Novena to Mary, mirror of justice: For immigration reform

Created by 2021 Local Re/Generators Robert McCarthy and Nicole Saldarriaga. Download the novena as a PDF.

With the fearless leadership and mentorship of Marylee Raymond Diamond, the two of us in NYC wanted to think about ways to combine traditional prayer practice with the desire for social justice that forms the bedrock of Christ's mission. Throughout the entire project, we have wanted to think of ways to bridge and bring people in conversation. We hope that by creating novenas that connect to the needs of the Church and country - for a just and humane immigration system, for care of the Earth and all its inhabitants, for a stronger role for women in the leadership of the church, and for the uprooting of systemic racism - prayer can be more concretely connected to peoples' lives. Further, we hope that these novenas will also encourage other concrete steps.

While we were not able to reach our goal by the start (or even the end!) of Advent, the three of us are looking forward to continuing our work together, open to the ways that we might be led that we cannot see now. We are planning to reach out to parishes in New York City and invite their young adult groups together for a rosary-making session and talk where we will distribute the novena pamphlets to people who come. After the rosary-making session, we hope to all enjoy each other's company in a casual environment to build community among the different young adult groups present through Catholic churches in New York City. Once again, we see this project as an opportunity to build bridges, start conversations, and create community.