The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) announced the "Cabrini Pledge" on September 19, 2025, as a way to engage American Catholics with their faith and remind them of their own immigrant heritage.
Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, Texas, the head of the USCCB's migration committee, announced the pledge in a YouTube video published on the conference's channel.
"I invite you to join with us as keepers of hope, a hope that our Holy Father Pope Leo reminds us can be seen in the faithful witness of migrants and refugees," said Seitz.
"With one voice, we proclaim, 'every person, regardless of where they are born, is created in the image of God and has an inherent dignity that deserves respect,'" he said.
1st Saint Citizen
This mentality, he said, was one of the guiding forces of St. Frances Cabrini's ministry in the United States.
Mother Cabrini, a native of Italy who moved to the United States when she was 38, was the first American citizen to be canonized. She is the patron saint of immigrants.
"During her life of service, Mother Cabrini often faced great trials as an immigrant, a woman, and an advocate for the poor," said Bishop Seitz. "But she never relented in her determination to build an empire of hope, sustained by her relationship with Christ in the Eucharist and in the face of those she served."
Intentional
Taking the Cabrini Pledge, said Seitz, is making an "intentional commitment to living out the Gospel, not in abstraction, but through acts of solidarity that affirm the inherit dignity of every person."
Through prayer, civic engagement, and encounter, it will be possible to "transform fear into compassion," said the bishop, creating "a world where no one feels less-than due to their immigration status."
"May Mother Cabrini pray for us as we aspire to her example."
The pledge was released as part of the USCCB's annual National Migration Week. In 2025, National Migration Week is observed from September 22-28.
The text of the Cabrini pledge
- To affirm, in word and deed, the inherent dignity of every person, regardless of immigration status or country of origin, seeing each as a child of God before all else.
- To engage with Scripture and the Church’s social teaching, reflecting on the role of migration in salvation history, the history of the United States, and the history of my own family.
- To listen and learn about the circumstances facing migrants and refugees, including those in my community, with an open heart and mind.
- To seek opportunities for encounter, so as to grow in deeper understanding and communion that leads to an authentic solidarity with those in need.
- To consider what it means to be a good neighbor and how I am called to reflect the love and hope of Christ to others.
- To encourage civic dialogue that places the human person and the sanctity of families at the center of policymaking, especially toward the end of meaningful immigration reform.
- To join with Pope Leo in praying for all migrants and refugees as fellow travelers on the journey to our true homeland.
Take a look at a quick summary of Catholic social doctrine here.
