“His worshipers are furious”: Church swaps Jesus for “ICE was here” nativity display message, and some Catholics are pissed

A church in Massachusetts is getting people all riled up after they displayed a nativity scene with a message about ICE.

St. Susanna Parish, a Roman Catholic church in Dedham, removed the traditional figures of Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus from their nativity display this Christmas. In their place is a sign that reads "I.C.E. WAS HERE" in bold, handwritten letters. 

Underneath, a smaller printed sign that says "The Holy Family is safe in The Sanctuary of our Church" along with a phone number for the LUCE Immigrant Justice Network of MA and a request for people to call it if they spot ICE around.

Churches protesting ICE

It's not difficult to parse the message this church is trying to send, suggesting that the family was taken by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"What is the objective by doing this? To help people recognize the plight of people who are really in dire need, and how we are treating them," Rev. Stephen Josoma, who came up with the idea, told WCVB. "We're supposed to bring out the best of people in Christmas."

This is far from the only instance of a church using their nativity scene to take a stance. St. Susanna has done it before, and there are plenty of other examples of churches doing this throughout the years, including in 2025.

That hasn't stopped rightwingers from getting furious about it.

CJ Doyle, the executive director of the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts, spoke with Fox News to complain that the church was "politicizing Christmas."

"I think it’s very offensive,” he said. "[Josoma] is politicizing Christmas, he’s exploiting and trivializing the Holy Family, and he’s using his Catholic parish as a platform to promote his left-winged ideology."

You have to wonder if Doyle expressed the same outrage towards people who "politicize Christmas" by launching crusades against anyone who says "Happy Holidays," or pastors who use their platform to promote rightwing ideology or advocate for Republican politicians.

Perhaps Doyle and his ilk simply draw the line at compassion for migrants.

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