“In a word, it is not only the cause of migrants that is at stake; it is not just about them, but about all of us, and about the present and future of the human family. Migrants, especially those who are most vulnerable, help us to read the ‘signs of the times.'”
POPE FRANCIS, Message for the WDMR – 2019
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Church Teaching on ImmigrationWhat does the church teach about immigration?
First Principle: People have the right to migrate to sustain their lives and the lives of their families.
Second Principle: A country has the right to regulate its borders and to control immigration.
Third Principle: A country must regulate its borders with justice and mercy.
Read more about the Catholic Church's Teaching on Immigration at at usccb.org.
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Angels Unawares Arrives in New Orleans
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"Angels Unawares" is a bronze sculpture by Timothy Schmalz installed in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican since September 29, 2019, the 105th World Migrant and Refugee Day. This statue was inaugurated by Pope Francis in 2019 for the 105th World Day of Migrants and Refugees.
Titled "Angels Unawares," the statue shows a 20-foot-long boat crowded with migrants and refugees from various lands. The sculpture, cast in bronze and weighing nearly four tons, is on a tour of American cities before going on permanent display at Catholic University of America. Among the 140 sculpted faces are Italians and Germans seeking a better life in a new country; Irish immigrants escaping the 19th century Potato Famine; Africans who were forced onto slave ships; Vietnamese boat people fleeing a Marxist regime; a Cherokee on the Trail of Tears; Jews scarred by the Holocaust; Syrians seeking a more peaceful home than their homeland, and many others. All figures and faces are from photos of real people or modeled in-studio. Even the Holy Family is in the crowd, identifiable only by St. Joseph's toolbox. Above the figures, stretching 11 feet high, are the wings of an angel meant to symbolize Hebrews 13:2: "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."
The public is welcome to visit the statue on the front yard of Notre Dame Seminary, 2901 S. Carrollton Ave. in New Orleans now though June 6, 2021.
Learn more at https://angelsunawares.org/. -
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Canadian sculptor Timothy Schmalz explains the inspiration behind his new bronze statue recently unveiled in St. Peter’s Square, “Angels Unawares.”
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