MINNEAPOLIS — St. Paul’s-San Pablo Lutheran Church opened its doors for a special Sunday service called “Lament and Hope” as Minneapolis remained on edge following the fatal shooting of a woman by an immigration officer, according to the Associated Press.
Rev. Hierald Osorto, the church’s pastor, welcomed worshippers to the service and told the crowd, “Thank you for being here this morning. Gathering is such a critical, critical thing to do, especially in these times. It’s been a difficult week,” the AP reported.
The service was held amid fears in immigrant communities tied to President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. The AP reported that the Department of Homeland Security had sent roughly 2,000 agents and officers to the region in a show of force, prompting opposition from activists and sparking fear among residents, particularly in neighborhoods where enforcement activity had increased.
The church’s congregation is largely immigrant, and the AP said the church is located in an area that has seen heavy immigration enforcement activities since Homeland Security targeted the city. The AP reported that the church was about 1 1/2 miles (2.4 kilometers) from the block where Renee Good was shot Wednesday by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, a proximity that left tensions even higher.
In many ways, the service resembled a typical Sunday worship. The AP reported that candles were lit, hymns were sung, and communion was offered. Inside the church, worshippers greeted one another with smiles and hugs, and a statute of Our Lady of Guadalupe stood at the front.
Volunteers handed out pamphlets that included details of the songs and prayers for the service. The AP said the pamphlets featured a drawing of a woman holding a sack with the words “Justice is for Everyone: Immigrant Rights Now!” The AP also reported that Osorto prayed for Good during the service.
After the service, Osorto told the AP, “I think that it’s important for folks to realize that what’s happened here in the Twin Cities has changed us for the rest of our lives,” while noting he had seen a slight dip in attendance. The AP said he was still pleased with the turnout given that congregants were going through what it described as a difficult week.
Anna Amundson, a member of the congregation, told the AP that many people in the community were not going to work and were fearful of even going out to shop. She said, “A lot of people are afraid to kind of do the basic things, and so that’s why it’s even more impressive, I think, that people are still coming to church. This community is important to people, and I think that you can kind of see that,” and added, “People in our congregation are scared.”
One congregant who attended, Lizete, did not want her full name used because, as an immigrant, she said she was scared of enforcement. The AP reported that she knows people who have been picked up by ICE and said she had considered staying home, but that being alone would intensify her worries. She said, “Here I have my people, who is close to me, and I feel their really, really support,” and pointed to a hymn lyric—“Nothing can trouble, nothing can frighten. Those who seek God shall never go wanting”—as a source of strength.
Outside, the AP reported, immigration enforcement officers drove through the neighborhood and detained people while activists used whistles and beat drums to try to stop them. It said church security stood guard by the doors and controlled who came in. Later Sunday, the church also served as a hub for other gatherings, including a singing vigil where dozens of people practiced songs and then walked through the community singing in opposition to the immigration enforcement operation.
The AP reported that some participants also made paper flowers usually carried during Christmas processions, but that they planned to carry the flowers during protests against the enforcement operation. Jose Luis Villasenor spoke during the service and, the AP said, urged those gathered to remember they were brave. He told the AP, “I want us to, through the reading we had today, to remember that we can we can get through this together, not alone, because we’re very brave and resilient,” describing the community’s resilience in the face of what he said was an intense situation.