Refugee Support

Mission Statement

The Refugee Support Team, an outreach ministry of the Nauset Interfaith Association, is called to assist congregations and members of the wider community in responding to the global migration crisis. We are guided by a sense of our roots in a nation of immigrants, the witness of our faith traditions, and the principles of basic human rights which call us to acceptance in the face of rejection and othering.

We will partner with agencies and communities of faith, both locally and in the wider region to provide physical and social support on behalf of those already present in our midst: refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants regardless of status. Our task is to foster relationship.

We will monitor the political processes in which the migration crisis is set and engage in education and advocacy. We will maintain an awareness of our own need for learning and remain open to unplanned moments of awakening, action and collaboration.

Who is My Neighbor? Reflect and Respond to the Immigration Crisis

On Sunday, August 17th, the Federated Church of Orleans hosted its third Community Conversation panel of speakers.   Jointly organized by the Justice Committee of the Federated Church and the Refugee Support Team of Nauset Interfaith Association, the panel included speakers with expertise in various aspects of the immigration situation in the US today.  You can watch the full program here: https://youtube.com/live/otIGa4hYYh4 

PRAYING FOR ALL IN NEED
AND FOR IMMIGRANTS IN OUR MIDST
REFUGEE SUPPORT TEAM – NAUSET INTERFAITH ASSOCIATION
AUGUST 2026

AUGUST 2026

6 JAMAICA: INDEPENDENCE DAY: Jamaicans everywhere, including at their chapel in North Truro, celebrate this year the 64th anniversary of their independence from the UK.

+ TRANSFIGURATION OF THE LORD: Many Christain Churches today remember this mysterious event, when Jesus appeared in brilliant light with Moses and Elijah. Then and since, it’s appreciated as evidence of Jesus’ glory and identity – also of Christians’ luminous identity. One of the churches in the Nauset region – at the Community of Jesus in Orleans – was given this title in 2000.

+ FIESTA DE SAN SALVADOR: For many centuries, places (like the Central American country of El Salvado) named after Jesus celebrate their name day on the feast of Jesus’ transfiguration. This is thus a grand day on Nantucket, with its thousands of Salvadorans.

+ HIROSHIMA DAY: Despite the distance of decades, many recall this day in 1945, and renew their work against nuclear weapons.

9 UN – INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE WORLD’S INDIGENOUS PEOPLES: The first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations was held in Geneva on August 9, 1982. This led to the General Assembly proclaimng this annual Day. At the same time, event planners in the USA were preparing for the 500th anniversary of Columbus’s famous “discovery” of 1492. Native Americans and allies were looking for a way to refocus “Columbus Day” and that quincentennial.  Thus we have an International Day each August and a USA Day in  many areas two months later, For us here, remembering and marking both the UN Day and the USA holiday helps all know that the heritage and needs of the October holiday are global.15 22 The UN website notes: “Indigenous Peoples have sought recognition of their identities, their way of life and their right to traditional lands, territories and natural resources for years. Yet, throughout history, their rights have been violated. Indigenous Peoples today are arguably among the most disadvantaged and vulnerable groups of people in the world. The international community now recognizes that special measures are required to protect their rights and maintain their distinct cultures and way of life.”

MOTHER MARY: This has long been one of the most important days celebrating Mary. Lutherans call it “Mary, Mother of Our Lord”. On the Episcopal calendar it’s “St. Mary the Virgin”. Catholics observe it as the “Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary”. Three parishes in the Nauset area bear her name, St, Mary of the Harbor, Our Lady of Lourdes, and Our Lady of the Cape. In 2020, Pope Francis added an official “title” for Mary, “Comfort of Migrants”. Her long journey to Bethlehem while pregnant, and her sudden rush to Egypt, bearing an infant and hoping for asylum, show that the displacement and fears of today’s migrants were biblical realities. On this mid-August day we can pray for all migrants, invite migrants to find comfort in Mary, and encourage Churches honoring Mary in heaven to honor her on earth by comforting migrants.

UN – INTERNATIONAL DAY COMMEMORATING THE VICTIMS OF ACTS OF VIOLENCE BASED ON RELIGION OR BELIEF: By proclaiming this annual Day, the General Assembly recalled that States have the primary responsibility to promote and protect human rights, including the human rights of persons belonging to religious minorities, including their right to exercise their religion or belief freely. Let us pray for all who are denied these rights, and for our own country that we have refugee acceptance policies that address this need.

SACRED SCRIPTURE

Leviticus 19: 32-36 & Deuteronomy 24: 17-22:  Earliest codes for holiness and wholeness.

Psalm 75 & Psalm 85:  Songs for peace in our world

Psalm 121:  Song sung by migrants, on the move

Isaiah provides many poetic promises of peace & justice. Here are a few:

Isaiah 11: 1 – 9

Isaiah 32: 1 – 20

Isaiah 57: 14 – 21

Matthew 2:1-23

Jesus as a refugee in Egypt; the treacherous king that caused this

Matthew 25: 31-46

Welcoming the stranger as an essential mission of a Christian.

PRAYERS FOR DETAINED IMMIGRANTS

Gracious God, we ask for your blessing upon our sibling(s), name/s ,

who have enriched this community and blessed us by being a part of it.

Now bless and preserve them at this time of separation.

Day by day, guide them and give them what is needed—

dignity, security, justice, and peace.

Stir in us Your Spirit, that we might do our part

to preserve and defend the dignity and security of our neighbors.

Give us courage. Give name(s) courage.

Carry us, together, from here. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ

who Himself endured these forces. Amen.

– from Global Refuge

PRAYER TO MARY, COMFORT OF MIGRANTS

Most prayers “for migrants” presume those praying are non-migrants

praying for migrants. Here, though, is a prayer to share with migrants.

Mary, Comforter of Migrants,  we come before you with heavy hearts,

bearing the burdens as we seek refugeand the solace of a new home.

You who know the struggles of the journey, guide and protect us on the road,

offering strength in moments of fear, and hope when the way seems unclear.

Embrace the families torn apart, our souls searching for safety, and facing uncertainty and despair.

May your loving presence bring us peace and reassure us of our worth.

Inspire us to be a source of comfort for all of us who migrate and seek refuge.

Help us to recognize the face of Christ in all of our sisters and brothers.

O Mary, wrap your mantle around us, and intercede for a world where we might find peace,

belonging, and the promise of a brighter future

– from ihmimmaculata.org

THE CANTICLE OF CREATION

This October, many churches will celebrate the 800th anniversary of the

death of Francis of Assisi. Over the last two years of his life, he composed

this canticle, in four segments.

I. The first segment allows us to first and fully praise God, the Creator.

II. Then follows the main section, praising God through all of creation,

where we live as brother and sister to all.

III. The third segment was added later by Francis, after he saw a local

dispute (the mayor versus the bishop) and worked for reconciliation and

peace.

I. Most high, all-powerful, all good, Lord!All praise is yours, all glory, all honor

And all blessing.

To you alone, Most High, do they belong.

No mortal lips are worthy

To pronounce your name.

II.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through all that you have made,

And first my lord Brother Sun,

Who brings the day; and light you give to us through him.

How beautiful is he, how radiant in all his splendor!

Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Moon and Stars;

In the heavens you have made them, bright

And precious and fair.

All praise be yours, My Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air,

And fair and stormy, all the weather’s moods,

By which you cherish all that you have made.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Water,

So useful, lowly, precious and pure.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Brother Fire,

Through whom you brighten up the night.

How beautiful is he, how gay! Full of power and strength.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Earth, our mother,

Who feeds us in her sovereignty and produces

Various fruits with colored flowers and herbs.

III.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through those who grant pardon

For love of you; through those who endure Sickness and trial.

Happy those who endure in peace,

By you, Most High, they will be crowned.

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METANOIA – NOT PARANOIA
A SUPPLEMENT TO JULY 4 CELEBRATIONS
‘
When it became clear that Pope Leo XIV would not visit the USA this year for July 4, and that he elected to visit – on that very day – the Island of Lampedusa, it became clear that he was proposing prayer in
solidarity with immigrants as the way to mark that day. These notes began as a reminder for colleagues to watch the Pope at Lampedusa. Other texts came to mind for the holiday, for promoting metanoia, a change of heart. There is more here than one day allows – scan the materials before settling on what will enrich your holiday.
You might well add resources from other traditions – Christian, Islamic, Jewish, and so many more. This year, let Leo lead the way.

I. LAMPEDUSA – JOIN HOLY FATHER LEO TODAY:
9-minute video on the importance of papal visits to Lampedusa:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx5wG21mznk 

II. IMMIGRATION AS UNDERSTOOD BY THE CHURCH
1800’s https: www.ewtn.com/programs/10543-cabrini   
Recent, well-reviewed movie on Mother Cabrini and late-19th century immigration.
2025 2026 Pope Francis to USA bishops a strong rebuke to Trump and Vance
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/letters/2025/documents/20250210-lettera-vescovi-usa.html   
Or
google: Pope Francis, US bishops, February 2025
Pope Leo XIV at Grand Canary Island speaking to immigrants after graphic testimony from some
(Including “Blessing” who was forced into prostitution)
www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/speeches/2026/giugno/documents/20260611-spagna-accoglienza-migranti.html     
or
Google: Pope Leo, Grand Canary, address to migrants

III. JULY 4 – TEXTS FROM SCRIPTURES AND LITURGY
Psalm 8
Questions on immigration, world peace, and national policy are
questions about who we are, what kind of nation we want to be.
Zechariah 9: 9-10
The just ruler; proclaimed the next day, Sunday 7/05
Romans 8: 18-30 – all groaning, but hope-filled
Father of all nations and ages,
we recall the day when our country
claimed its place among the family of nations;
for what has been achieved we give you thanks,
for the work that still remains we ask your help,
and as you have called us from many peoples to be one nation,
grant that, under your providence,
our country may share your blessings
with all the peoples of the earth.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
R/. Amen
(Roman Missal, opening prayer (collect) for July 4)
God, source of all freedom,
this day is bright with the memory
of those who declared that life and liberty
are your gift to every human being.
Help us to continue a good work begun long ago.
Make our vision clear and our will strong:
that only in human solidarity will we find liberty,
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and justice only in the honor that belongs
to every life on earth.
Turn our hearts toward the family of nations:
to understand the ways of others,
to offer friendship,
and to find safety only in the common good of all.
(Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers, © 2007,
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops)
IV. WHO WE ARE AS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
1630 The conclusion of a sermon by Gov. John Winthrop, on the
Arbella, sailing to what would become Boston in 1630:
Now, the only way to avoid this shipwreck and to provide for our
posterity is to follow the counsel of Micah, to do justly, to love
mercy, and to walk humbly with our God. To this end, we must be
knit together in this work as one man. We must entertain each
other in brotherly affection. We must be willing to abridge
ourselves of our superfluities for the supply of other’s necessities.
We must uphold a familiar commerce together in all meekness,
gentleness, patience, and liberality. We must delight in each
other; make other’s conditions our own, rejoice together, mourn
together, labor and suffer together, always having before our
eyes our commission and community in the work, as members of
the same body. So shall we keep the unity of the spirit in the
bond of peace? The Lord will be our God, and delight to dwell
among us, as his own people, and will command a blessing upon
us in all our ways. So that we shall see much more of his
wisdom, power, goodness, and truth than formerly we have been
acquainted with. We shall find that the God of Israel is among us
when ten of us shall be able to resist a thousand of our enemies;
when he shall make us a praise and glory that men shall say of
succeeding plantations, “the Lord make it like that of New
5
England.” For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a
hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal
falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken and so
cause him to withdraw his present help from us, we shall be
made a story and a by-word through the world. We shall open
the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God and all
professors, for God’s sake. We shall shame the faces of many of
God’s worthy servants and cause their prayers to be turned into
curses upon us till we are consumed out of the good land whither
we are a going.
I shall shut up this discourse with that exhortation of Moses, that
faithful servant of the Lord, in his last farewell to Israel, Deut. 30:
Beloved there is now set before us life and good, Death and evil,
in that we are commanded this day to love the Lord our God, and
to love one another, to walk in his ways and to keep his
Commandments and his Ordinance and his laws, and the articles
of our Covenant with him, that we may live and be multiplied, and
that the Lord our God may blesse us in the land whither we go to
possess it. But if our hearts shall turn away, so that we will not
obey, but shall be seduced, and worship and serve other Gods,
our pleasure and profits, and serve them; it is propounded unto
us this day, we shall surely perish out of the good land whither
we pass over this vast sea to possess it;
Therefore, let us choose life – that we, and our seed, may live by
obeying His voice and cleaving to Him, for He is our life and our
prosperity.
1776 The actual text of the 1776 Declaration:
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript
1884 Sonnet for the Statue of Liberty:
The New Colossus, Emma Lazarus (1849 – 1887)
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
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With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
1961 City on a hill, still:
John F. Kennedy, on Beacon Hill, a week before inauguration:
https://www.jfklibrary.org/node/11516
1979 John-Paul II at Boston
https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/homilies/1979/docu
ments/hf_jp-ii_hom_19791001
usa-boston.html
_
or
google: John Paul II, Boston, homily

G. Thomas Ryan is happy to be part of St. Joan of Arc Parish in
Orleans (Fall River Diocese); happier still, looking forward to whatever
observances come to expression May 30, 2031, for the 600th
anniversary of her brutal execution by the Church.
Tom is currently co-chair of the Immigrant Support Team of Nauset
Interfaith Association (Lower & Outer Cape Cod), a steering committee
member of the Cape Cod Coalition for Safe Communities, a member
of the Social Justice Ministry of his parish, a supporter of Palestinians,
and devoted historian of the early history of Outer Cape Cod.

Cape Cod based allied organizations:

Brazilian Resource Center – nonprofit combines the skills of health professionals with a group opf local community members dedicated to exploring the health and wellness of our community body, mind and spirit.

www.healthministryusa.org or healthministryusa@gmail.com

Community Action Community of Cape Cod & Islands – “services for low-income individuals & families … to attain independence and self-sufficiency, …” includes an Immigration Resource Center.

www.cacci.cc or 508-771-1727

Latinx in Action – Serving the immigrant community of Cape Cod; www.latinxinaction.org email: inactionlatnx@gmail.com

Below, please use the link to the Immigrant Safety page from: miracoalition.org
Find Know Your Rights material and a Family Preparedness Tool Kit here using the QR code [in the link]. These resources will help you be better prepared if a family member experiences separation from being detained or deported.
INFO in cooperation with: Nauset Interfaith Association, Falmouth Immigrant Rights Coali1on

https://nausetinterfaith.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/CCSC-QR-CODES-Flyer-FINAL-FEB-6-2025.pdf 

Read excellent article “We Need Faith Based Immigration Reform” by L. Michael Hager at following link:     https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/03/19/we-need-faith-based-immigration-reform/