Diocesan Resources
CCHD Newsletter Helping People Help Themselves Issue 23.3 (2023)
CCHD Newsletter Helping People Help Themselves Issue 23.3
Strangers No Longer: Parish Circles of Support Welcome Migrants in Michigan by Rhina Guidos
This issue highlights Strangers No Longer (SNL), a Michigan-based Catholic network that helps migrants through parish-based “Circles of Support.” Inspired by Pope Francis’s call to “welcome, protect, promote, and integrate” migrants, the initiative combines accompaniment, education, and advocacy.
This issue demonstrates how Strangers No Longer transforms parishes into communities of accompaniment, education, and advocacy for migrants. Through personal relationships, leadership development, and public engagement, the organization helps immigrants find dignity, belonging, and a voice while strengthening the wider Church community.
Welcoming Migrants through Parish Communities
Strangers No Longer began in 2017 when Michigan Catholics sought practical ways to support growing migrant populations amid contentious immigration debates. About 120 Catholics, including priests and bishops, organized parish-based circles to accompany migrants and respond to their needs. The network has since expanded into a structured organization of parish and congregational groups dedicated to supporting immigrants and advocating for humane immigration policies.
Circles of Support provide practical assistance such as:
- Transportation to court appointments and medical visits
- Material support
- Spiritual accompaniment
- Safe spaces for sharing personal experiences and challenges.
Participants report increased confidence, empowerment, and a stronger sense of belonging. The circles also help migrants become leaders within their families, parishes, and communities.
The organization takes its name from the 2003 pastoral letter Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope by the U.S. and Mexican bishops. Its work reflects Catholic social teaching and Pope Francis’s emphasis on welcoming migrants and building communities without barriers. Leaders stress that migrants are not merely recipients of aid but are brothers and sisters who contribute to parish and civic life.