The St. Brigid Catholic Church in Westbury held a vigil on Thursday, Nov. 13, as part of a national movement by religious organizations to support migrant families, asylum seekers, and refugees.
The vigil was registered with the One Church, One Family campaign, a national movement of U.S. Catholics calling people of faith to publicly demonstrate solidarity. The Westbury event was one of more than 100 vigils held throughout the country.
One church congregant called the silent vigil “moving,” which was followed by a multilingual mass celebration in support of its immigrant neighbors.
A vigil in Glen Cove drew a crowd of roughly 200 people on the same day.
Glen Cove and Westbury have had instances where people were taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. Multiple ICE encounters have been reported in Westbury throughout 2025, including two people being turned over to ICE after an alleged shoplifting incident at a Target.
Westbury is one of a few majority-minority communities within Nassau County.
This isn’t the first time that the St. Brigid Church community has shown solidarity to migrant families. Church members participated in a Pilgrimage of Hope Walk in July, standing together against fear.
Father John Sureau was one of the people who helped organize the walk, saying in July that many issues were causing hopelessness and despair, with immigration concerns a main cause.
The date of the vigil also had religious significance, as in the Catholic tradition, Nov. 13 is the Feast Day of Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini, the patron saint of immigrants and the first American saint to be canonized.
