from us all, how what’s happening today is at odds with what we believe, and what needs to change. We believe we can overcome this dark time in America. Will you stand with us?

WORLD DAY OF MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES

The Vatican-sponsored World Day of Migrants and Refugees takes place every year on the last Sunday of September. In 2026, it will be observed on Sunday, September 27. National Migration Week precedes the World Day (September 21-27). Both celebrations provide an opportunity for the Church to reflect on the intersection between migration and Catholic thought.
 
For this year's observance, Pope Leo XIV has chosen the theme, “Even Just One of These Children,” drawn from Matthew 18:5: “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” The theme invites us to reflect on the difficult circumstances that force many children to migrate, often alone, in search of safety, protection, and hope. To learn more about Catholic teaching on migration and this year's observance, please visit www.justiceforimmigrants.org or explore the resources linked above.
If you would like to support migrants and refugees in our parish and local community, consider becoming involved with Immaculate Conception's JPIC Migrant Justice Ministry. The ministry's mission is to welcome, accompany, serve, and advocate for migrants and their families while upholding their dignity and fostering compassion, justice, and belonging. Parishioners of all backgrounds are welcome. No immigration experience is necessary, only a compassionate heart and a desire to accompany our migrant neighbors.
 
​For more information, please contact Marianella Marsano McCole, Migrant Justice Ministry Parishioner Leader, at (910) 231-6586 or [email protected]. Marianella habla español.

BILINGUAL ROSARY IMMIGRATION NC
Every Tuesday at Noon | Zoom

CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING:
RECENT STATEMENTS ON IMMIGRATION

FRANCISCAN NETWORK FOR MIGRANTS (FNM) - USA

​You are invited to join the Franciscan Network for Migrants (FNM) – USA.
The FNM is the United States branch of the RFM (Red Franciscana para Migrantes) of the Americas. If you already belong to the RFM, great! But if you do any kind of migrant ministry in the United States - at the border, in shelters, in parishes, in community services - please join the Franciscan Network for Migrants.
Why should busy Franciscans who belong to many groups join another?
  1. It is our CHARISM. This all-Franciscan Network of Secular Franciscans, Religious Sisters, and Friars of the First Order allows us to witness together our preferential love for poor people, poor people who seek safety and a dignified life for themselves and their families. Migrant ministry is Franciscan ministry, our gift to the Church and to the political life of the United States.
  2. We serve in/as COMMUNITY. Building a new world ultimately means renewing fraternity (Fratelli Tutti), within the Franciscan family and in solidarity with all people who migrate. In a society that is individualistic and anti-immigrant, we want our lives and ministry to proclaim community and to announce a welcome to all.  
  3. A Network is a CONNECTION. There are so many good strategies, programs and resources in the migrant ministry that we can learn from and share with each other in the same ministry. Conferences, meetings and conversations with other Franciscans, on the local, regional and national levels, help FNM to be as efficient, practical and fruitful as we are fraternal.

LA 72 MIGRANT AND REFUGEE SHELTER
​La 72 Franciscan Migrant and Refugee Shelter in Tenosique, Mexico, is located on one of the most conflictive and dangerous areas on the migratory route. Since its founding on April 25, 2011, La 72 has opened its doors and cared for more than 100,000 people, the vast majority of whom are fleeing life-threatening situations in Central America.

​La 72 remains dedicated to the comprehensive care of migrants and refugees who flee abject poverty, hunger, violence, and the powerful environmental and political forces that wreak havoc on vulnerable people.

La 72 offers each person humanitarian assistance in the form of medical attention, psychosocial care, advice, case management, internet access, food, basic hygiene items, rest, shelter, clothing, and other necessary items.
Para más información ver el video
All guests receive human rights education and information, as well as legal assistance in accessing asylum and residency status in Mexico. Its fundamental task is to welcome, comfort, and accompany vulnerable people. La 72 is the first migrant shelter in Mexico to help vulnerable groups, providing special assistance to women, children, unaccompanied minors, and LGBTQ+ people.
La 72 also works to change immigration policies to guarantee the safe passage of all migrants in Mexico. This includes advocacy at the national level, establishing effective partnerships with the local population, as well as outreach and human rights education for border communities (the “School of Human Rights”).

JPIC PARISHIONERS TRAVEL TO LA 72

​Several members of our Immaculate Conception community, including our pastor Father Jacek, our Latino Pastoral Associate Katushka Olave, and two extremely devoted young adult parishioners, Osely Vasquez and Isaac Martinez, traveled to Mexico to visit and bring medication/supplies to La 72, a Franciscan-run migrant and refugee shelter dedicated to the comprehensive care for those fleeing abject poverty, hunger, violence, and the powerful environmental and political forces affecting the most vulnerable. You may recall the JPIC’s most recent support of LA 72 during our parish’s “Advent Alternative Gift Fair.” We are truly grateful for their dedication and all those who helped make this trip possible.

PREVIOUS PROGRAMS & EVENTS

FARMWORKERS HYDRATION ELECTROLYTE PACKETS COLLECTION

​Building on our parish’s prayer vigil and advocacy efforts in June, Immaculate Conception Catholic Church continued its support of North Carolina migrant farmworkers in partnership with El Futuro Es Nuestro (It’s Our Future), a worker-led organization of H-2A and immigrant farmworkers. We collected hundreds of hydration electrolyte packets and offered a final opportunity to complete advocacy cards in support of farmworkers. 
As people of faith, we recognize the God-given dignity of every worker and advocate for safe and humane working conditions, including access to water, shade, rest breaks, and heat protections for those who help feed our communities. No one should ever be forced to choose between their livelihood and their life.

MIGRANT JUSTICE FARMWORKERS PRAYER VIGIL

Immaculate Conception Catholic Church's Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) co-hosted a prayer vigil in partnership with El Futuro Es Nuestro (It’s Our Future), a worker‑led initiative organizing H‑2A and immigrant farmworkers across North Carolina.
As people of faith, we gathered to honor the sacred, God‑given dignity of every farmworker and to lift our prayers for justice, healing, and protection. This vigil invites us to pray together for:
  • Farmworkers who have died from extreme heat and unsafe working conditions, along with their families and healing in their communities
  • The poor and vulnerable, especially those who continue to labor in dangerous conditions, that their dignity and rights may be protected
  • Justice, mercy, and solidarity in our call for workplace standards that protect the people who labor to feed our communities
United in prayer, we call for urgent, enforceable heat protections, including access to water, shade, and rest breaks for all outdoor workers, so that no worker is ever forced to choose between their livelihood and their life. All are invited to join us.

CHURCH WORLD SERVICES (CWS) CARE PROGRAM
(COMMUNITIES ACTING FOR REFUGEE EMPOWERMENT)

​Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) announces another opportunity to help refugees in Durham through a new initiative offered through Church World Services (CWS). The “CWS CARE (Communities Acting for Refugee Empowerment) Program” is dedicated to closing the economic gap for established refugee individuals and families by connecting clients to community groups who commit to providing social and small-scale financial support toward their educational and employment goals.
CARE teams, usually made up of 3 parishioners, may offer support by helping a client study for an exam, offering professional mentorship in a certain field, connecting clients with useful professional networks, or practicing interview skills. 
CARE team members' main role is to offer moral support to clients as they accomplish their goals. The hope is that with the support of our parishioners, our Durham community can more fully benefit from the skills, talent, and expertise of refugees, while helping our new neighbors experience economic security through fulfilling work.

Are you interested in helping?

Alem, is a single mother with two children who currently works the night shift at a manufacturing plant. She is enrolled in a CNA (Nurse’s Aide) course that starts at the beginning of September. Her goal is to work in the healthcare industry where there are many opportunities for career advancement. In the future, she hopes to become a nurse. 
Currently, we have a team of parishioners helping provide Alem with community support and with needs such as studying for the CNA course, navigating the U.S. education system, and preparing for the state CNA exam.​ CARE team members can expect a time commitment of 1-2 hours per week for 3-4 months.
Parishioners interested in working with Alem and the CARE Program can email Sarah Hester, the CARE Coordinator, at [email protected].

CRIMMIGRATION: PERSPECTIVES FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE BORDER

LIFE AT THE BORDER
​LEARNING FROM CASA DEL MIGRANT
​Duke Divinity School Center for Reconciliation

Duke Divinity School's Center for Reconciliation hosted a presentation and conversation with Alma Ramirez, visiting staff member of La Casa del Migrante in Tijuana, Mexico.​

Duke Divinity School has a long relationship with La Casa, both as a site for field education placements and as a partner in the Encuentro program. Alma Ramirez discussed her work at La Casa serving migrants at the US/Mexico border and ways that volunteers can be involved.

​The presentation concluded with a conversation about how Duke Divinity and La Casa might strengthen and build on our existing relationship to benefit migrants on both sides of the border. I have included a link to the presentation provided by Duke Divinity Center for Reconciliation.
Event co-sponsored by Thriving Rural Communities, Hispanic House of Studies, and the Office of Field Education. Lunch will be provided.

​CONTACT
Center for Reconciliation
[email protected]

BUILDING BRIDGES OF WELCOME
A WORKSHOP ON ACCOMPANIMENT OF ASYLUM SEEKERS

BUILDING BRIDGES OF WELCOME
A WORKSHOP ON ACCOMPANIMENT OF ASYLUM SEEKERS
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND AGENDA

Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) was proud to support New Hope Presbytery Peacemaking Network who sponsored this free workshop to bring together churches within the Triangle and eastern North Carolina, community supporting immigrant agencies, professionals, volunteers, and others already engaged in this work who wanted to learn more to imagine our communities to be a more welcoming, compassionate, and viable place for immigrants seeking refuge. Our JPIC Immigrants and Refugees team encouraged many of our Immaculate Conception parishioners to join together in learning how we can become allies to asylum seekers and imagine how communities can be prepared to welcome our neighbors.
Sponsored by the New Hope Presbytery Peacemaking Committee with special guest Susan Krehbiel PCUSA/PDA’s Associate for Migration Accompaniment Ministries
SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS
​​Church World Service-Durham Office; NC Council of Churches; Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church; Iglesia La Semilla-NC Conference of the United Methodist Church; Immigration Justice Initiative of the Community Church-UU, Chapel Hill.
9:30-10 am: Arrival - What is home to you?                     
  • Sign in sheet, name, email address, affiliation
  • Breakfast/coffee
Opening Exercise: “What does home mean to you?”
  • Find two or three people you haven’t met and exchange what “home” means to you.
  • Have blank wall/space/board where people can write what home means to them, so it can be visible throughout duration of the day.
  • Depending on size, everyone introduces themselves and says in one sentence what home means to them.
 
10-10:10 am: Welcome
  • Introductions by Rev. Frank Mansell, welcome and introduction of workshop facilitator, Susan Krehbiel
  • Opening prayer/litany
Raising Your Hand Activity: “Raise your hand if you are a faith leader;” “If you are a social worker;” “If you are an activist;” “If you were born outside of the United States;” “If you have done accompaniment work before;” “If you have never done accompaniment work but are excited to learn more;” etc.
 
10:10-10:30 am: Mini Keynote on theme of “Accompaniment”
  • A short introduction on the work of “accompaniment” by Rev. Susan Krehbiel
 
10:30-11:15 am: Experiences in the U.S - Two Asylum Seekers and Community Representative Speak Out (Fishbowl) with interactive Dialogue
  • Two asylum seekers offer their stories and experiences of their time in the U.S. How the strength of community got them through and what the community might have done better. One community representative working with asylum seekers to participate in this interactive dialogue. They will speak in tandem with each other using a “fishbowl platform.”
 
11:15-11:30 am: Break
  • When returning, ask participants to sit at round tables (4-6 people per table).
 
11:30-12:30 pm: Asset Mapping – Naming Our Assets
Theme: What Is It We Bring to the Table? Why it Works and Why it Matters.
  • Description of the purpose of Asset Based Community Mapping, how it works, and why it matters.
  • Using Worksheet Part 1, generate as many assets as possible. Begin writing assets on half sheets of paper (large post-it notes) and then taping them to the wall.
 
12:30-1:30: Lunch
  • Provided by a kitchen crew led by Sandra Marquina, wife of Jose Chicas, who was in a sanctuary for three years at the School for Conversion in Durham. 

1:30 – 2:30 pm: Asset Mapping – Recognizing Possibilities
Theme: Making Connections and Combining Assets into Possibilities
  • Recognizing possibilities: How to work collaboratively and partner with other organizations.    
  • Using Worksheet Part 2, connect the dots and combine assets from Part 1 for possibilities. Be concrete and collect contact information for mobilizing the possibilities. Use a display board or large screen visible to all participants.
 
2:30-4 pm: Vote with Your Feet
Explanation of the 4 Breakout Groups (4 or 5)
  • Voting on whether we would like to create a new one.
  • Departing to breakout room locations throughout the church.
  • Breakout groups meet for 45 minutes – 1 hour.
Breakout Groups
  1. Community Church, UU: UU shares their model of accompaniment over past five years, pearls of wisdom, and experiences.
  2. CWS on Building Healthy Relationships: Allyship vs. power dynamics, paternalism and dependency, and cultural awareness.
  3. First Presbyterian in Durham (Gordon) with leaders from Judea Reform Congregation, St. Michael’s Lutheran, etc.: Hosting Healthy Conversations with/in your congregation, community, or organization; tools for engagement; and mobilizing others in the work of accompaniment.
  4. Advocacy: Dynamics for changing the narrative on migration in our churches and communities, connecting with legislators to impact immigration policy reforms, joining groups for visits to the border.
  5. Topic of interest that might surface from participants (i.e. affordable housing: Organizations with properties).
 
3:45-4 pm: Afternoon Break
 
4-4:30 pm: Closing Reflection
  • Closing/Continuation Ceremony: Blessing Our Time Together initiated by Rev. Susan Krehbiel, followed by litany and “continued” by words, prayers, and gestures by voices from refugee/asylum seekers and those who accompany them/representatives in the local community.
  • As we come back together, everyone is offered a pledge/commitment card. They will take a moment in silence to consider, then write down, what actionable step(s) they will take as a result of this gathering, and/or “what is the one faithful thing I can do?” Turn in pledge/commitment cards as an “offering” as part of closing reflections, culmination of the workshop.
  • Reminders of completing evaluation form, how to reconnect if have questions or need speakers, wish to volunteer, and/or want to stay engaged (could be included in registration packet).

THANK YOU FOR HELPING A PARISHIONER FROM CONGO IN NEED!

 A profound thanks to all parishioners who have previously donated to the love fund. Because of your generous support, in collaboration with Church World Service (CWS), we were able to help a new member of our community with several months of housing, along with furniture and other needed items, to make it a home through our JPIC’s Furniture Project of Durham. A fellow parishioner also has volunteered to assist with ESL so he can continue to develop his English skills. 

BUILDING THE FUTURE
​WITH MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES

Immaculate Conception’s own Pastoral Associate, Katushka Olave, was recently featured in a Franciscan Network for Migrants hosted interactive workshop on practical ways for building the future with migrants and refugees. Franciscan Action Network co-sponsored this workshop which included presentations about Franciscan-inspired parish and community-based responses as well as a brainstorming session of other ideas.
A link to a summary of ideas shared by speakers and participants.
 A link to the Pope’s message on World Day of Migrants & Refugees - Migrants & Refugees Section (migrants-refugees.va)

INTERNATIONAL JPIC COUNCIL
​FATHER JACEK ON MIGRANTS, REFUGEES, AND INTERGRAL ECOLOGY

Father Jacek serves as a member of the Franciscan “JPIC Animation Committee.” In this article from a recent gathering of the Franciscan Order’s “International Council for Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation,” Father Jacek says this is our opportunity to discuss conversion, climate justice and integral ecology, migrants and refugees, and nonviolence and peacebuilding in a broader social and ecological context​.

AN INVITATION TO A SIMPLE SUPPER/SHARING
(COURTESY OF THE RAPUANO-DIRR FAMILY)

You are invited for a light fellowship supper at the home of Linda Rapuano Dirr and Joe Dirr.
 
Friday Evening, March 24, 5:30 to 7:30 pm
Join/leave honoring your needs

RSVP Linda by Wednesday, March 22, via email.
 Address and directions will be sent to you if you are able to join us.
This evening is for us to get to know each other and share our thoughts and concerns regarding immigrant and refugee issues in a relaxed space. We will open with a prayer followed by a simple supper of soups and bread. For those who would like IC’s Fish Fry, please let us know by Thursday and we will pick a few up for you.
For I was hungry, and you gave me food, I was thirsty, and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me. ​- Matthew 25

MIGRANT POSADA
A NOVENA FOR ADVENT

The Liturgical Materials Team of the “Franciscan Network for Migrants” have shared this beautiful Advent Novena with our community.
© All rights reserved.
If you have questions regarding our various JPIC ministries, please contact:
Kennith M. Chiha, Director of Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC)
Immaculate Conception Catholic Church - 901-A West Chapel Hill Street, Durham, NC 27701
(919) 682-3449 Ext. 293 - [email protected]
​
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CATHOLIC CHURCH   |  810 W CHAPEL HILL STREET, DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA 27701  |  919-682-3449


​Contact the Webmaster to report a problem.