Newark Priests Bring Faith and Hope to Immigrant Detainees

One of the great gifts Pope Francis gave to the Church — and which Pope Leo XIV has continued — is the call to serve those on the margins of society, says Father Timothy Graff, Director of Social Concerns for the Archdiocese of Newark. “So often, these individuals are forgotten or purposely ignored. One such group in our Archdiocese are immigrant detainees held at Delaney Hall, a detention center in Newark. Many of them live in fear and desperation because of their uncertain futures.”

The Archdiocese is working in collaboration with the organization that operates and staffs the facility and is providing pastoral care for the detainees. Parishes and local congregations have donated Bibles and copies of the Qur’an in various languages.

Leading prayers and offering the sacraments

Father Alex Gaitán, Coordinator of Immigrant Ministry for the Archdiocese, has been able to visit the facility, where priests and volunteers lead prayer services, and priests offer blessings and administer sacraments to more than 1,000 detainees, providing comfort and spiritual support to individuals living in uncertainty.

“I visited the migrants at Delaney Hall Detention Center with the main chaplain, calling out, ‘Iglesia, Iglesia,’ and most of the Latinos gathered to hear the Sunday Gospel,” Father Gaitán said. “We prayed the Lord’s Prayer together and asked the Virgin Mary for her motherly protection while they remain in detention awaiting their cases. Afterwards, some requested special blessings—for healing, for their court hearings, and for their families.”

The Immigrant Ministry of the Archdiocese of Newark is also working to provide Mass and the Sacrament of Reconciliation for Catholic detainees, while extending a ministry of God’s presence to all those at Delaney Hall.

“In ministering to those who suffer and live in desperation, we see the suffering Christ,” Father Graff said. “Through our efforts, we hope they also see the risen Christ in us.”

Featured image: David Stanley / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0