Repairers of the Breach: A Holy Week Invitation to Courageous Love in Action
In Holy Week, over the span of a few days, we remember Jesus entering Jerusalem to cheers and celebration, sharing a final meal with his friends, and ultimately walking the road to the cross. We do not look away from the suffering; instead, we’re invited to face it honestly and ask where God is calling us to stand.
This year, on Holy Monday, we are walking with neighbors from across San Diego to call attention to the fear many immigrant families are experiencing and to pray for compassion and dignity in our community. We will gather for Repairers of the Breach: A Holy Week Service of Lament & Public Witness at Good Samaritan Episcopal Church (4321 Eastgate Mall, San Diego, CA 92121) on March 30 at 6:30pm with Episcopalians, Lutherans, Roman Catholics, and community partners for a shared time of prayer. It will include church leadership from across Christian denominations, including Bishop Susan Brown Snook, Auxiliary Bishop Felipe Pulido of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego, and Bishop David C. Nagler of the Pacifica Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
In moments when communities feel broken or divided, we return to scripture to remember the calling placed before us:
Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of streets to live in. (Isaiah 58:12)
Isaiah 58 is a powerful critique of empty religious practice. The people are fasting and performing religious rituals, yet injustice continues around them. God responds through the prophet by saying that the kind of worship God desires is not merely ritual observance but justice, compassion, and care for the vulnerable.
To repair the breach, we must step into that broken place with compassion and courage. In every generation, the Church faces moments when it must decide whether to stay silent or show up. Holy Week reminds us that Jesus never avoided the places of suffering. Again and again in the Gospels, he drew near to those who were afraid, marginalized, or pushed aside. We follow that same path.
When neighbors are hurting, the Church gathers to pray. Lament is one of the oldest traditions in the life of faith. The Psalms are filled with it. The prophets practiced it. Even Jesus himself cried out in lament from the cross. Lament allows us to tell the truth about pain while still placing our hope in God.
Across San Diego, our neighbors are living with persistent anxiety of immigration enforcement and the possibility of family separation. For some congregations, this is not an abstract issue– many of our churches include immigrants, refugees, and families whose lives are directly affected by these realities.
Following the indoor service, participants will move outside for a public procession to the Executive Drive Trolley Station, where the evening will conclude with a brief closing prayer and public witness.
You are encouraged to bring signs or religious symbols as expressions of prayer and solidarity. We ask that flags not be carried during the procession so that the focus remains on prayer and witness rather than political identity. Transportation will also be available for those who would like to participate but are unable to make the walk.
For the EDSD, gatherings like this are not about politics. They are about prayer, presence, and faithfulness to the promises we make in baptism: to seek and serve Christ in all persons and to respect the dignity of every human being. Repairing the breach begins with something simple: showing up.
All members of the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego are encouraged to attend and to bring friends from their congregations. Clergy are encouraged to wear purple stoles in keeping with the penitential character of Holy Week. Together, we will pray, walk, and bear witness to the hope that God continues to work through people who choose compassion over fear.
Repairers of the Breach: A Holy Week Service of Lament & Public Witness
Good Samaritan Episcopal Church
4321 Eastgate Mall, San Diego
6:30 p.m. — Service of Prayer and Lament
6:45 p.m. — Procession to the Executive Drive Trolley Station
Transportation will be available for anyone who wishes to participate but is unable to make the walk to the trolley station, ensuring that all who gather can take part in the evening’s prayers and witness.
And for Courageous Love in Action, public witness resources, prayer practices, and more, visit: www.edsd.org/courageous-love-in-action