Bishop Michael F. Burbidge celebrated Mass for the 110th World Day of Migrants and Refugees Sept. 29 at St. Bernadette Church in Springfield.
“As we celebrate our 50th anniversary as a diocese, we rejoice in knowing that since its establishment, we have been welcoming newcomers to our world, who have been forced to flee their homes due to fear, violence, and intolerable conditions,” said Bishop Burbidge. Pope Francis set the theme for the day: “God walks with his people.” “(He) reminds us that all of us are God’s people, are migrants on this earth, on our way to the true homeland of the kingdom of Heaven,” said Bishop Burbidge. “We do not make this journey alone. We make it together as brothers and sisters in the Lord … lifting one another through acts of compassion and charity, and with God walking with us every step of the way.”
The Arlington diocese is home to almost a half-million Catholics, a diverse group of people from many different ethnic communities. Since its beginnings 50 years ago, “We’ve been blessed to welcome people from all over the world,” said Stephen Carattini, president and CEO of diocesan Catholic Charities. Starting with Vietnamese refugees in 1975, the diocese has welcomed migrants and implemented a variety of programs to meet the needs of newcomers in vulnerable situations.
“It’s an important work of the church. We are called to welcome the stranger, welcome the newcomer in our midst, and we do this in a variety of ways,” Carattini said. “We’re very blessed to be able to help promote, protect, integrate and welcome newcomers.”
Catholic Charities offers a range of programs to address the migrants’ needs, from language classes to financial help during the first three months, to legal advice with immigration laws and help registering children in school. The first priority is to welcome the newcomer, but very quickly, it is to help them find work, he said, and that often involves bringing them to English classes and other support.
Carattini added that the majority of migrants in recent years came from Afghanistan. The diocese also helps people from all over the world, including Ukraine, Guatemala, Honduras, Cameroon, Haiti, and Ethiopia.
The help Catholic Charities provides is “fantastic,” said Yousaf Ayubi. Originally from Afghanistan, Ayubi arrived in the U.S. in June 2023 with his wife, Wajiha, and their five children. He was able to start working five months after arriving and is now taking evening classes toward a dental assistant certification.
“Without Catholic Charities it was impossible to move forward with any aspect of life,” he said, such as obtaining a green card, education for his children, employment and social support. His wife is taking online English lessons and hopes to become a teacher’s aide. She obtained a driver’s license with the charity’s help.
We work with people from all over the world who are here for different reasons, said Jessica Estrada, director of newcomer services. She said everyone has a story that is worth listening to and, once you hear somebody’s story, it is hard to say they should not be here. “We really are here to serve the needs of the people who are in our community regardless of why they’re here,” she said.
Catholic Charities helped 5,000 people last year. It receives funding from the diocese, including private donations from lay faithful; from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; and from the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Office of New Americans, Carattini said.
The Mass marked the end of a busy National Migration Week, an annual weeklong focus on migrants and refugees. Events included a naturalization workshop held at St. John Neumann Church in Reston, a virtual conference by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on “Understanding Immigration Law and the Church’s Ministry to Newcomers,” and a lecture on the Catholic History of Migration, held at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington.
Chapman is a freelancer in Alexandria.
