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Members of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Joliet, Illinois, come together in support of immigrant rights.
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More than 600 immigrants and supporters rallied on the first of May, in the parish parking lot of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Joliet, Illinois. Church leaders, elected officials, union representatives and immigrants addressed the crowd waving American Flags and signs bearing phrases such as, “We are America” and “Today We March, Tomorrow we vote.”
Cloudy skies and a threat of rain didn’t deter the participants from coming. The event was coordinated as a show of solidarity with the hundreds of other marches and demonstrations held around the country on the same day. Father Raymond Corkery, O.Carm., pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, said,” It’s an historical day. It’s happening all over the country, and so we wanted to do one here in Joliet.” In addition to the rally held at Mount Carmel, many members of the faith community boarded buses that headed to Chicago to participate in a peaceful rally of over 400,000 marchers in the Chicago Loop.
The crowd that gathered at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church was mixed with religious sisters, priests and brothers from the Carmelites, Franciscans, and Sisters of Joseph. Their support on this issue was evident by their attendance. Most Reverend Joseph Imesch, Bishop of the diocese of Joliet, Illinois, was joined by diocesan priests and other religious leaders from the area in raising their voices in support of the church’s stance on immigration reform during the two-hour rally.
Luz Tellez-Ochoa, a member of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, emceed the rally. ”We all know the reason we are here,” she said. “We are asking for equal rights for our sisters and brother that are here as immigrants. We are asking for family reunification, a pathway to citizenship, equal opportunity in education and equal labor rights.”
One day Luz Ochoa and the many others whose stories have been told will have a happy ending. But until then, we pray for them and for all of us and for good people like Father Raymond, who stand up for immigrant people and challenge our society to become one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
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