Dear beloved brothers and sisters in Christ,

Last week I enjoyed an inspired performance by the UCF theater students of the musical, The Fiddler on the Roof at the Dr. Phillips Center. Before the show began, a ship’s manifest was projected on the stage’s scrim. Dated 1908, the manifest listed refugees making passage from Odessa to New York City. The story was set in the historical events of Imperial Russia around 1905. It depicted Tevye the milkman and his poor Jewish village of Anatevka trying to stay on their feet like a fiddler on the roof despite hardship and change. The show ended with the villagers expelled from their homes by an edict from the czar and scattered into the world with only their belongings on their backs.

Before the final bows, the poem “The New Colossus” engraved on the Statue of Liberty in the harbor of New York City was projected on the scrim.

"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!"

The silent words made me proud to be an American. Our country provided refuge for the Jewish refugees like Tevye the milkman and his fellow villagers forced from their homes.

In February, the federal government abruptly halted funding programs serving refugees and migrant children. The Catholic church has since 1980 contracted with the federal government to provide resettlement services to more than 930,000 refugees. Our Catholic bishops have sued the federal government for breach of contract, saying they are owed $24 million for work already provided. (The federal contract, according to the bishops, did not cover the true cost of resettlement and was supplemented by donations.) More than 6,000 refugees who had arrived within the previous 90 days are affected. The refugees had come to the U.S. legally after being vetted and approved by the federal government. Catholic bishops end refugee aid partnerships with US government, citing funding cuts | AP News

Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the USCCB and head of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, said in an April 7 statement it was “heartbreaking” to announce the bishops’ conference would not renew its “existing cooperative agreements with the federal government related to children’s services and refugee support.”

“This difficult decision follows the suspension by the government of our cooperative agreements to resettle refugees,” he said. “The decision to reduce these programs drastically forces us to reconsider the best way to serve the needs of our brothers and sisters seeking safe harbor from violence and persecution.” The Government’s Decisions Have Forced USCCB to Reconsider How to Serve the Needs of Those Seeking Safe Harbor from Violence and Persecution, says Archbishop Broglio | USCCB

The bishops’ statement concludes, “For half a century, we have been willing partners in implementing the government’s refugee resettlement program. The Gospel’s call to do what we can for the least among us remains our guide. We ask you to join us in praying for God’s grace in finding new ways to bring hope where it is most needed.”

Besides prayer, I would add that we must take action. In the Last Judgment, the Lord condemns the goats for the sins of omission. They failed to do for “the least brothers and sisters of mine.” The Lord sends the indifferent goats to eternal punishment (Matthew 25:31-46). What must we do for the hungry, thirsty, sick, imprisoned, stranger and immigrant? The answer follows from another question. What would you do for your brother and your sister in dire circumstances? Answer: you would move heaven and earth for them.

The Lord gave us a voice. Let’s use it for his people in need. Call and write our elected officials. Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops - florida Catholic advocacy network (flcan) - Tallahassee, FL Let them know that American Catholics are proud to welcome refugees. May our country live up to its historic invitation, “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” for the sake of today’s Tevye’s.

Blessed Holy Week,

Father David