Sisters of Mercy co-sponsor press conference and vigil to support sanctuary for immigrants 

The Sisters of Mercy stood in solidarity with our immigrant sisters and brothers as co-sponsors of the Reaffirming Sanctuary Interfaith Press Conference, Procession and Vigil, Wednesday, February 19, in San Francisco, California. Sisters Joan Marie O’Donnell, Diane Clyne, Judy Carle and Martha Larsen joined hundreds of people from various faith traditions at the event, which also honored the legacy of Japanese immigrants and Japanese American families who were forcibly relocated to incarceration camps in 1942.  

The press conference took place at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, followed by a procession through Japantown. The final stop was Christ United Presbyterian Church for the vigil. The event was organized by The Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity, a network of 100+ sanctuary congregations in California that support immigrants and those targeted for deportation. 

KQED in San Francisco, a National Public Radio member, covered the event in two different segments. You can listen to the on-air segment with reporter Cami Dominguez here, and another segment by Juan Carlos Lara here (1:03-2:57). Both segments are in English only. Local TV station KRON4’s coverage can be found here (English only). The San Francisco Chronical story can be found here, although it is available to subscribers only.