Singing beyond security
Faithful witnesses to detainees and those who hold them
For several months on Friday mornings, Sister of St. Joseph Janice Vanderneck and other religious and spiritual leaders have gathered outside Pittsburgh’s Department of Homeland Security building. They call these gatherings not protests but witnesses—a way to stand in solidarity with immigrants detained inside, and to pray not only for them but also for the I.C.E. agents and government officials who hold them.
The week I joined the group, a Capuchin friar in a long brown robe led the prayers. The week before, it was a Lutheran community. Other times, Bahá’í, Muslim, Buddhist and Jewish leaders have presided.
Singing is a big part of the gathering. We hoped the immigrants detained within could hear us.
“This song will be familiar to those inside,” Sister Janice said, lifting her hand toward the building. “If they can’t sing it aloud, maybe they can sing inside their hearts.”
“You are never alone in life,” were the opening words of the song Sister Janice led us in: Santa María del Camino—in English, Come as We Journey.“Mary is with you on your journey.”
We sang the Spanish version:
Mientras recorres la vida
tú nunca solo estás
contigo por el camino
Santa María va.
Singing can be one of those things like the derided “thoughts and prayers.” It doesn’t really feel like enough. I imagine the immigrants want to go back to their families and communities, more than forceably sit in a building, or hear people singing outside. But in the middle of hardship, hearing a song—and joining it, even silently—can be a kind of protection. A weapon, really. A shining of light in the darkness, in oneself and in the world.
And when Sister Janice speaks—or sings—I listen. She is one of Pittsburgh’s foremost advocates for the Latino community, having helped found Casa San José, a resource center for immigrants. If she’s leading a song, I’m in.
“Even if someone tells you that nothing can change, fight for a new world, fight for the truth,” we sang. In Spanish: “Aunque te digan algunos que nada puede cambiar, lucha por un mundo nuevo, lucha por la verdad.”
While that stanza’s about fighting, this group is about standing in love. They’re about believing that transformation—of hearts, of systems—is possible.
Si por el mundo los hombres sin conocerse van
no niegues nunca tu mano al que contigo está.
“Even if others in the world don’t recognize you,” the lyrics continue. “Still, reach out to those who are with you.”
I sang with the firm belief that no matter who heard the song, it would offer consolation and energy—knowing that Mary, the most loving maternal figure, walks arm in arm with us in our joys and in our hardest times; that our journeys are not bounded by made-up borders or false securities, but that our hearts can and will soar beyond them.
Aunque parezcan tus pasos inútil caminar,
tú vas haciendo caminos, otros los seguirán.
“Even when it seems useless to keep going, stay the course, and others will follow you,” the song continued.
If you want to join the chorus, the faithful witness of solidarity takes place every Friday morning at 8 am. If you want to be there but can’t, perhaps send a prayer—or sing a song—to hold immigrants, those who govern, and our own spirits in the light.
Ven con nosotros al caminar, Santa María, ven.
Come with us, Mary, as we walk.
More Opportunities to Witness and Support
Want to learn more about the topic “How to stand in solidarity with migrants and asylum seekers?”
Chicago’s Fr. Brendan Curran, cofounder of Priests for Justice for Immigrants, will speak to that in a free, virtual talk this Monday at 7 p.m.
The Association of Pittsburgh Priests is hosting the live conversation and will also record the talk for later viewing.