On Wednesday, June 24th, 2026, the Diocese of San José, in partnership with Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County and Catholic IMMpact (a joint initiative of the Hope Border Institute and the Center for Migration Studies) convened nearly 70 regional faith leaders for a daylong summit on migration at Our Lady of Peace Church & Shrine in Santa Clara.
‘In these critical moments for our immigrant brothers and sisters, the Church raises a voice of conscience, a voice of concern for families and individuals who feel vulnerable in this present environment,’ said the Most Reverend Oscar Cantú, Bishop of San José. ‘We promise our advocacy and accompaniment for immigrants and refugees in our own country and globally.’
The gathering drew participants from dioceses across the region, bringing together clergy, pastoral staff, service providers, Catholic organizations and lay leaders for focused formation, mutual support and practical planning.
‘This symposium directly addresses the rising fear many parishioners are experiencing,’ said Father Michael Carson, Interim Director of Life, Justice and Peace for the Diocese of San Jose. “The information and expert dialogue we shared will strengthen our ability to implement the Bishop’s pastoral guidance on immigration.”
‘After three decades of frontline legal work with immigrants, I’ve witnessed extraordinary resilience,’ said Robert Yabes, Program Director of Catholic Charities Immigration Legal Services in San Jose. ‘The challenges before us demand bold, collective action. This gathering was a sacred refusal to look away — an occasion to plan a courageous response to families in crisis. Our faith calls us not to passive charity but to practical solidarity.’
The summit continues a series of regional convenings organized by the Catholic Immigration Prophetic Action Project (Catholic IMMpact), designed to deepen the Church’s pastoral and public witness on behalf of migrants and refugees. Recent Catholic IMMpact events have been held in Detroit, Providence and Phoenix.
“As a Church, we are called both to tend to immediate needs and to confront the systemic forces that produce injustice. The first step toward action is education. To hear from those directly impacted by these horrific policies and work with those same people to change the policies that ignore due process, separate families, and detain our neighbors and family members for months at a time,’ said Father Jon Pedigo, Executive Director of PACT.
“The San José symposium exemplified honest conversation and practical collaboration across the Church and its ministries,” said Sofia Lozano Pallares, Assistant Director of Community Engagement at the Hope Border Institute. “We are grateful to have supported this effort and look forward to accompanying the Diocese of San José in its ongoing pastoral leadership and public witness.”