Immigration Ministries - Episcopal Diocese of West Texas

08/19/2025

Migration with Dignity Pilgrimage
A Look Back on our Journey

Location: San Antonio, TX

After dinner, the pilgrims gathered in the sanctuary at St. Paul's for an offsite vigil for the Pecos Children's Center, a now closed detention center for unaccompanied minors in Pecos, TX.

It was a time filled with remembrance, prayers, and song, shared by a community of advocates that share a commitment to justice and compassion.

Please join them in prayer.

O God, our heavenly Father, whose glory fills the whole creation, and whose presence we find wherever we go:

Preserve those who travel or migrate, especially those who have been detained here; surround them with your loving care; protect them from every danger; and bring them in safety to their journey's end; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

[modified from BCP Prayer 53]

08/14/2025

Migration with Dignity Pilgrimage
A Look Back on our Journey

Location: San Antonio, TX

After a long drive to San Antonio, the pilgrims were greeted by the communities of St. Paul's Episcopal Church - San Antonio and Church of Reconciliation - An Episcopal Faith Community
with smiling faces and delicious food. During dinner, members of the community joined the pilgrims as they shared their experiences and reflections from their time on the border.

A big thank you to the faithful teams from St. Paul’s and Reconciliation for bringing this night together. From the hands that prepared our food to those who supported programming, setup, and logistics behind the scenes, we are grateful for your ministry. We also extend our sincere gratitude to The Rev. Brian Fox and The Rev. Regan Gonzalez for serving as faithful leaders and partners of Immigration + Refugee Ministries.

08/12/2025

Migration with Dignity Pilgrimage
A Look Back on our Journey

Location: West Texas Roads

After a morning of prayer and reflection, the pilgrims made one last stop at the iconic Marfa Burrito to fuel up for the trek ahead.
From there, pilgrims set out on the road once more to begin their 404-mile journey to San Antonio.

08/07/2025

Location: Ojinaga, Mexico

The pilgrims crossed into Ojinaga, Mexico, and joined local officials for a tour of the city’s asylum shelter. Officials shared the history of the shelter’s development, from its inherited state of disrepair to its restoration, providing vital care for unaccompanied minors, deported mothers and children, and those unable to return to their countries of origin.

After the tour, the group met with Ojinaga Mayor Lucy Marrufo Acosta to learn about ongoing efforts, challenges, and hopes for the future of immigration support in the city. Their next project includes building a multi-use recreational court to provide children with a safe space for play and joy.

The day concluded with a meal at a local favorite restaurant, where fellowship, stories, and laughter were shared. We are grateful to DIF Municipal Ojinaga for hosting us and for giving us renewed hope through hearing about their work and commitment to serve our immigrant neighbors.

08/05/2025

Location: Marfa, TX

At the next stop, pilgrims and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers met face-to-face at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. This meeting, hosted by The Rev. Mike Wallens, Vicar of St. Paul’s and the Big Bend sector leader for Rio Grande Borderlands, provided an inside look into their duties and daily challenges. Pilgrims heard directly from enforcement officers about the unspoken and often forgotten burdens they carry.

We thank The Rev. Mike Wallens for his dedication to serve all members of his community, including migrants and enforcement officers alike. We also thank the CBP officers for meeting with us to engage in productive dialogue.

07/31/2025

Location: Sierra Blanca, TX

In the Chihuahuan Desert, pilgrims stood outside the West Texas Detention Facility to hold a vigil in remembrance of the lives lost in detention centers across the country. During the vigil, they prayed for those detained, for the staff working inside, and for all those affected by the global migration crisis.

We invite you to join the pilgrims by reciting a prayer from the vigil below.

Lord Jesus, for our sake you were condemned as a criminal: Visit our jails and prisons, especially this detention facility, with your pity and judgment.

Remember all those detained here and give them hope for their future. When any are held unjustly, bring them release; forgive us, and teach us to improve our justice.

Remember those who work in these institutions; keep them humane and compassionate; and save them from becoming brutal or callous.

And since what we do for those in prison,

O Lord, we do for you, constrain us to improve their lot.

All this we ask for your mercy's sake. Amen.

[modified from BCP Prayer 37]

07/29/2025

Location: El Paso, TX

After a delicious dinner at a local restaurant, the pilgrims returned to rest at the Rio Grande Borderlands migrant shelter - a space that once provided safety and hope to hundreds of migrant mothers and children, and a powerful embodiment of the Gospel call to love and serve one’s neighbors. We extend our sincere gratitude to our hosts and friends in ministry: The Rev. Canon Lee Curtis, Bridge Chaplain Ana Reza, and the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande, for their ministry and for graciously leading the pilgrims through this leg of the journey.

07/24/2025

Location: El Paso Processing Center

Following their trip to Ciudad Juárez, the pilgrims traveled to the El Paso Processing Center and held a vigil to bear witness for those detained and employed by immigration enforcement. Attendees joined together in prayer and song and shared stories of those impacted by the system. The vigil concluded with a renewal of our baptismal covenant, a reminder of our responsibility to all who travel across our borders.

Join us in prayer and action as we work towards a world where every person is treated with dignity and respect.

Psalm 146

Hallelujah!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

Put not your trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth,
for there is no help in them.

When they breathe their last, they return to earth,
and in that day their thoughts perish.

Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help!
whose hope is in the Lord their God;

Who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them;
who keeps his promise for ever;

Who gives justice to those who are oppressed,
and food to those who hunger.

The Lord sets the prisoners free;
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind;
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;

The Lord loves the righteous;
the Lord cares for the stranger;
he sustains the orphan and widow,
but frustrates the way of the wicked.

The Lord shall reign for ever,
your God, O Zion, throughout all generations.
Hallelujah!

07/22/2025

Location: Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico

Flor and Melanie joined the Episcopal Migration Caucus in El Paso for the second leg of the Migration with Dignity Pilgrimage. They met at the Paso del Norte International Bridge for prayer before crossing into Ciudad Juárez where local leaders and members of Rio Grande Borderlands shared stories about their ministry with migrants and the history of migration in the region. The visit ended with reflection and prayer on the U.S. side of the bridge.

07/22/2025

This Wednesday we begin our 4 evenings of Vacation Bible School for Everyone! After dinner together, Melanie Jakubisin from The Diocese of West Texas will lead a conversation about Episcopal Migration Ministries and how the call from this community is changing and adapting. Childcare opens at 5pm, dinner is served at 5:30pm and programs begin at 6pm.

07/18/2025

Immigration + Refugee Ministries is on the move!

Flor and Melanie have been out and about to the far corners of the Diocese of West Texas and BEYOND to connect with churches, camps, and other ministries. Follow along to see where their next journey takes them and how Immigration + Refugee Ministries is making an impact.

07/05/2025