Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, In so many ways—large and small—the pandemic has upended our lives together. Families and, in a special way, young people, have faced distressing struggles. The pandemic made our connections with one another challenging and difficult. Exactly in that moment when we truly needed supportive relationships with one another, we found ourselves separated. Sadly, this included the relationships and connections that we have in and through the Church.

Wednesday night, Chicago received two busloads of migrants, including asylum seekers, sent from Texas on buses chartered by Gov. Gregory Abbott. For weeks, the Texas governor has been sending migrant women, men, and children — including infants — to Washington, D.C., and New York City, reportedly in protest of President Joseph Biden’s immigration policies. Treating children of God as political pawns is unbecoming of any elected official, especially when it involves marginalized, suffering people. The Archdiocese of Chicago stands with local municipal and religious leaders who have pledged to support these new arrivals seeking better, safer lives. While the burden of supporting migrants has undeniably fallen disproportionately on border states, the issue would be better addressed by a strategy of national cooperation.

We come together this night to find comfort in a moment of shocking tragedy. Comfort comes in just being together and in the shared faith that God never abandons us. For the God who sent his only Son Jesus into the world to fully share in our life with all of its joys and hopes, its griefs and sorrows, is near us.

I have been watching the news in horror as at least 6 are dead and many more were wounded after a gunman opened fire as families attended an Independence Day parade in Highland Park. What should have been a peaceful celebration of our nation’s founding ended in unspeakable tragedy.

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturns the court’s tragic 1973 decision that removed legal protection for unborn children. We welcome this important ruling and the opportunity it creates for a national conversation on protecting human life in the womb and promoting human dignity at all stages of life. This moment should serve as a turning point in our dialogue about the place an unborn child holds in our nation, about our responsibility to listen to women and support them through pregnancies and after the birth of their children, and about the need to refocus our national priorities to support families, particularly those in need.

Today, a gunman walked into a grade school in Uvalde, TX, and slaughtered at least 18 children and two adults—one of whom was the shooter’s grandmother. Authorities say the suspect is dead. He was 18 years old.

On Saturday, May 14, a gunman used an AR-15, high-capacity assault weapon to murder 10 Black Americans at a Buffalo grocery store, wounding two bystanders. Many of his victims were near or beyond retirement age, including Pearl Young, 77, a grandmother of eight who taught Sunday school, and Katherine Massey, 72, a civil-rights advocate who had written in favor of stronger gun-safety laws. Civil authorities say the 18-year-old suspect traveled hours to carry out his rampage, apparently leaving behind a manifesto filled with white supremacist ideology, including the vile conspiracy theory that people of color are “replacing” white Americans.

The people of the Archdiocese of Chicago stand with our brothers and sisters suffering under attack in Ukraine.

Dear Saint Edward Parish and School Family, It is with great difficulty that I write to share news about Father James McIlhone, a retired priest who is a resident in your parish. In keeping with our child protection policies, I have directed Father McIlhone to step aside from ministry and live away from the parish following receipt by the Archdiocese of an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor approximately 40 years ago while he was an associate pastor at another parish. He has agreed to cooperate with this direction. Allegations are claims that have not been proven and for this reason there needs to be a full investigation.

We are now more than two years into a time of loss and illness, unprecedented in living memory. Everyone is weary but we must call upon our reserves to remain diligent and take every precaution to keep ourselves and communities safe. Moreover, we must respect and support the heroes among us, our health care and other frontline workers. Keeping ourselves safe keeps them safe and ensures facilities remain open to those who need them.