As New Haven’s grassroots mobilized to respond to federal raids on Fair Haven immigrants, the action has largely centered around a church with an historic mission of welcoming newcomers — and a minister with a passion for social justice.
“We’re not just a bunch of social activists,” said Fr. James Manship, pastor of St. Rose of Lima Catholic church in Fair Haven, the spiritual home of many of the city’s undocumented families. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Manship’s congregation counted for many of the immigrants and advocates who publicly supported the passage of a new municipal ID plan that will enable undocumented workers, among others, to have credentials to open bank accounts, gain free entrance to city parks like the golf course, and obtain library cards.
And when the feds swept into Fair Haven to round up undocumented immigrants Wednesday — in response to the new ID plan, in some people’s view — St. Rose became a center of activity in response. Manship spent Wednesday morning visiting parishioners in the community to calm fears and advise them on how to respond to feds knocking on their doors. He joined other ministers and advocates at a press conference to denounce the raids. His church became the meeting point Wednesday night for families of targeted immigrants and lawyers seeking to help them.
And St. Rose became the site for Thursday night’s planned community-wide mass and action in response to the raids.
Manship, pictured above next to the sign in front of the rectory that welcomes people in Italian, French, Spanish and English, said his activism and that of his parishioners is informed by faith. “We not just a bunch of social activists here,” he said. “I’m not diminishing that. All of that’s great. But it’s linked I think to the image of Guadalupe and out understanding that each and every person is created in the image of God… When people are frightened, when people are disrepseted, their dignity is demeaned, it’s an affront to all of us.” Click here to hear him speak about that in full.
Father Jim, as he’s called in English, or Jaime, in Spanish, credited his mostly Latino congregants for teaching him “so much about being a Christian, so much about being a priest.” It has to do with humility and community. Click here for more.
Sitting down for an in-depth conversation on Thursday morning, Manship was calm and centered. He seemed to have all the time in the world, despite having devoted many hours to the successful struggle (at Monday’s Board of Aldermen meeting) for the city’s municipal ID cards and then to the aftermath of the federal raids early Wednesday morning. He spent Wednesday evening gathering families whose loved ones had been arrested by the feds, to meet at the church with students from the law clinic at Yale. “They were here ‘til midnight interviewing the families and preparing the proper paperwork to ask for bond for the folks from our community who were abducted,” he said. He added that it’s so important for the families to feel “surrounded by community, not just St. Rose but the larger New Haven community.”
His church is a haven for immigrants — and has been since its founding 100 years ago. (St. Rose’s centennial celebration is later this year.) It was established by mostly Irish Catholics, as evidenced by this beautiful stained glass window, which is dedicated “In memory of Mrs. Margaret Fitzgerald.” It has served many other groups over the years. He said the majority of parishioners now are from Mexico, Ecuador, Guatemala and Peru. (Pictured above, a large painting of the Virgin of Guadelupe, the patron saint of Mexico, hangs in the front of the church.) And he pointed out that, while some may think it’s one “community” because all those members are Spanish-speaking, there’s a lot of getting-to-know-you that must go on before people can forge a true community.
The church offered many services for its members, including two out of three Sunday masses in Spanish, English as a second language (ESL) classes, and a pre‑K through 8th grade English-only school. “Parents choose to send their children there,” Manship said, “because they want their children to learn English, but they also want them to have an education that reflects their faith and their values.” He pointed out that one of their graduates got a full scholarship to prep school, then went on to college and is now the vice president of a major bank, and mentions the accomplishments of several others, adding, “We’re so proud of our young people.”
Manship first served St. Rose’s parish as a deacon beginning in 1997. He was ordained the next year and served two more years. Then he was assigned elsewhere in the state for five years, coming back to St. Rose in March of 2005. He took over when Fr. Burbank retired, whom he credited with moving the parish into the social justice movement through involvement with ECCO, Elm City Congregations Organized.
Asked if he subscribes to the slogan, “Ning√ɬ∫n ser humano es illegal” (“No human being is illegal”), he sighed and said, “There’s so many slogans going around. Yeah, but we got to go deeper than that.” Click here to see where he went with that idea.
Manship does not believe in open borders — in letting anyone into this country (or any country) who wants to come. “You’ve got to control your borders, but you have to recognize that people have been here for many years, contributing to the country and in many cases paying taxes. The law is not meant to punish people but to provide order and incarnate the values of the community, and one of those values is mercy.”
He said Wednesday’s raid left him both sad and “angry.”
“My anger is beyond words,” he said in between visiting with targeted families. “People shouldn’t live in fear. We should be able to figure out what we’re doing about immigratin on a national level without people worrying about their safety.”
He spoke of how the United States has a history of some people seeking to discriminate against or keep out successive waves of immigrants, including many Catholic families in previous generations. “We have a history of immigrants coming to this country and facing xenophobia. We’re missing the boat here,” he said. “These sweeps are a symbol. It sets us back. We’re trying to be a city in New Haven living civillly with each other while the federal government wrings its hands” on true immigration reform.
Paul Bass contributed to this article.
Father Jim/ Jaime actions and words embodies what true faith in God and a message of love unlike those who use religion to create hate and fear. When will others, including national leaders release the reigns on hate and give into their conservative "faith" in God and support true immigration reform that recognized and respects the human immigration experience. This is one that would keep families in tact, reduce exploitation of workers immigrants and non-immigrants alike in this country and abroad and end foreign US policies that impede economic growth in Latin America and in other countries that can help families live a dignified life and survive in their country of origin.
I would vote for Father Jaime/ Jim for President.