A new Outreach established for: Immigrants, Refugees, and Asylum Seekers

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In response to the recent government cuts to vital programs established to assist those seeking refuge: immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, the Monks of Saint Basil of the Desert Eastern Orthodox Hermitage in Tucson, Arizona, have inaugurated a new outreach ministry. This initiative extends compassionate aid to those most vulnerable and marginalized in our society, reflecting our deep commitment to the teachings of Christ and the sacred dignity of every human life.

This outreach was formally established on June 14th, 2025, a date now recognized by many across the country as “NO KINGS” Day, a day of moral reckoning and spiritual resistance against the growing authoritarianism, xenophobia, and systemic cruelty manifested by the current administration. On this day, people of conscience and faith rise to denounce the renewed persecution of immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, and other oppressed communities, those whom the world deems expendable, but whom Christ calls “the least of these.”

We affirm the truth that no human being is illegal on stolen land. The soil now called the United States was seized through violent conquest and colonization, soaked in the blood of Indigenous peoples who dwelled here for many millennia, long before European settlers arrived. To criminalize and vilify those who now seek safety upon this land is a bitter injustice and a profound hypocrisy, especially when done under the guise of law and order.

As Orthodox Monastics and followers of the Gospel, we confess that Christ is present in the stranger. We see the image of God in every migrant child, every grieving mother at the border, every soul fleeing war, poverty, or persecution. Inspired by the Gospel, and in obedience to the commandment of the Lord, we extend our hands in mercy, not merely as an act of charity, but as an act of repentance and solidarity.

“For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink;
I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me;
I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.”
Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, “Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?”
And the King will answer and say to them, “Assuredly, I say to you,
inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”
— Matthew 25:35–40

This outreach is our humble and steadfast response to that Divine Command. In a world growing cold with indifference, we choose compassion. In an age of fear and cruelty, we choose Christ. Ours is a ministry of presence, prayer, and provision, not rooted in political ideology, but in the Incarnate Word who was Himself a refugee, fleeing violence in His infancy.

We do not stand above those we serve, we stand beside them. Because the Church is only truly the Church when it stands with the crucified, and Christ is crucified anew in every cage, every camp, and every border wall that separates humanity from one another.
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In the spirit of Pentecost, may the fire of the Holy Spirit burn away all fear and division, and may we proclaim with boldness that all are welcome, all are sacred, and all deserve refuge, justice, and love.
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