La Cruz de los Encuentros takes Center Stage at Immigration Summit

More than 400 parish and community leaders from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and dioceses of Fresno, Monterrey, Orange, San Bernardino, and San Diego participated in an Immigration Summit held on February 27, 2016. Immigrants and refugees shared powerful stories of immigration to the United States and their steps towards citizenship. The gathering- 

Hosting the Immigrant: A Call to Action-

 took place at Christ Cathedral in Anaheim, CA in conjunction with the L.A. Religious Education Congress and officially launched a parish-based initiative to help legal permanent residents move toward becoming U.S. citizens. Part of the Church’s support for comprehensive immigration reform, the yearly Summit is an endeavor of the California Catholic Conference of Bishops, southern California dioceses, and Catholic Charities.

La Cruz de los Encuentros was front and center at the beginning of the Summit where Archbishop José H. Gómez presented its history and significance for the Hispanic/Latino community and the V Encuentro. The Summit culminated with a 

via crucis

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Migrant Stations of the Cross

, a beautiful yet tragic art display highlighting the loss of life of those who crossed the border. La Cruz de los Encuentros led the procession from the Summit to the stations of the cross where participants were moved to tears. Each station contained articles of clothing or personal belongings of those who perished attempting to cross to the United States. The cross was placed at the end of the Station of the Cross where participants gathered to touch it and take photos with it, given its significance to the Hispanic community. The Cross was blessed by Pope Francis in Philadelphia and will travel to dioceses throughout the United States, as parishes, dioceses and episcopal regions undergo their own local Encuentro process. It will then preside over the national Encuentro gathering in September of 2018. The Cross was also present at the border in El Paso, TX during Pope Francis’ visit to Juarez, Mexico. 2016 © ENAVE.  All Rights Reserved.