“There hasn’t been a clear signal that people are leaving to climate (friendly) regions, or regions with an abundant water resource,” said Alex de Sherbinin, director and senior researcher at the Center for Integrated Earth System Information at Columbia University.
Founded by Swedish immigrants in the late 19th century, the church is now a predominantly Latino congregation. Like most other churches in the U.S. that serve migrants, it has expanded its humanitarian, financial, legal and pastoral ministries during the Trump administration’sIt has also added monthly well-being sessions — at no charge — with acupuncture, Reiki and cupping therapy to ease the stress that uncertainty and fear have sown among the migrant community — including people in the U.S. illegally and U.S.-born citizens in mixed-status families.
“We have to feel well to respond well, not with panic and fear, which leads to nothing good,” said Lizete Vega, the church’s family engagement coordinator. “People here feel that they’re protected and can be cared for spiritually, emotionally and physically.”Faith leaders have increasingly found themselves called to help their congregations with mental health concerns, fromSome see the need to provide reassurance and well-being as a growing part of their ministry to migrants, even as revised federal immigration guidelines now provide more leeway for
in or near houses of worship.“It was as if they were able to exhale a big breath,” the Rev. Hierald Osorto said of the 30 congregants who signed up for the first well-being session in March at St. Paul’s, where an outdoor mural features two traditional Swedish Dala horses between the Spanish words “sanación” (healing) and “resiliencia” (resilience).
After last Sunday’s worship, the altar table and Easter lilies were moved to make room for seven acupuncture chairs, arranged in a circle facing the central cross. Three massage tables were set up in front of the pews for the Reiki treatment, where practitioners hold their hands on or near the body’s energy centers.
“To see this space be quite literally a place of healing, in the place where we talk about it right at the altar, it moved me to tears,” Osorto said.Also, between April 1-24, civilian casualties in Ukraine were up 46% from the same weeks in 2024, it said.
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
The daily grind of the war shows no sign of letting up. A nighttime Russian drone attack on Ukraine’swounded at least 45 civilians, Ukrainian officials said.