This Ash Wednesday, February 18, 2026, marked an extraordinary moment of compassion, faith, and justice as two priests, Fr. Paul Keller, CMF, Fr. Leandro Fossá and Sister Alicia Gutierrez were escorted into the Broadview ICE facility by authorities.
Clergy were allowed inside the Broadview ICE facility near Chicago to bring the sacraments of the Church to people in immigration detention. This happened after a federal judge ruled that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security must grant access to Catholic clergy and faith leaders following a legal demand led by the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership.
In an interview with Fox 32 Chicago, Fr. Paul Keller, Provincial Superior of the Claretian Missionaries of the United States and Canada, spoke with profound clarity about the experience:
“This is the body of Christ, bringing the body of Christ to the body of Christ… that body is broken and it’s hurting.”
A Long-Fought Legal Victory
After months of being denied access to the Broadview ICE facility where many immigrants are held, faith leaders from Catholic and other Christian communities filed a lawsuit arguing that the previous refusals unjustly burdened their religious exercise. In response, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction compelling the Department of Homeland Security to allow clergy, religious sisters, and ministers to enter the facility to share Ash Wednesday blessings and pastoral care.
Faith in Action, Right When It Matters
For Catholics, Ash Wednesday inaugurates the season of Lent, a time for reflection, repentance, and renewal, making this pastoral visit into a detention facility all the more meaningful. The ability of religious ministers to be present with those who are frightened and isolated speaks to the heart of Christian witness: reaching out in mercy, especially to those whose circumstances make them most vulnerable.
Following the visit, Cardinal Blase Cupich of the Archdiocese of Chicago led a community Mass and procession in solidarity with the detained and their families, underlining the importance of unity, compassion, and justice during this holy season.
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