A Christmas display outside a Massachusetts church has ignited a fierce backlash from immigration authorities and the Archdiocese of Boston, setting off a debate over politics, faith, and the boundaries of religious expression.
According to Fox News, instead of the traditional infant Jesus in the manger at St. Susanna Parish in Dedham this year, visitors are met with an empty cradle and a stark sign reading: “ICE was here.”
The display also includes contact information for a local group that tracks immigration enforcement.
The message immediately drew condemnation from ICE acting Director Todd Lyons, who called the installation inflammatory.
“The actions of the activist reverend, Stephen Josoma, are absolutely abhorrent and add to a dangerous narrative responsible for a more than 1,150% increase in assaults on ICE officers,” Lyons said in a statement.
Rev. Stephen Josoma, the parish’s pastor, said the display is part of an annual effort by the church’s peace and justice group. Each year, they reinterpret the Nativity to reflect modern circumstances.
He told Fox News that the question guiding the project is simple: “We try to see what would it be like if Christ was born into the context of the world today, what would he be facing?”
Josoma described the scene as “religious art” meant to provoke reflection.
“It’s supposed to affect people deeply, it’s supposed to move people, it’s supposed to change people,” he said. “So, if this evokes a strong reaction, it’s maybe good to take a look at that.”
But the response from ICE and church leadership was swift.
Lyons accused Josoma of using his pulpit to push an agenda and praised the Archdiocese of Boston for condemning the display.
“On behalf of ICE and our many law enforcement professionals in Massachusetts — many of whom are practicing Catholics and first-generation Americans — I applaud the Catholic Church and the Archdiocese for taking a stand against such a dangerous and extremist narrative,” he said.
The archdiocese’s secretary for communications and public affairs, Terrence Donilon, echoed that position. He labeled the sign “divisive political messaging” and said it violated church norms.
“The people of God have the right to expect that, when they come to church, they will encounter genuine opportunities for prayer and Catholic worship — not divisive political messaging,” Donilon said.
He added that sacred objects may not be used for anything other than “the devotion of God’s people,” noting that St. Susanna Parish did not seek or receive permission for the installation. “The display should be removed, and the manger restored to its proper sacred purpose,” he wrote.
Josoma has a history of using Nativity scenes to comment on contemporary issues, including climate change, gun control, and, in 2018, a display featuring baby Jesus in a cage during Trump’s first presidency.
Similar installations have appeared elsewhere. A church in Illinois once displayed a Nativity scene with baby Jesus’ hands zip-tied and gas masks on Mary and Joseph, explaining that it aimed to “reimagine the nativity as a scene of forced family separation.”
The debate at St. Susanna now adds another chapter to the growing national clash over how far churches should go when blending religious tradition with political critique.
