''In Massachusetts, I live in peace. I'm not afraid," a woman named Erna recently told The Boston Globe in an article highlighting how mass deportations could threaten care for the elderly in Massachusetts.

After armed gangs seized Erna's home in Haiti two years ago, she fled to the U.S. and received temporary protection status (TPS). She trained as a nursing assistant at Catholic Charities Boston and now works as a nurse aide in an assisted living residence in Greater Boston.

Doris, a lifelong resident of Lowell, faced different challenges. When her husband's unexpected death left her the sole guardian of two young grandchildren, Catholic Charities provided grocery gift cards and helped her apply for emergency financial assistance.

These stories are typical of the ones we hear at Catholic Charities Boston -- people seeking help with education, job training, legal advocacy, childcare, and food, so that they can work, contribute to their communities in a meaningful way, and support their families.

Pope Francis recently urged Catholics to "not give in to narratives that discriminate against and cause unnecessary suffering to our migrant and refugee brothers and sisters."

We are already seeing how policy changes are affecting our community. Refugees who went through extensive government vetting and were approved for U.S. entry -- including families reuniting with loved ones here in Boston and women and children fleeing danger in Afghanistan -- abruptly had flights canceled. Funding interruptions and stop-work orders have also disrupted our team's legal orientation services and efforts to reduce immigration court backlogs.

Catholic Charities' century-long mission, rooted in faith, is to welcome and serve, with compassion and respect, all those in need. We are uncertain what will happen next in terms of the critical funding we receive to be a safety net for the most vulnerable among us. When long-standing policies and practices are upended, it can make us feel powerless. But we have the ability to reaffirm our Catholic values that every human being has dignity and deserves to be treated with compassion and respect.

The Archdiocese of Boston designates its annual Ash Wednesday collection to support Catholic Charities. This year, your support is more crucial than ever. Please consider beginning your Lenten journey by contributing to Catholic Charities Boston's Ash Wednesday collection to help your neighbors in need. Visit ccab.org/donate to learn more.



- Kelley Tuthill