The Archdiocese of Chicago will mark National Migration Week from September 22 to 28, 2025, with a series of events across its parishes and Immigration Ministry. The observance is part of a long-standing tradition in the U.S. Catholic Church, which has celebrated National Migration Week for 45 years. This week typically coincides with the Vatican’s World Day of Migrants and Refugees (WDMR), offering an opportunity for reflection and action on issues affecting migrants.

This year, National Migration Week adopts the theme “Migrants, missionaries of hope,” chosen by Pope Leo XIV. While WDMR usually falls on the last Sunday in September, it will be observed on October 4-5 in 2025 to align with the Jubilee of Migrants in Rome. Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to celebrate Mass at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls on October 5 as part of these festivities.

Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, emphasized the significance of this year’s theme: “As Pope Leo’s theme of ‘Migrants, missionaries of hope’ reminds us, our migrant brothers and sisters are not strangers; they are family in Christ,” he said. “They enrich our Church and serve as a reminder that the gospel knows no borders and that God’s love is for all people.”

Locally, National Migration Week will conclude with a Mass at Holy Name Cathedral on September 28 at 5:15 p.m., led by Bishop Lawrence J. Sullivan, vicar general of the Archdiocese. The service will feature a procession representing 15 countries and include readings and prayers in nine languages such as English, Spanish, Polish, Italian, Swahili, Filipino, Bahasa (spoken in Indonesia), Luganda (spoken in Uganda), and Vietnamese. A parishioner from St. Anne Parish in Barrington will share experiences from their immigrant ministry collaboration with Holy Family Parish in Inverness.

The Archdiocese’s National Pastoral Migratoria has coordinated efforts with other U.S. dioceses—including New York, Newark, Baltimore, Orange (California), Stockton (California), and Joliet—to promote awareness during National Migration Week through activities like rosaries, legal clinics, health fairs, holy hours, forums and more. Dioceses such as Los Angeles, Newark and Washington D.C., will also hold special Masses for the occasion.

Information about events taking place throughout Chicagoland can be found at https://pvm.archchicago.org/human-dignity-solidarity/immigration-ministry/national-migration-week.

In his message for the 111th World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2025, Pope Leo XIV reflected on migration as a source of hope: “In a world darkened by war and injustice, even when all seems lost, migrants and refugees stand as messengers of hope. Their courage and tenacity bear heroic testimony to a faith that sees beyond what our eyes can see and gives them the strength to defy death on the various contemporary migration routes.” He added: “Faced with frightening scenarios and the possibility of global devastation, it is important that there be a growing desire in people’s hearts for a future of peace and of respect for the dignity of all.”

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops encourages Catholic communities nationwide to welcome immigrants and refugees into parishes while reflecting on their challenges through prayerful action.

Recent data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees shows that by the end of 2024 there were approximately 123 million forcibly displaced people worldwide—a rise driven by persecution or conflict—with children making up nearly two-fifths of those affected.