Photos of happy families were posted inside the Fast 4 Families Community Tent at the National Mall in Washington. Beside the smiling faces, however, were Post-it notes that read “I pray that families stay together” and “God, please don’t take my mom away.” National religious, labor and immigrant rights leaders launched “Fast 4 Families: A Call for Immigration Reform and Citizenship” and began fasting until members of Congress vote in favor of immigration reform. They may have a long wait ahead of them. On Nov. 13, just days after receiving a letter from the outgoing president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, urging quick passage of comprehensive immigration reform, House Speaker John Boehner ruled out further efforts on the legislation in 2013. Sister Simone Campbell, along with members of Network, a national Catholic social justice lobby, delivered more than 10,000 postcards to members of Congress urging them to vote for immigration reform.

This article appears in December 2 2013.