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ARRUPEARRUPEAssisting Refugee Resettlement Using Parish
Energies
For I Was a Stranger
and You Welcomed Me
2
“The Church is ever mindful that Jesus Christ was himself a refugee, that as a child he had to flee with his parents from his native land in order to escape persecution. In every age, therefore, the Church feels herself called to help refugees.”
Pope John Paul IIRefugee Center, Morong,
Phillipines1981
3
Catholic Social Teaching and Migration
Popes and bishops’ conferences have synthesized Catholic theological tradition to articulate:
Five Basic Principles on Migration
Persons have the right to opportunities in their homelands
Persons have the right to migrate to support themselves and their families
Sovereign nations have the right to control their borders
Refugees and asylum seekers should be afforded protection
The human dignity and rights of migrants should be respected
Who Is A Refugee?Who Is A Refugee?
• Refugees are individuals and families unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin because of a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of:
Race
Religion
Nationality
Political opinion
Membership in a particular social group
Refugee Resettlement Statistics
14 Million refugees and asylum seekers worldwide
Add internally displaced and stateless persons and the number climbs to 33 Million
Over 60% are women and children
Less than 1 percent are permanently resettled each year
The Catholic Church is the largest provider of refugee resettlement services in the US
Catholic Charities Boston to resettle 300 refugees this year
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Refugee Resettlement: Process
Difficult and Lengthy
Refugees must flee their country of origin
Seek safety in second (transit) country
Apply for recognition by the UNHCR as a refugee
Meet Rigorous US Requirements
Life in Exile• Exile: Egypt, Ghana, Jordan, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Thailand • Refugee Camps: “Home” for 98% of our refugee families
Urban refugees: live as an under-class, targeted by police in host countries; no work authorization; fear of deportation (Iraq)
Live among thousands of refugees from other countries
Experience in Exile
Average stay in a refugee camp: 6-10 years
All have been exposed to violence or witnessed death of loved one
All lack most basic necessities
No exposure to Western society
Limited access to formal education
Tham Hin Refugee CampLiving Conditions
Overcrowded: 9,500 people in a camp designed for only 4,000. Only 16 acres of land
Each family of 7-10 people lives in a five-meter space, with one meter of space between families.
Domestic violence and conflict with neighbors
Discrimination: refugees not allowed beyond a 300 meter radius of the camp; arrested and subject to deportation if found outside compound
Tham Hin Refugee CampLiving Conditions
Poverty is striking: one pair of clothes; children are barefoot and often naked
Health: limited medical care, high incidence of stomach parasites, worms, skin rashes
Work: manual labor, minimal farming
Housing: bamboo
Education: informal, few materials
Electricity and Telephones: none
Toilets: pit latrines, no running water
Photos: Matt Edmundson 2004
Victims of Violence, Terror, War Most of the World’s refugees are women and
children.
Refugee children face grave dangers: abduction, exploitation, and forced military conscription
Education: Rare and SubstandardEducation: Rare and Substandard
Refugee Camp School
Refugee Newcomers in the Refugee Newcomers in the Archdiocese of BostonArchdiocese of Boston
Africa: 34% Burundi, Eritrea,
Liberia, Somalia, Sudan
Latin America: 3% Cuba
Middle East: 4% Iraq
Near East: 3% Afghanistan
South East Asia: 37% Burma (Chin & Karen) Viet Nam
In Partnership with Catholic In Partnership with Catholic Charities Charities
Resettlement ServicesResettlement Services
Welcome and ReceptionHousing, food, furnishingsClothing, basic needsEmployment ServicesEnglish as a Second Language Cultural Orientation/AcculturationParish and Community integrationInterpreter and Translation services
GOAL: Early Employment and Self-Sufficiency within 6 Months
Resettlement ChallengesResettlement Challenges
Unfunded MandatesUnfunded Mandates
Lack of Affordable HousingLack of Affordable Housing
AcculturationAcculturation Community Living Unfamiliarity with Western
society Exposure to violence
HealthHealth Malnutrition Lack of pre-natal
care/women’s health Post Traumatic Stress
The first place for the Church's attention to refugees The first place for the Church's attention to refugees remains the parish community, which has the task of remains the parish community, which has the task of sensitizing its members to the plight of refugees, sensitizing its members to the plight of refugees, exhorting them to welcome as Jesus taught: "I was a exhorting them to welcome as Jesus taught: "I was a stranger and you welcomed me" (Mt 25:35). stranger and you welcomed me" (Mt 25:35).
Benevolence, respect, trust and sharing are practical Benevolence, respect, trust and sharing are practical expressions of a culture of solidarity and hospitality.expressions of a culture of solidarity and hospitality.
--”Refugees: A Challenge to Solidarity”Pontifical Councilfor the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People
1992
WHY ARRUPE HELPSExpressing Christ’s Love for the PoorReflecting Our Worldwide Communion in the Local Church
HOW HOW ARRUPE ARRUPE
HELPSHELPSHousehold GoodsHousehold Goods
CompanionshipCompanionshipEducationEducationAdvocacyAdvocacy
PrayerPrayer
HOW YOU CAN HELPHOW YOU CAN HELP
Contribute FinanciallyDonate new and gently-used household itemsMentor or tutor a refugeeOffer employment or job leadsHelp with housingCome to a monthly meetingOffer Prayer and Spiritual Support
The new immigrants call us back to our ancestral heritage …and to our baptismal heritage as members of the
body of Christ.
--Welcoming the Stranger Among Us: Unity in Diversity,A Statement of the U.S. Catholic Bishops
Refugees’ Landing
In order to build the civilization of love, dialogue between cultures must work to overcome all ethnocentric selfishness and make it possible to combine regard for one's own identity with understanding of others and respect for diversity.
John Paul II, World Day for Peace Message, 2001
Pedro Arrupe, SJPedro Arrupe, SJ1907 - 19911907 - 1991
28th Superior General of the Society Of Jesus28th Superior General of the Society Of Jesus Founder of the Jesuit Refugee ServiceFounder of the Jesuit Refugee Service
Faithful Friend and ServantFaithful Friend and Servant
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