I gathered on February 18, 2026 with nearly 3000 people at an outdoor Mass presided by Chicago’s Cardinal Cupich, along with a number of my Dominicans friars, dozens of priests, sisters, elected officials, and faithful at the Ash Wednesday evening outdoor mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Melrose Park, Illinois, a neighborhood near the Broadview Detention Center. The Cardinal’s message delivered in both English and Spanish was deeply moving. The prayerful spirit in this very large crowd offered us the encouragement needed among us resisting the U.S.Government’s illegal policy on minorities, be they citizens or not.
— Joseph Kilikevice, OP

Homily for Ash Wednesday
by Cardinal Blase Cupich
The Scalabrini Community Center
February 18, 2026

The Word of God and the ritual action of placing ashes on our faces have much to say to us this evening.

First Jesus the Word made Flesh tells us that God sees and acts in secret and that is where we are called to find him. We are told to give alms in secret, to pray in secret, to fast out of sight of everyone. This is a day that speaks especially to those who live in the shadows, those of you who carry burdens out of the sight of others. Our new immigrant friends know what it means to live “in secret.” You know the anxiety of the shadows. You know the silent fear of a knock at the door or a traffic stop. You know the quiet pain of weeping for family members far away who you cannot visit. Jesus is telling you today: I am there with you in the secret places.

God does not need papers to know who or where you are. When you cry in secret, He sees you. When you work hard for your children while no one is watching, He sees you. When you sacrifice your own comfort to send money back home, you sacrifice to give alms in secret, and He sees you. The world may look at your legal status, but God looks at your heart.

And just as God is present in the secret, in the hidden moments of life, so He is with us in the dust of our life. This too is a day for those who are made to feel like dust, dust that can be swept away or treated as if they do not belong. It is a day for those who work with the dust of the earth in construction, in cleaning, in harvesting the crops of the fields, all to support their families. Yet, remember from the beginning it is dust that God uses to create humanity. When God formed humanity, He got down into the dust. He touched it. He took it in His hand and molded it. He breathed His own life into it. So as the dust of ashes is placed on our faces and you hear the words, “you are dust,” do not think this means that we are worthless, but rather it means that we are claiming to be the clay in the Potter’s hands. You may be undocumented in the eyes of the state, but you were hand-crafted by the Creator of the universe. Your worth does not come from a visa or a permit; it comes from the breath of God inside you.

In a few moments, we all will come forward to receive ashes. We will be given our identity as we are marked with a cross on our foreheads. Today many of you live in fear of being marked and tracked, careful about names, identities, and lists.

But today, you step forward freely to receive this mark, the sign of the cross. This mark is more permanent than any government identity or record. It is a seal that says you belong to Jesus Christ. It is a reminder that you are citizens of a homeland that has no borders. It is a declaration that no matter what laws change, no matter what politicians say, and no matter what uncertainties you face, you are children of God.

Dear brothers and sisters who come here this night, often living in the shadows and the hidden places, who are treated like dust that can be swept away, this day is made for you. So be confident that the Jesus is with you in your hiding and sees the sacrifices you make for your family. Be confident as the sign of the cross marks you with dust. Even though some tell you that you are worthless, remember that you are the dust God loves and breathes his life into. You are the dust that God has embraced in taking on our human flesh to redeem us by the cross marked on our heads. So, as your heads are marked with the cross, raise them high as those who trust that it is the cross that conquers all injustice, that leads to the resurrection—where every tear will be wiped away, and every exile will finally find their true home.