Toolkit for Parishes

Suggested Parish Activities

• Youth Letter-Writing Session: Host an after-Mass or youth group event where children and teens can write or draw letters to Pope Leo. 

• Intergenerational Participation: Encourage families to participate together, sharing stories and reflections.

• Prayer for Detainees: Include a short prayer for detainees during Mass or a community gathering.

• Art Displays: Collect and display letters and artwork in the parish hall, fostering awareness and solidarity.

Practical ways clergy can support

• Announce the campaign during Mass or in parish newsletters/bulletins.

• Provide printed templates or links for parishioners to easily participate.

• Encourage families, youth groups, and schools connected to your parish to get involved.
  
  

Short talking points for clergy

As you are likely aware, the Chicagoland area has been deeply affected by federal agents entering communities, intimidating residents, and detaining our neighbors. Many of these actions are happening at the Broadview detention facility, just outside Chicago, where people are being held in inhumane conditions.

A group of concerned Chicagoans has launched the “Letters to Leo” campaign across the Archdiocese and beyond. This campaign invites parishioners of all ages to:

• Write letters or create artwork for Pope Leo, sharing their experiences, concerns, and stories from our community.

• Highlight the impact of detention and raids on families, neighborhoods, and schools.

• Urge Pope Leo, a native of the Chicagoland area, to use his moral authority to visit Broadview and bear witness to the suffering of detainees.

Resources: Printouts of sample letters are available at the back of church. Additional information and instructions for mailing your own letters and artwork can be found online at LettersToPopeLeo.com.

Short copy for churches to put in bulletins/on websites:

Letters to Leo

Please join your fellow Catholics in urging Pope Leo to continue speaking out against  the abuses by federal agents in the Chicagoland area and around the entire country. Moved by the Gospel mandate to treat others as we wish to be treated, we can bring to the Pope’s attention the suffering of our brothers and sisters held at the immigration detention facility in Broadview, Illinois, just outside Chicago. We encourage all community members, especially children, to write or send artwork to Pope Leo, encouraging him to be an advocate for our detained neighbors. “Letters to Leo” will also be amplified in schools (parochial and public) as well as universities in the area. Please visit LettersToPopeLeo.com to learn how to get involved and where to send your letter.

QR Code to This Website

The QR code below directs to the homepage of this website. You can right click and press "Save Image as" to download it. QR codes are useful to include in a bulletin or printed flyer. If you're sharing this website electronically, you can simply include a hyperlink (http://LettersToPopeLeo.com).