Prayer Vigil at Derwentside Immigration Removal Centre (DIRC)
It will soon be two years since we started to hold in person prayer vigils at the Derwentside Immigration Removal Centre, Medomsley on the first Sunday of each month at 3.00pm. It is a powerful witness; we have between 25 and 35 people attending each month. The vigils are inter-faith with people from other Christian traditions as well as a group of people from the Jewish faith participating. We believe detaining women who are asking for a safe place to live goes against our faith. We are asked to welcome the stranger and feed the hungry.
The vigils last about 45 minutes and as well as praying, we offer some practical support by donating cash for phone cards and toiletries, which are then made into welcome packs and taken into the centre by another charity, “Friendship Across Borders”. We also take flowers to hand over to the guards who take them into the communal areas of the centre.
Our next vigil will be on Sunday 2 July 2023 at 3.00pm at Derwentside Immigration Removal Centre, Medomsley DH8 6QY. It would be wonderful if you could join us there, but if not, perhaps you would consider joining us in prayer from home. The revised prayer vigil booklet can be found here.
Please contact Liz Archibald by email: lizarchibald.justiceandpeace@gmail.com if you would like more information.
For more information around the issues of refugees and asylum seekers, please look at our webpage.