Photos: Eucharistic Procession to Broadview Detention Center
1,000 people of faith united with us for our Eucharistic Procession to the Broadview Detention Center on Saturday, October 11—a truly amazing demonstration of the power we have built. Our pilgrims came from parishes, universities, religious orders and grassroots organizations from across Chicagoland. Senator Dick Durbin and Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson both made statements as we prepared to step off from St. Eulalia Church.
Bryan Sebastian photographed the event. These are some highlights:
Paul Goyette and Jhonathan F. Gómez have also generously shared their photos from the Eucharistic Procession:
We spent all of the previous week attempting to get permission for our delegation of ministers to bring Christ in the Eucharist to our siblings detained in the ICE detention center. When we arrived, the Illinois State Police made a call to ICE on our behalf, and unfortunately after just a few minutes, we were told NO. There was no reason or justification given, just an unequivocal answer of "NO" from ICE.
This refusal is a violation of the rights of detained people in Illinois and the United States to freely practice their religion while detained. In jails and prisons across the US, it is standard practice for chaplains to be welcome in facilities to minister to the people there. This sinful denial by ICE quite literally turned Christ away from the doors of this center of dehumanization, refusing our sisters and brothers the sustenance they so desperately need under the most traumatizing of conditions.
We believe the denial of communion is a moral and spiritual scandal. At the same time, the turnout to this Procession, and the commitment to nonviolence of all who attended, showed loud and clear that we are not resisting the oppressive Empire of DHS and ICE with violence, but with absolute nonviolence—reinforced by this CBS Chicago video.
Our Eucharistic Procession has been consoling those far and wide. We were covered by ABC 7, CBS Chicago, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, Daily Gazette, Fox 32 Chicago, FREEDOMNEWS, WBEZ, Post Register, and America Magazine. Coverage includes an article picked up by the Canadian Press that mentions CSPL present at Broadview. A reel by MidasTouch captured the moment of negotiation between the delegation and the State Police on Facebook and Instagram. Another reel by former CNN Host Don Lemon has tens of thousands of interactions.
People around the world—many Catholics and Christians, but also many who are not part of the Church—are sharing our sorrow, our anger, and elevating our message that our community members have a right to receive Christ. They are affirming our political holiness, grateful that we are courageously bringing our faith to the public square.
