Dear St. Patrick – St. Anthony family,
Many of you have shared your concern about what is happening in our country today with regard to immigrants and have asked a simple question: What can I do to make a difference? One answer is to share your voice.
On Monday, Fr. Mike will be testifying in person before the Connecticut General Assembly in support of three pieces of legislation that seek to protect immigrant families and strengthen civil rights in our state.
For those of us in the Franciscan tradition, peace and justice are two of the pillars of our value system. They call us to protect the dignity of every person and to work for communities where families can live, worship, and raise their children without fear.
Many immigrant families are woven into the very fabric of the Catholic Church in the United States and into the fabric of our society. They worship in our churches, raise their children in our schools, and contribute every day to the life of our communities.
Attached below are two resources if you would like to participate:
• Testimony Guide – explains the legislation and provides instructions on how to submit testimony
• Fr. Mike’s Testimony – reflections drawn from my experience walking with immigrant families over the past three decades
If you feel called to do so, I invite you to consider submitting testimony as well, sharing your own concerns and the values that guide you. We have created a testimony guide that will help you write and submit one letter of testimony in support of all three bills. Please use this guide yourselves, and share it with your core teams, justice ministries, and congregations, as well as others in your network who share our values.
Written testimony is most impactful when submitted by the hearing date (3/9/2026), but may be submitted up to 7 days afterward as well. You can find all the details in the testimony guide.
Testimony Guide from GHIAA
Testimony Guide: GHIAA’s Advocacy Guide is updated with all the latest info, including a fact sheet, step-by-step instructions for your testimony, a template for you to draw on when composing your testimony, and a guide to submitting your testimony.
Fr. Mike’s Testimony
Written Testimony: Numbers matter! It is critical for legislators to see a strong showing of support for these bills.
