In keeping with annual tradition, the 2025 Migrant Mass was celebrated on Jan. 26 at St. Christopher Church in Moreno Valley with Bishop Emeritus Gerald Barnes as the Celebrant.
The Mass began with a procession of parishioners carrying banners displaying saints and Church figures that have a special connection to immigrant communities. The readings and songs were proclaimed in various languages, such as Vietnamese, Tongan, Cameroonian Pidgin, Korean, Igbo, Spanish, Indonesian, Tagalog, showing the cultural diversity of the diocese.
In his homily, Bishop Barnes spoke about the climate of fear that is gripping our immigrant and migrant communities, noting that our Catholic faith compels us to accompany immigrant brothers and sisters during this difficult time. Before reflecting on the migrants of today, Bishop Barnes discussed how the readings were perfect representations of the Migrant Mass.
“The second reading reminds us that we are one in Christ. We are all part of the body of Christ… We all are,” Bishop Barnes said. “So, we can’t exclude any part of the body…because the body is connected, so when one part of the body hurts, then the other parts of the body suffer too.”
After diving into the readings and how they beautifully represented the Migrant Mass’ intention, Bishop Barnes spent the remainder of his homily reflecting on the migrants of today.
“We are celebrating this Mass for the migrants of today and yes, all of us are migrants in one form or another, except for the indigenous people who were here. Some of us were brought here as slaves, indentured servants, some of our ancestors came for adventure, others came escaping persecution and poverty, looking for opportunities. They came for different reasons as they do today,” Bishop Barnes began.
After describing some of the historical reasons why migrants left their homelands, Bishop Barnes described the challenges they faced once arriving in a new land.
“They faced the challenges of their days, there was persecutions, there was discriminations, there was a feeling of superiority by the ones who were here to the newcomers, there was racism, there were jobs that were not allowed for them, they had to face new cultures, new language, new foods, new holidays,” Bishop Barnes said.
However, Bishop Barnes noted that the Migrants of today still face, if not face, more challenges than before.
“Although our ancestors faced their challenges of their days and there were challenges, these are the days that we are living and the challenges of today are as real or more real than they were in the past.”
Bishop Barnes then acknowledged the sense of living in fear among the migrant communities of today.
“We have to acknowledge that a lot of our people that are migrants are living in fear, they are afraid,” Bishop Barnes said. “They are living with such a fear that they become paralyzed not knowing whether to leave their homes, whether to speak, whether to come to church or go to the hospital. We need to recognize that because they are part of the body of Christ. When they suffer, we suffer. We can’t deny that. We as the body of Christ need to be there for those that are weak at this time, afraid at this time… In our Catholic teachings we go to God together. I cannot go to God without you. So, I need to be with you, I need to extend my hand to you.”
Bishop Barnes concluded by calling the faithful, especially in the Jubilee year, to walk together in hope.
“My brothers and sisters, we say in this year of Jubilee, we walk together in hope, all of us, we must be the hope for each other, we are the Christ for each other,” Bishop Barnes said. “That’s who we are as followers of Christ, we walk together, we are his body… We care about each other, and we walk hand in hand and when we do that, we know that Christ is with us. Christ walks with us, when we walk with one another.”
After the homily, parishioners were invited to write down their own prayer for migrants and place it into a basket to be offered up to God at the altar. Following the Mass was a reception that included informational booths by organizations that help migrant communities like, TODEC, Catholic Charities, and the Consulate of Mexico. There were also testimonials from those in attendance who wanted to share their own migration experience.