Support Immigrants and Refugees – St. Anne's Episcopal Church

Help Massachusetts immigrant families access the legal support they need!

Episcopal City Mission (ECM) is hearing from churches across the Commonwealth—urban and rural, affluent and working-class—all united by growing concern over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the shrinking access to legal protections for immigrants, including asylum seekers and families who arrived here legally.

Here’s what we’re seeing: Some churches have parishioners at risk of detention or deportation. Others are connected through programs and partnerships. Many, while more removed, want to act but don’t know how.

Churches with financial resources often feel disconnected from those directly impacted. ECM is bridging this gap—connecting churches ready to fundraise with churches and immigrant-led organizations in urgent need of funds for legal defense.

Make an individual donation to ACE Center for New Americans: Donate here
(Please select “In Honor Of” and write “Episcopal City Mission” so we can track our total impact.)

A Personal Story from the Episcopal Churches in Lowell (St. Anne’s and St. John’s)
A glimpse into the transformative work of the ACE Center for New Americans
“The first time I walked into the ACE Center, I followed the laughter to the after-school program. Kids were doing homework, making art, and preparing to carve pumpkins for a citywide fall festival. Later that evening, the space became a hub for English classes, legal consultations, and connections to vital services for new Americans.”
— Rev. Ginger Solaqua, Priest-in-Charge, The Episcopal Churches in Lowell

Since then, the communities at St. Anne’s and St. John’s have been involved with ACE, and has committed to fundraising for immigration lawyers working with their families. ACE has grown with the needs of its community.

When Haitian and Venezuelan families were placed in a local hotel, ACE immediately launched after-school programs and service connections. When these same families—many here legally—were suddenly swept into deportation proceedings, ACE didn’t hesitate: they committed to offering legal representation to all 60 families on their waitlist. St. Anne’s and St. John’s members are doing all they can, but they are small parishes without a full-time priest and what they can do on their own is limited, so they came to ECM asking for assistance. Now, they need our help to finish what they started.

Here’s how you or your parish can make a difference:
$375 covers one asylum application
$1,000 supports an immigration attorney for one week
$2,000–$10,000 funds a full legal defense for a family in deportation proceedings

Make an individual donation to ACE Center for New Americans: Donate here
(Please select “In Honor Of” and write “Episcopal City Mission” so we can track our total impact.)

These aren’t just numbers. These are our neighbors. Join us in standing beside them.

We invite Churches that fundraise with us to come in person to get to know our neighbors here in Lowell at the following events:

African Festival of Lowell June 21, 2025 – All day @ Sampas Pavilion africanfestivallowell.org
World Refugee Day June 21, 2025, 4–6 PM @ St. Anne’s, Lowell Hosted by ACE. Food trucks, music, and family fun.
Lowell Folk Festival July 25–27, 2025 @ St. Anne’s and downtown Lowell One of the largest free folk festivals in the U.S.lowellfolkfestival.org