I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.
Matthew 25:35

Our Partners in Migrant & Refugee Care

Sanctuary Resources

A sanctuary is a place made holy and set apart by its radical inclusiveness and indiscrimination. Under medieval canon law, debtors and fugitives could pursue immunity from arrest by taking refuge in churches and other holy places, before which all stigmas and distinctions of legal status which divide human beings were thought to dissolve.

Sanctuaries aspire to provide refuge from our prevailing political order, in which governments do engage in severe and pervasive discrimination between human beings on the basis of their parentage and place of birth. This reality may make it all the more important for faith communities to bear witness to—and live life in accordance with—their faith in a higher reality in which all persons are worthy of love, care, and rights, solely on the basis of their humanity.

The Interfaith Center of New York

What does Scripture have to say?

Any immigrant who lives with you must be treated as if they were one of your citizens. You must love them as yourself, because you were immigrants in the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God. Leviticus 19:34

‘Cursed be anyone who deprives an alien, an orphan, or a widow of justice.’ All the people shall say, ‘Amen!’ Deuteronomy 27:19

When you distribute the land as an inheritance, the immigrants who reside with you and raise families among you are considered full citizens along with the Israelites. They will receive an inheritance along with you among the tribes of Israel. Ezekiel 47:22

I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. Matthew 25:35

Contribute to the needs of God’s people, and welcome strangers into your home. Romans 12:13

Keep loving each other like family. Don’t neglect to open up your homes to guests, because by doing this some have been hosts to angels without knowing it. Remember prisoners as if you were in prison with them, and people who are mistreated as if you were in their place. Hebrews 13:1-3

What does the Episcopal Church have to say?

Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart, and especially the hearts of the people of this land, that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Collect for Social Justice, The Book of Common Prayer

Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?
I will, with God's help.
Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?
I will, with God's help.
The Baptismal Covenant, The Book of Common Prayer

“Because our true citizenship is not here on earth but in heaven, we are called to transcend the earthly distinctions made among us by the leaders of this world. We must proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is promised to the persecuted and answer Christ’s call to welcome the stranger among us. This vision of God’s kingdom, this new reality, is the one to which we Christians are pledged in our baptism above any political preference or policy, and to which our church must bear witness through word and deed. This sacred call shapes both our churchwide commitment to stand with migrants and the ministries of congregations across our church who serve vulnerable immigrants and refugees in their communities.”
The Most Rev. Sean Rowe - Presiding Bishop
Julia Ayala Harris - President of the House of Deputies

“At our 2024 diocesan convention, we approved a resolution that reaffirmed our sanctuary status with a focus on welcoming asylum seekers and refugees and caring for those in our communities who are undocumented. Our local communities are at risk because of who we welcome at worship on Sunday mornings and who we reach in programs throughout the week. By declaring ourselves a sanctuary diocese, we are affirming what we already know--that we are committed to supporting our local communities. We provide care for everyone. This support does not depend on any person’s immigration status, but on the inherent dignity of every human being–everyone is made in the image of God.”
The Right Rev. Matthew Heyd, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York