CONCORD, New Hampshire — A New Hampshire Episcopal bishop is drawing national attention after warning his clergy to finalize their wills and get their affairs in order in preparation for a “new era of martyrdom.”
Bishop Rob Hirschfeld of the Episcopal Church in New Hampshire made his remarks earlier this month during a vigil honoring Renee Good, who was shot and killed on January 7 by an agent of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The Trump administration defended the agent’s actions, saying he fired in self-defense as Good’s vehicle moved forward. That account has been challenged by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and others, who pointed to video footage of the confrontation.
Hirschfeld’s address cited several historic clergy members who risked their lives to protect others, including Jonathan Daniels, a New Hampshire seminary student who was shot and killed by a police officer in Alabama in 1965 while shielding a young Black civil rights activist.
“I have told the clergy of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire that we could be entering into that same witness,” Hirschfeld said. “And I have urged them to get their affairs in order, to ensure their wills are written, because it may be that now is not the time for statements, but for us, with our bodies, to place ourselves between the powers of this world and the most vulnerable.”
Hirschfeld did not call for violence, but he said that people of Christian faith should not fear death.
“We who are ready to build a new world must also be prepared,” he stated. “If we truly want to live without fear, we cannot fear even death itself, my friends.”
Other religious leaders have also urged Christians to shield the vulnerable amid the sweeping immigrant raids, including The Most Rev. Sean W. Rowe, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church.
“We continue to resist, advocate, witness, and repair the breach,” Rowe said during a prayer earlier this week. “We continue to protect and care for those among us who are immigrants and refugees because they are loved by God, and without them, we cannot be the church in its fullness.”
In Minnesota, The Most Rev. Craig Loya urged people not to respond “with hatred,” but to focus on love in “a world that is obviously not right.”
“Let us act as our ancient ancestors did and turn the world upside down by moving forward in love,” he said. “Let us interrupt with the hope of Jesus. Let us stir things up with the love of Jesus.”
