The Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire has issued a sobering call to his clergy, urging them to prepare for what he sees as a “new era of martyrdom.” This stark warning follows the tragic shooting of Renee Good by a federal immigration officer.
Speaking at a vigil in memory of Good, who lost her life on January 7 while in her car, Bishop Rob Hirschfeld of the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire addressed the gravity of the situation. He expressed the need for clergy to ensure their affairs are in order, emphasizing the importance of having their wills prepared. “We may be entering into that same witness,” Hirschfeld declared, suggesting that the time for mere statements has passed, and the moment has come to physically stand between worldly powers and society’s most vulnerable.
At a poignant vigil held on January 9, 2026, candles illuminated a poem penned by Good, set against the backdrop of the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul. The vigil, attended by mourners, highlighted the emotional impact of her death. (Photo credit: Kerem Yücel/Minnesota Public Radio via AP)
According to the Trump administration, during an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis, Good allegedly attempted to ram her vehicle into an ICE agent. However, local officials and numerous Democrats have questioned this narrative, pointing to video evidence that challenges the official account of the incident.
In his address, Hirschfeld also invoked the memory of historical clergy figures who have risked their lives for others. Among them was Jonathan Daniels, a seminary student from New Hampshire who was tragically shot and killed in 1965 by a sheriff’s deputy in Alabama while courageously protecting a young Black civil rights activist.
During his speech, Hirschfeld cited several historical clergy members who had risked their lives to protect others, including Jonathan Daniels, a New Hampshire seminary student who was shot and killed in 1965 by a sheriff’s deputy in Alabama while shielding a young Black civil rights activist.
Other religious leaders have called for Christians to protect the vulnerable, including Most Rev. Sean W. Rowe, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church.
“We keep resisting, advocating, bearing witness and repairing the breach,” Rowe said during a prayer earlier this week. “We keep sheltering and caring for those among us who are immigrants and refugees because they are beloved by God, and without them, we cannot fully be the church.”
In Minnesota, Rt. Rev. Craig Loya urged people not to meet “hatred with hatred.”
People gather at an anti-immigration enforcement rally and vigil for Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman who was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minnesota, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa)
“We are going to make like our ancient ancestors, and turn the world upside down by mobilizing for love,” he said. “We are going to disrupt with Jesus’ hope. We are going agitate with Jesus’ love.”
Opponents of the ICE raids have characterized Good as a protester who was not trying to impede authorities as they were conducting immigration enforcement operations.
Authorities said Good had harassed them throughout that morning and blocked a road before she allegedly tried to ram an agent.
Two days after Good was killed, Rev. Michael Neuroth, director of the United Church of Christ’s Public Policy and Advocacy, criticized ICE and the Trump administration during a gathering outside the White House.
“Citizens protesting these cruel polices are being labeled by the state as ‘terrorists’, opening the door to more violence and potential for more loss of life,” he said. “The administration’s xenophobic polices and inhumane tactics go against our values as people of faith to welcome and love our neighbors. In the UCC we will keep pushing against these policies, extending love to our neighbors, and proclaiming together that “Love Knows No Borders!”
“We’re gathered because somebody was murdered by agents of the government,” the Rev. Dana Neuhauser, a United Methodist minister who sang with the group, said in an interview with the National Catholic Reporter during a memorial for Good at the intersection where she was fatally shot. “But we’ve been showing up in a variety of ways because our neighbors are being snatched. Parents being snatched in front of the school.”
She added, “It’s all just too much, but my faith requires me to show up.”
