All are welcome to this event, coordinated by the Massachusetts Council of Churches and supported by Bearing Witness at Burlington and UniteBoston.

We gather to worship with those Christians held inside the ICE facility, to pray for the families and loved ones from whom they are separated, and to proclaim the Good News of Christ’s birth, in the very face of these injustices and terrors of current policies.  We will pray, read of the birth of Jesus, and sing hymns and carols.  We will witness to the light of Christ that comes into the darkness, in our time and always.

10 am – 11 am Christmas Eve 2025
1000 District Ave. Burlington, MA

This Christmas Eve, we will unite the Body of Christ in worship.

Walls of detention facilities cannot divide the Body of Christ.

Documentation status cannot divide the Body of Christ.

We are united by Jesus Christ, whose love is greater than anything that divides us.

Important Details:

Here are the final details for Christmas Eve Day Worship, to ensure that you can plan and have a clear picture of our gathering for worship. Also, this gathering was featured in the Religion News Service – read the article here! 

TRANSPORT and PARKING

This is by far the trickiest part of our plans. Please take public transit, if at all possible.

For those coming from metro Boston: take the Red Line to Alewife and take the 350 Bus to Burlington Mall.  Get off at this stop: Burlington Mall Rd @ NE Executive Pk. Head down District Ave., which should be right in front of you.

If you drive, please carpool.  You may plan to drop people off at 1000 District Ave., but please know that you cannot park at 1000 District Ave.

PLEASE ALLOT AT LEAST 30 MINUTES EXTRA FOR OFF-SITE PARKING.

Your best option is to park at Simonds Park, or the surrounding roads as marked.

The 350 bus stops at the corner of Cambridge St. and Bedford St., toward Burlington Mall/Alewife. It is only a 5-10 minute ride. Please arrive very early, as the buses reduce in frequency after rush hour.

Thus, another option: after parking near Simonds Park, head to the Burlington Church UCC, across the street.  Rev. Andrew Harris and the amazing leaders of the UCC Burlington church are offering shuttles to the ICE facility.

OTHER PARKING OPTIONS:

There is very limited street parking along District Ave, toward Burlington Mall Rd.  You may luck out, but don’t rely on it!

6 District Ave. parking is listed as a Free Parking.  It may be used by mall shoppers.  Not sure how security works there.  Park at your own risk.

You can try to park at Burlington Mall, which is very close by.  However, it will be quite full because of Christmas Eve shopping.  Additionally, when we requested assistance with parking from mall management, they declined to help.  If you do park there, please go to the mall, otherwise security may stop you.  They have been ticketing people who do not go to the mall.  Park at your own risk, sadly.

Additionally, there are other businesses and buildings in the office park on District Ave.  We do not know whether they will have security or whether they will tow.  It is Christmas Eve, so it could go either way.  So, again, park at your own risk.

WORSHIP:

Please understand that this is true, sincere worship.  Please do not bring signs or engage with this event as a protest.  While those forms of witness are essential at other times, this gathering is a service of prayer, song, and telling the story of Christ’s birth, worshiping as closely as possible with those held inside.  So think of this as “going to church,” and not “going to a protest.”

ROLES:

Clergy: you are welcome to vest and process.  Please wear whatever vestment is appropriate for worship in your tradition and appropriate to an outdoor, ecumenical liturgy of prayer and worship, without Communion.  Copes, preaching robes, Geneva robes, cassocks and surplices, or just street clothes.  If you are wearing a stole, please wear white/gold or whatever color you wear for festive events.  (We are going for “joy in the face of crisis,” as opposed to lament or uplifting the martyrs in the Spirit).

However your tradition does it, please show up like that.  The idea is that we all represent our particular denominations and traditions and trust that it will be beautiful in God’s eyes and a powerful reminder of how strong we are when we stand together in Christ.

Choir: you are welcome to wear your robes (or not, if that’s not your tradition), and to join a pick up choir.  Again, we are not aiming for visual uniformity, but diversity.  We are aiming to have one purpose, not one “look.”

We will have a music director, the incredible Eric Anderson Jr., who will conduct.  We may have a keyboard, but please prepare to sing a cappella.

Our hymn list:

• O Come, All Ye Faithful
• O Little Town of “Burlington”
• Joy to the World
• Away in a Manger
• Go Tell It on the Mountain

Acolytes/Vergers/Subdeacons/Altar Servers:  You are welcome to vest and process as well, if you wish.  The more the merrier.  But please do NOT bring your crosses/candles/thuribles, etc.  To avoid confusion, we cannot have multiple people in those roles.  We will indeed have a censor, worry not!

Greeters: We need greeters to help welcome people in, distribute bulletins (mostly electronically), distribute candles, and provide a warm welcome.  Come as you are.  But come early.

Weather: We plan to hold this event in any weather, if at all possible.  Please dress and plan accordingly.  Wear many layers, if you are not accustomed to being outdoors for long.  Especially consider wearing extra socks and thick shoes.  If you are vesting, please wear thick layers under your robes.  We will be standing outside for over an hour in whatever weather there is.

About the site: There is NO seating provided. This is an outdoor lawn in an office park, and we do not have a way to bring in chairs.  If you require a seat, you are welcome to bring one with you, and anyone with mobility concerns or concerns about standing for an hour may sit right up front.  But we cannot provide chairs for everyone.

INFORMED DECISIONS:

We invite you to take time to make informed decisions about whether this is the place for you to be.  We are gathering in a place that has been designated for First Amendment expressions. We are gathering to worship, which is our First Amendment right.   It is protected by local law enforcement and longstanding agreements with DHS/ICE staff over many months.  We do not anticipate any issues with ICE staff or local law enforcement.

But while the Good News of Christ’s birth is full of hope, we proclaim it at a place that launches much violence into our communities.  This facility is an active enforcement and detention center.  Please know ICE agents may be coming and going on their business.  If being in such a place might be unsafe for you or your loved ones in any way, please consider those risks carefully.  This may be due to your experiences at the facility or others like it, or your own documentation status, or your own previous experiences with law enforcement, or any other history or concerns.  We want you to take the risks you can bear.  Your presence does not need to be physical: if it is not the right decision for you to be physically present with us at the facility, please join us in prayer from home or your home congregation.  God is everywhere and will unite us as the Body of Christ, no matter where we are.  Video of the event will be made available shortly afterward.

Thanks also to our friends and colleagues at UniteBoston who are co-sponsoring this event, and the clergy leaders of Bearing Witness at Burlington.