By Jeannie Connerney
On November 4 a group of unmarked black cars pulled up in front of the Allston Car Wash on Cambridge Street. Masked I.C.E. agents emerged and abducted nine employees, including three from the same family. Workers were prevented from visiting their lockers to retrieve their legal paperwork. Instead, they were handcuffed and transported to I.C.E. facilities.
Several relived their experiences at a meeting with Rep. Ayanna Pressley on December 8, some tearfully describing the difficult conditions inside the facility in Burlington and their fear and confusion. They told those present that while in custody, they were also pressured to sign documents waiving their rights to hearings or legal representation. None of those abducted had criminal records. Seven were released, but two remain in custody.
On Friday, December 5 I.C.E. agents appeared outside a citizenship ceremony at Faneuil Hall, where they began asking those waiting in line to state their countries of origin. Two people were asked to step out of line and told their naturalizations had been canceled. Only three days earlier, the Trump administration had decided to halt the citizenship process for people from 19 countries, and they had not been informed in time. Two others, who were also affected, did not appear at the ceremony.
These are just two examples of recent I.C.E. actions in the Boston area. Similar sweeps have taken place around the country.
Meanwhile, at Saint Susanna Parish in Dedham, the annual nativity scene was erected on November 29, the first day of Advent, the season when Christians await the birth of Jesus Christ, who they believe came to bring peace to the world. Traditionally, among statues of animals, shepherds, angels, and three Wise Men, figures of Joseph, Mary, and the Christ-child represent the birth of Jesus in a manger. This year, however, the central figures are missing. In their place, a large sign reads, “I.C.E. WAS HERE” above a smaller sign which says, “The Holy Family is safe in the Sanctuary of our Church. If you see I.C.E., please call LUCE at 617-370-5023.”
The pastor of St. Susanna’s, Fr. Stephen Josoma, explained in a written statement that Saint Susanna’s nativity scene “tries to hold a mirror up to the world around us and reflect the celebration of Christmas (the mystery of the Incarnation) with the reality of the world around us.” In past years, the scene has included images reflecting global warming and gun violence, and the display in 2018 featured the baby Jesus in a cage to highlight the separation of immigrant families at the border during Trump’s first administration. Above the scene, a sign on the manger poses a question: “Peace on Earth?”
For the past seven years, members of the Refugee Resettlement Collaborative at Saint Susanna’s have been assisting refugee families in the area. “These families have all experienced trauma,” said Fr. Steve, “They come seeking a place of safety and a chance to heal and live their lives in peace…Some of these people are now worried that, despite following all the rules to date, the current administration is retroactively changing the rules and putting them at risk of being deported to places where they would face certain violence, if not death.”
Days after the nativity was erected, Fr. Josoma received a letter from Bishop Reed of the Archdiocese of Boston, instructing him to remove the signs from the crèche. The letter cited their divisive nature, claimed they contradicted Canon law regarding the use of sacred objects, and stated that the parish never requested permission. In a subsequent phone conversation with the bishop, Josama sought clarification and requested a dialogue with Richard Henning, Archbishop of Boston.
In November the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops had released a “Special Pastoral Message on Immigration”, also read aloud by the bishops in a video of the same name, in which Henning was the first of several bishops to speak. The statement laments the “fear and anxiety around questions of profiling,” the “vilification of immigrants,” and “parents who fear being detained when taking their children to school.” The bishops claim to oppose mass deportation and say, “[O]ur concern here for immigrants is a response to the Lord’s command to love as He has loved us (John: 13:34).”
That the statement later received approval by Pope Leo XIV renders the negative reaction of the Archdiocese of Boston to a crèche in Dedham even more baffling.
At a press conference in the parking lot of the church on December 8, Josoma read his own statement, written after meeting for over two hours the day before with members of Saint Susanna’s parish council and Pax Christi (a Catholic social justice group). “We believe our position and practice to be faithful to the gospel and Catholic teaching, especially as recently put forth by the Catholic Bishops of the United States, including our own Archbishop Henning, as well as Pope Leo,” he stated. “That some do not agree with our message does not render our display sacrilegious or as the cause of any scandal to the faithful. Any divisiveness is a reflection of our polarized society, much of which originates with the changing, unjust laws of the current administration.”
He continued by saying that he seeks clarification from the archdiocese and reiterated publicly his request for dialogue with the archbishop. Until then, he said the nativity would remain. As of the writing of this article, Archbishop Henning has not responded.
Since the story has gone viral, there has been a regular stream of visitors to the nativity, some praying and most taking photos and selfies. Public response has been overwhelmingly supportive, according to parishioner Phil Mandeville, who works closely with the parish. He said during the press conference that he estimates that 80 to 90% of calls and emails express their approval. The pews at Saint Susanna’s were full during the last two Sunday masses.
During the December 7 mass, Fr. Stephen Josoma’s sermon spoke about the lion laying down with the lamb, citing the first reading from the Book of Isaiah. He contemplated a world where all people could live together harmoniously and then went on to describe how Jesus often appeared on the margins of society and wondered aloud where He might appear today. “Overcrowded shelters for the homeless, immigration and deportation centers, refugee camps?” he suggested. The sermon received sustained applause.
As Fr. Josoma had written, “As this brutality unfolds and becomes commonplace, we look to the promise of the peace Christ brings into the world at Christmas. We commit ourselves to the way of His nonviolent love to all people, particularly those on the margins of life who have been deemed expendable and whose dignity is denied.”
Less than two weeks before Christmas, Fr. Josoma ended the mass last Sunday with the blessing, “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord and one another.” As they sang the words of the final hymn, parishioners at Saint Susanna’s seemed to take those words seriously: “None can stop the Spirit, burning now inside us. / We will shape the future. We will not be silent.”
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Jeanne Connerney is a member of MAPA; Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment; Pax Christi; and Irish-Americans for Palestine, Boston.
