Former Catholic School Teacher Detained After Disrupting Church Service to Pray for Migrants
A former Catholic school teacher was forcibly removed and handcuffed after disrupting a church service in Overland Park, Kansas, to pray for migrants. Jimbo Gillcrist, who had planned to share his version of the Our Father prayer in opposition to mass deportation policies, was stopped by parishioners and later questioned by police.
Gillcrist approached the pulpit at Holy Spirit Catholic Church shortly before the 11 a.m. Mass on March 23, intending to speak out against deportation efforts. However, he was confronted by four parishioners, including a deacon, who physically removed him from the church. Outside, police placed him in handcuffs and questioned him inside a patrol car.
Audio from the incident captured a churchgoer asking if anyone was armed, to which two people responded that their weapons were in their cars. Gillcrist, who was raised in the church, said he never expected to be tackled inside a place of worship. He had barely begun his prayer when a priest approached him, instructing him to leave. When the priest signaled for staff to cut the church’s audio, Gillcrist resisted leaving the pulpit, prompting a struggle. Parishioners restrained him, insisting he was trespassing, though he maintained he was a baptized Catholic attending Mass.
As he was being escorted out, Gillcrist called out to the congregation, urging them to “Love your neighbor as yourself! And who is my neighbor?” When officers arrived, they inquired whether Gillcrist had acted aggressively. One parishioner alleged he had pushed the priest, though they noted the priest had not fallen. Gillcrist strongly denied the accusation, stating he had only held onto the pulpit as parishioners forcibly removed him. A second officer then ordered him to be placed in handcuffs.
During police questioning, Gillcrist explained that his actions were motivated by concern for undocumented immigrants facing deportation. He later shared his intended remarks on social media, emphasizing that God's kingdom is not defined by borders or exclusion and calling for the acceptance of those seeking refuge. His planned message also included references to Gaza and Ukraine, which he described as places where people face immense suffering.
Officers informed Gillcrist that he would not be charged but warned that returning to the church would result in trespassing charges. This was not his first controversial encounter. In 2020, he was arrested during a Black Lives Matter protest, and in November, he was dismissed from Rockhurst High School after telling students they had a moral duty to oppose deportations. His comments, which suggested that voting for candidates supporting mass deportations made individuals complicit in human rights violations, were deemed a violation of the school’s policy against discussing politics in the classroom.
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