by Saul Perez
It has been more than a year since I was hired to reboot the Archdiocese of San Francisco’s immigration ministry, as the country and the Bay Area were experiencing a flood of undocumented immigrants who needed help and during a bitter presidential campaign where immigrants and immigration were hot-button issues.
Here is a brief reflection on what has been achieved with our partners, the impact it has had on the community and how it has shaped my own growth as a young adult who stumbled upon this job posting right after leaving a job interview with a state legislative committee.
At the time, I thought my master’s degree in public administration from George Washington University and some consulting were a good segue into a job for a nonprofit, a think tank or the government.
Instead, I am immersed in living my faith on the front lines as a Catholic advocate for immigrants. Since I started work in March 2024, the immigration ministry has hosted a total of 23 events and reached more than 1,000 families across San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin counties.
That includes four immigration fairs, numerous Know Your Rights workshops, listening sessions and free legal consultation from third-party specialists, along with a lecture on Catholic social teaching on migration and an online presentation to Catholic school administrators and priests on legal guidelines for undocumented immigrant students.
In the archdiocese, we rely on the support of Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone and the amazing work of priests, pastors and parishioners. Our collaboration with other organizations has been outstanding, particularly with Catholic Charities and the University of San Francisco School of Law. Catholic Charities’ Raquel Seifert is a community outreach manager and serves as the lead Know Your Rights presenter. USF law professor Bill Hing, who heads the USF Law Immigration and Deportation Clinic, provides excellent legal consultations.
I grew up primarily in San Mateo, and my parents are professionals who came to the United States initially as Mexican immigrants and are now citizens, so I bring lived experiences to the work.
The first Know Your Rights workshop in collaboration with Catholic Charities was in August 2024 at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in East Palo Alto. The Mass offered for all immigrants and the fair that followed as part of the Oct. 12 Rosary Rally drew a multiethnic crowd of more than 1,000.
An endearing memory at a March 2025 event was seeing St. Teresa of Avila pastor Carmelite Father Gregory Houck in the kitchen with parishioners providing a delicious spaghetti and garlic bread meal for those attending and volunteering at the St. Peter immigration fair.
Clear explanations of the law regarding immigrant cases are offered at all these events, and often there are no immediate avenues to legal residency. One of the most difficult parts of my work is hearing testimonies of fear and suffering.
One hopeful exchange with an undocumented Mexican immigrant mother sticks with me. She came to an immigration fair at Our Lady of the Pillar in Half Moon Bay. This mother had been deported many years ago, leaving behind her 5- and 3-year-old children. She made several attempts to return but was repeatedly deported. Once in the United States with her family, she fruitlessly sought legal help for years. But she was determined not to return to Mexico because of the violence in her hometown. During the immigration event, she told the consultants she had once been assaulted at work during a robbery. They said she might have grounds for a U visa. Her voice trembled, and with tears she thanked the consultants for this sliver of hope.
We welcomed about 60 immigrant families to the immigration fair in Half Moon Bay, which coincided with the Catholic Church’s World Day of Migrants and Refugees. Volunteers included 20 USF law students and parishioners from St. Bartholomew, St. Matthew and Our Lady of the Pillar. They set up, cooked hot dogs and warmly greeted attendees. Other organizations represented at the immigration fair included the Mexican consulate, Coastside Hope, St. Vincent de Paul Society and Catholic Charities.
What began as a simple “yes” during a job interview has become a way to share the Church’s enduring commitment to walk with immigrant brothers and sisters. The words of the grateful mother called to mind the words of a wise and not-so-old priest, archdiocesan vicar general Father Stephen Howell: “People will look back and say, ‘The Church did that for me.’”
Parishes and locations for immigration events
St. Francis of Assisi, East Palo Alto
St. Anthony of Padua, Menlo Park
Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption,
San Francisco
St. Raphael, San Rafael
Mission Dolores, San Francisco
St Paul of the Shipwreck, San Francisco
St. Dominic, San Francisco
St. Timothy, San Mateo
St Peter, San Francisco
Church of the Assumption, Tomales
Our Lady of the Pillar, Half Moon Bay
St Anthony of Padua, Novato
St Vicent De Paul Society, Multi-Service Center South homeless shelter
Parishes that have provided assistance …
St. Matthew’s Social Action Ministry: assisted at St. Timothy and Our Lady of the Pillar immigration fairs.
St. Agnes Parish: hosts a monthly legal clinic in San Francisco, providing free legal consultations and guidance to local residents.
St. Timothy Parish: provided volunteers for the event, helped with set up and made sandwiches for the fair at the parish.
St. Bartholomew’s Social Action Ministry: assisted at Our Lady of the Pillar.
St. Raphael’s Social Action Ministry / Marin Organizing Committee: helped organize and manage consultations at the fair and the listening session in the parish and provided food.
St. Teresa of Avila parish: sponsored the Immigration Fair at St. Peter parish, volunteered and prepared food.
Mission Dolores parish: volunteers helped set up the workshop and assisted at St. Peter’s fair.
St. Pius Parish: sponsored the fair at Our Lady of the Pillar.
Our Lady of the Pillar Parish: staff from the school and parish volunteers helped set up the event and promoted the fair within the parish.
Saul Perez is the social action and digital media coordinator of the Office of Human Life & Dignity for the Archdiocese of San Francisco.
