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The Subcommittee on Pastoral Care of Migrants Refugees and Travelers (PCMRT) has kicked off its 2017 activities with renewed vigor and commitment; providing pastoral outreach to the various Ethnic and People on the Move communities.
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Pastoral Visits to Syrac Catholic Refugees and Asylum Seekers
In El Cajon, California a parish of mostly refugees and asylees gathers each week to the Mass in the Syriac rite. Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish is part of the Syriac Catholic Diocese of Our Lady of Deliverance and is the center of the community for its members, most of whom fled from Iraq. While I was with them, I found a faith life that was truly awe inspiring. They are united by their faith and by their culture, and their pastor leads them to building community with one another.
But I also discovered how deep the pain of their past runs. I was there with Bishop Habash and Deacon David Hamel from Catholic Charities to have a discussion with refugees from the parish. We were there to learn from their experiences and needs as we seek to assist the bishops and their dioceses in offering their pastoral care to these communities.
The conversation turned to forgiveness. Bishop Habash began to share the importance of forgiving those who have hurt us. He is a leader who is no stranger to this sometimes difficult task. An Iraqi bishop himself he knows the pain that many in his home country suffer.
As the conversation continued, I noticed a man in the crowd. He sat listening, but he began to cry. I knew that many people there had suffered greatly before they came to the United States, but I was not prepared to hear what he would share.
This man shared that his daughter was killed in Iraq and he was forced to flee to escape the violence. The pain of losing his family and being forced out of his home country was so much to bear. And the task of forgiveness seemed daunting.
So many members of this community carry the pain of a traumatic past. But they carry it to this parish where they find comfort and community with one another. They rely on one another, support one another, celebrate together, and pray together.
The women's prayer group invited me to join them for one of their weekday prayer meetings. Many of them don't speak English, but they welcomed me and shared their prayer with me. After prayer everyone met for coffee and donuts and sat around chatting, sharing news and stories, laughing and eating. Their bonds of faith connect and fortify them as they build their lives in the United States.
But this community is not without needs. Refugees and asylees in particular need pastoral care to go hand in hand with their humanitarian care. The Subcommittee on Pastoral Care of Migrants, Refugees and Travelers seeks to assist bishops and their dioceses as they care for migrants, refugees and travelers, who also need to hear the Gospel message of comfort and hope.
David Corrales is the Program Coordinator for the Office of Pastoral Care of Migrants, Refugees and Travelers.
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Educational Resources
Center for Migration Studies News, Events and Free Publications
The need for timely, evidence-based migration and refugee research and analysis has never been more pressing. For this reason, the Subcommittee on Pastoral Care of Migrants, Refugees and Travelers is collaborating with the Center for Migration Studies of New York (CMS), a think tank and an educational institute, devoted to the study of international migration, to the promotion of understanding between immigrants and receiving communities, and to public policies that safeguard the dignity and rights of migrants, refugees and newcomers.
Both offices collaborate together through studies and initiatives that complement each other's work to strengthen the pastoral care of migrants, refugees and travelers.
CMS was established in 1964 by the Congregation of the Missionaries of St. Charles, Scalabrinians and is a member of the Scalabrini International Migration Network. Through executive director Donald Kerwin's expert leadership and senior policy director Kevin Appleby's guidance, CMS provides support to Catholic and other faith-based agencies on migration and refugee issues through research, publications, and events.
To learn more about CMS, visit
www.cmsny.org
. To receive CMS event announcements and free publications, including the Migration Update - a weekly digest designed to educate faith leaders on developments in the immigration field - visit
http://cmsny.org/about/mailing-list/
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- March 31-April 1, 2017: Migrant Farmworker Ministry Workshop by PCMRT and CMFN at the Diocese of Richmond Social Ministry Summit
- April 18-20, 2017: AOS-USA Annual Conference, Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies, 692 Maritime Blvd, Linthicum Heights, MD 21090
- April 29, 2017: 50th Anniversary of Chapel of Our Lady of Czestochowa in support of the Polish American Apostolate.
- May 19-21, 2017: Maritime Day Celebration - Washington DC
- May 26 - 28, 2017: Zimbabwean Catholic Community 2nd Annual gathering, Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House, 420 West County Line Road Barrington, IL 60010.
- June 3, 2017: African Catholic Community of DC Metro, Annual Prayer Day Area St. Matthias the Apostle Church Lanham, MD
- June 10, 2017: National Center for Haitian Apostolate Annual Conference, Spring Valley, NY
- June 20th, 2017: World Refugee Day
- June 23-26, 2017: Igbo Catholic Community USA Annual Convention, Houston, TX
- July 1-4, 2017: The Joy of the Gospel in America: National Convocation of Catholic Leaders
- July 17-20, 2017: National Conference of Catholic Airport Chaplains (NCCAC) Training and Meeting at O'Hare Airport
- July 26-29, 2017: African Conference of Catholic Clergy and Religious in the United States, New Orleans LA,
- August 8-11 2017: North American Maritime Ministry Association Conference, Annual Conference New Orleans LA
- September 27, 2017: Feast of Our Lady Star of the Sea - Washington DC
- October 1- 7, 2017: XXIV AOS World Congress 2017, Kaohsiung - Taiwan
- November 21, 2017: World Fisheries Day - Activities in Washington DC Metro
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Copyright ©
2015,
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Inc., Washington, D.C.
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright holder.
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