Study Guide on "Pilgrims of Hope: A Pastoral Reflection on Immigration"

by Iowa Catholic Conference | August 22, 2025

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This small group study guide was designed to encourage further discussion surrounding the new pastoral letter "Pilgrims of Hope: A Pastoral Reflection on Immigration." The guide is split into two sessions, with each session covering different parts of the pastoral letter.

You should plan for each session to take 60-70 minutes. This study guide and the pastoral letter are both available to download and print.

Recommended format for each session:

• Opening prayer
• Read selected excerpts aloud
• Group discussion
• Closing prayer and action steps

Session 1: Welcoming the Stranger—Faith, Dignity, and the Church’s Witness

Session Focus:

• Theological foundation of human dignity
• Catholic Social Teaching on migration
• Scriptural and magisterial sources (including Exsul Familia, Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis)
• Political rhetoric vs. Gospel truth

Selected Excerpts:

• Introduction
• Section II: Catholic Social Teaching
• Section III: The U.S. Immigration Context

Discussion Questions:

1. The letter says immigration is a “deeply moral matter.” What makes it so?
2. How does the Church balance the right of nations to regulate borders with the dignity and rights of migrants?
3. Pope Benedict XVI warns against relativism of truth. How do false narratives about immigration distort our moral vision?
4. What responsibilities do we bear as citizens and Catholic Christians when laws or rhetoric undermine human dignity?
5. How does this teaching challenge or affirm your current understanding of immigration?

Action:

Close with USCCB’s Prayer for Migrants and Refugees. Participants are encouraged to search out and learn about a local organization serving migrants and/or to reflect on ways they can take action in responding to the letter’s call to be more welcoming in more concrete manners.

Session 2: Pilgrims of Hope—Discipleship, Mary’s Witness, and the Eucharistic Call to Justice

Session Focus:

• The Christian call to action and accompaniment
• Mary as migrant and Queen of Refugees
• Eucharist, hospitality, and conversion
• Jubilee spirituality and sustained hope

Selected Excerpts:

• Section IV: Living the Faith
• Section V: Mary, Comforter of Migrants
• Section VI: Conclusion

Discussion Questions:

1. The letter insists that “the Gospel demands action.” What might that look like in your life or parish?
2. In what ways is Mary a model for our response to migrants today?
3. What does it mean to journey as “pilgrims of hope,” and how does the Eucharist form us for that journey?
4. Where is the Spirit inviting you to deeper conversion—intellectually, spiritually, or practically?
5. How might your small group or parish sustain this reflection beyond these sessions?

Action:

Close with USCCB’s Prayer for Migrants and Refugees, and consider writing a letter of support or advocacy to a local policymaker.