To rousing applause from parishioners Saturday, the Rev. Jean-Phillippe Lokpo, of Togo, announced to his flock that he isn’t going anywhere because his visa to remain in the United States was approved by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services days before it was set to expire.
Lokpo, the head pastor of St. John XXIII Catholic church in Evanston, was close to being among religious workers in the United States who would have to return to their home countries after a 2023 decision by the Biden administration changed visa processing, including waiting times.
His visa was set to expire Tuesday.
Lokpo made the announcement at a special Feast Day Mass for St. John XXIII held at St. Nicholas Catholic Church, where he thanked parishioners for their prayers and support as he and the Archdiocese of Chicago navigated the everchanging immigration process for religious workers.
His visa has been renewed through March 2027.
The Rev. José Manuel Ortiz, of Mexico, who is associate pastor of St. John XXIII, had been close to having his visa expire over the summer. Immigration attorneys hired by Comboni, the organization charged with administrating parishes in the 41 countries it operates, were able to held get his visa extended.
Lokpo and Ortiz faced complicated process for religious workers to stay in the communities they serve following a 2023 decision by the Biden administration to expand the range of candidates eligible to receive the same visa religious workers apply to. The change resulted in a significant backlog for applicants to apply for residency, or a green card, to remain in the U.S.
“It’s a huge problem in the community,” immigration lawyer Tahreem Kalam previousy told Pioneer Press. “Especially [in] an institution like the Catholic Church. … It’s a global [institution]. They send people to different countries all the time.”
About half of St. John XXIII’s parishioners are Hispanic. The multilingual parish offers Mass in English, Spanish and French Creole.
The Archdiocese of Chicago, like others in the United States, is facing a shortage of priests, and some Chicago area parishes rely on immigrant priests to fill the gap.
Nearly 60% of diocesan priests under the age of 50 who serve in the Archdiocese of Chicago are immigrants, according to a 2023 report. The number is a considerable contrast with priests over the age of 50, of whom 81% were born in the U.S. The average age of a priest in 2023 was 64.