Crowds filled the pews at Saint Mary of the Lake Catholic Church in Uptown on Sunday for a special Mass of Thanksgiving.
Parishioners came together wearing blue and white, to pray for hundreds of political prisoners from Nicaragua, who recently arrived in the U.S.
"I have mixed emotions, I'm really glad they're here, but I know they suffered a lot," said Otoniel Soza, who is part of a large group of Nicaraguans from Indianapolis, who drove three hours to Chicago for the mass.
Nicaragua is under political turmoil due to its communist regime. In early February, the head of the regime, Daniel Ortega, unexpectedly put 222 political prisoners on a plane to the U.S. The group arrived in Washington D.C. to seek political asylum.
Many are now starting a new life in Chicago and Indiana, including Lazaro Rivas Perez.
"I was in jail for years, I was tortured," said Rivas Perez, who is a married father of three children. "To be honest, I didn't want to leave. Leaving meant I left my family behind. But if I didn't get on the plane, I'd still be a prisoner."
Perez arrived in Chicago on Feb. 11 to reunite with his brother Ulises, who escaped the Central American country in 2021.
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"I"m so happy," said Ulises Rivas. "I hadn't seen him in three years. Even though my brother doesn't have his wife and children here, at least he can breathe freely... he's free."
It was a shared sentiment for other parishioners at the mass, who also welcomed Rev. Erick Diaz to the Saint Mary of the Lake Church community. Diaz is one of 30 priests who were exiled by the Nicaraguan dictatorship, which took away their citizenship rights and accused them of treason for defending the Nicaraguan people.
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"To be in Chicago as a priest, it’s truly a blessing to be here," Diaz said. "I’m Nicaraguan, I still think of my people, of my country... I’m blessed to be here but my heart and my mind are in Nicaragua."
Cardinal Blase Cupich released the following statement regarding Father Diaz and the crisis in Nicaragua:
"In solidarity with the suffering Church of Nicaragua, I have offered hospitality and welcome to a courageous priest who, with many of his brothers, stood with his bishop as a witness to the human rights of their people. The Church of Chicago is blessed to have him with us. We call for an immediate end to the systemic persecution of the Church in Nicaragua through false accusations, the closures of Catholic radio stations, the blocking of access to Churches and other serious acts that violate religious freedom and the social order."
