BISHOP IS SPOT ON
I would like to comment on “False Narratives of Immigration,” which ran in your Fall 2025 issue. Many of my fellow parishioners in our Michigan church have bought into the falsehoods being circulated by our current administration regarding this topic. I, however, have personally observed the cruelty caused by the outright tearing apart of Hispanic families when a family member (typically the breadwinner) is detained.
I am the president of the Lansing St. Vincent de Paul District Council, a large Catholic charity in southcentral Michigan. I have personally assisted our Hispanic fellow Catholics who have been impacted by this humanitarian crisis. I am not Hispanic, but I can only imagine what my Hispanic fellow Catholic brothers and sisters go through every day worrying about whether they will be detained. Your article about immigration was spot on. Keep up the good work!
Dave Rais
Pinckney, Michigan
PILGRIMAGE OF SOULS
Thank you, Bishop [Seitz of El Paso], for your genuine and honest perspective on immigration. From my vantage point as a Catholic American, I view immigration as a pilgrimage of souls called by the Holy Spirit. Maryknoll was founded on foreign mission, which presently appears to be occurring here in the United States of America rather than in countries it might otherwise establish as mission territories.
I look forward to hearing more from Maryknollers!
Michele FitzGerald
Via YouTube channel
POLITICAL SLANT
I am writing in response to Father Lance Nadeau’s article in the Summer issue of Maryknoll magazine. I will continue to support Maryknoll because I admire your work around the globe for those in need.
However, I am bothered by your political slant. Our administration cut unnecessary jobs and waste in funding. This needed to be done. Immigrants are always welcome in our country if they come legally. Criminals are not welcome.
I believe in our president. All should acknowledge the fact that he is for peace in our world, and he is striving to make it happen for all people worldwide. I believe God is guiding our nation. We owe it our support.
Theresa Chmielewski
Cleveland, Ohio
BISHOP IS WRONG
Having read your Bishop Seitz interview on immigration, I cannot help but respond. It is clear that the bishop is promoting wide open borders; let them all in. Apparently, he has not paid much attention to the events of the past four years under the Biden administration of open borders that allowed murderers, rapists, drug dealers and sex traffickers, as well as terrorists, into the United States.
Go tell the families of the many victims that it was OK to allow these undesirables into our country.
Do not misunderstand me, I agree that the majority of immigrants are good people. I personally love the many Hispanics I have met and welcome with open arms all those who enter the country legally.
I recently saw a news report that showed a man carrying a sign that read “I am not a criminal.” I’m sorry, but anyone who crosses our border illegally has violated our laws, ergo, they are criminals. All countries, including the United States, have every right to provide secure borders to protect the citizenry. Open borders only create chaos and crime.
Bob Rainer
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Editor’s note: Neither Bishop Seitz nor official Church teaching advocate for open borders. The bishop said: “What the Church proposes is not that we would simply remove any kind of vetting to those who wish to cross. We believe that there should be an orderly process, both for crossing for economic reasons, and for in search of asylum.” In the article, the first sentence was paraphrased and the second sentence quoted directly.
WEAR A CROSS
I am writing in response to your Fall 2025 magazine issue. As a lifelong Roman Catholic (I am 78 years old), I have spent much time thinking, praying and working on my religious beliefs. I reference two articles, “Planting Climate Justice in the Philippines” about Maryknoll Sister Misolas and “Holy Ground” about Maryknoll Lay Missioner Theresa Glaser.
I was a teacher in both public and Catholic schools, and I am scandalized and sad that in the photos neither woman wears any visible sign of my Lord and Savior. I believe that wearing a simple stainless-steel cross is an unspoken, ever-present testimony. Humans are visual creatures.
Brenda Lopez
Tewksbury, Massachusetts
A MOTHER’S LOVE
Maryknoll has always been a big part of my life, as your magazine was one of our mother’s favorite reads and a constant presence in our busy home.
As a proud Maryknoll partner in mission, I still receive the magazine. After reading it, I would mail it to my mother in a nursing home in the Philadelphia area. She never lost her love for Maryknoll.
Our mother, Francina Collins, died in April after a long illness. She was a widow at the age of 46 and the mother of eight children. She was a devout woman who will be deeply missed. I am so happy that she shared the gift of Maryknoll with our family.
Mike Collins
Valparaiso, Indiana
Featured image: In Parque Cuscatlán, San Salvador, a young mother reads names engraved on the Monument to Memory and Truth honoring civilians killed in El Salvador’s civil war. Two Maryknoll martyrs, Sisters Maura Clarke and Ita Ford, are listed among the victims. (Octavio Durán/El Salvador)
