Mass. Church's Empty Nativity and 'ICE Was Here' Sign Spark Heated Debate

St. Susanna, a Catholic parish in Dedham, Massachusetts, has drawn sharp public reaction after placing an empty Nativity scene outside the church accompanied by a sign reading, "ICE was here," along with contact information for a group that tracks immigration enforcement in the state.

Father Stephen Josoma, the parish pastor, said the installation was created by the church's peace-and-justice committee as an exercise in religious art: an attempt to imagine "what it would be like if Christ were born into the context of the world today" and to highlight the challenges a newborn Jesus might face in our current social and political climate. Josoma described the display's goal as to provoke reflection and compassion.

"It's supposed to affect people deeply, it's supposed to move people, it's supposed to change people," Josoma said, noting the parish has worked with refugees since 2017 and that the scenes are informed by that ministry.

Critics say the display crosses a line. C.J. Doyle, executive director of the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts, said a parishioner alerted him after noticing the absence of the Holy Family and the explicit reference to immigration enforcement. Doyle called the installation "offensive," accusing the priest of politicizing Christmas and using the parish to advance a political agenda.

"This has nothing to do with the birth of our Savior and everything to do with ventilating [Josoma's] own political projects," Doyle said, adding that the Archdiocese of Boston has tolerated similar displays in the past and should intervene.

Josoma has a history of provocative installations: in 2018 the parish placed a cage around the baby Jesus and separated the Magi with a wall, a configuration noted by observers as a commentary on border policy. Supporters of the current display say it connects the Christmas story to the lived experience of migrants and refugees and aims to restore what they describe as the "radical edge" of the Nativity.

The debate is part of a broader trend this season in which some congregations are using Nativity displays to comment on contemporary issues. In Illinois, for example, a Baptist congregation installed a manger scene that showed baby Jesus' hands zip-tied and Mary and Joseph wearing gas masks; the church said the imagery reimagined the Nativity as a depiction of forced family separation and sought to draw parallels between the Holy Family's experience and that of modern migrants.

Reactions to the Dedham display have been mixed, Josoma said, with many offering support while at least one person reacted angrily. The Archdiocese of Boston did not immediately provide a response. The incident has reignited conversation about the role of religious art and worship spaces in addressing social and political issues, and whether such displays belong on church grounds during a season many regard as sacred and nonpartisan.