WASHINGTON — A prayer here, a share on social media there, a
voice of support in a letter to the editor, even a get-to-know-others potluck.
Supporting refugees and migrants can take many forms, and Pope
Francis is hoping Catholics around the world will act over the next two years
to encounter people on the move.
In the U.S., the church's leading organizations have developed a
series of activities, including prayers, that families, parishes, schools and
individuals can undertake during the Share the Journey campaign the pope is set
to open Sept. 27 at the Vatican.
Share the Journey is an initiative of Caritas Internationalis,
the global network of Catholic charitable agencies. It is meant to urge
Catholics to understand and get to know refugees and migrants who have fled
poverty, hunger, violence, persecution and the effects of climate change in
their homeland.
In addition to Pope Francis' formal announcement at his weekly
general audience, key church representatives, including Cardinal Luis Antonio
Tagle of Manila, Philippines, president of Caritas Internationalis, were to
conduct a media conference the same day.
U.S. partners in the effort are the U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishops and its Migration and Refugee Services, Catholic Relief Services and
Catholic Charities USA.
The effort will give Catholics the opportunity to learn and
explore Catholic social teaching on refugees and migrants, said Joan
Rosenhauer, executive vice president of U.S. operations for CRS.
"Catholic social teaching has clear messages of caring for
strangers, the importance of hearing their stories and understanding their
needs," she said.
Much of the effort will be focused on sharing stories about
migrants and refugees, the struggles they face and why they chose to seek a
better life elsewhere, said Kristin Witte, coordinator of domestic Catholic
educational engagement at CRS, which is the U.S. bishops' overseas relief and
development agency.
"The hope is that through the stories that are presented,
the images presented, that people will be moved from their place of comfort to
a place of encounter. That's what the church is calling us to. That's what the
pope is calling us to," she said.
The coalition of Catholic organizations has developed a toolkit
in English and Spanish that includes prayers, suggestions for activities for
families, prayer groups, classrooms and clergy, and utilizing social media with
references to #sharejourney.
"We're giving people clear direct ideas, not just in their
neighborhood but to mobilize communities. To create an environment or an
opportunity for action is critical especially at this time," Witte said.
Mark Priceman, communications for the bishops' Migration and
Refugee Services, said the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that
about 22 million people are on the move around the world, making the Christian
community's awareness and response to their situation critical.
The number of refugees to be admitted to the U.S. was capped at
50,000 by President Donald Trump for fiscal year 2017, which was to end Sept.
30. It is less than half of the ceiling of 110,000 set by President Barack
Obama. A presidential determination on the number of refugees to be accepted
for fiscal year 2018 was due by Sept. 30.
Since 1996, the number of refugees admitted has fluctuated
between 70,000 and 90,000 annually. The number of refugees to be accepted each
year is determined by the president under the Refugee Act, which was signed
into law in 1980 by President Jimmy Carter. The act amended earlier law,
created a permanent and systematic procedure to admit refugees, and established
a process for reviewing and adjusting the refugee ceiling to meet emergencies.
Share the Journey looks to mobilize people quickly. Soon after
the opening, the campaign is calling for a week of prayer and action for
migrants and refugees Oct. 7-13.
Special prayers at Masses, prayer vigils, simulation exercises,
school announcements, lesson plans and speaking events are among the activities
suggested as ways to learn about people on the move.
Similar activities will be taking place worldwide throughout the
campaign, Rosenhauer said.
"It is a reflection of the Holy Father's leadership, but
it's also a reflection of the commitment of leaders around the church around
the world," she explained.
Nearly three dozen cardinals, archbishops and bishops as of Sept.
25 have pledged to participate in the campaign, according to the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami addressed the concepts of
the Share the Journey campaign in an op-ed column Aug. 28 in the Sun Sentinel
in Broward County, Florida.
"'Share the Journey' invites us to see through the eyes of
others rather than turning a blind eye," he wrote. "As Pope Francis
says, 'Not just to see but to look. Not just to hear but to listen. Not just to
meet and pass by but to stop. And don't just say, 'What a shame, poor people,'
but to allow ourselves to be moved by pity.'"
The campaign will take advantage of specially designated days
throughout the year to raise awareness, including the feast of Our Lady of
Guadalupe Dec. 12; Lent; the church's observance of National Migration Week in
January; World Refugee Day June 20 and the September 2018 United Nations
meeting to consider two global compacts on refugees and migration.
There also is an advocacy component to Share the Journey,
Rosenhauer said, giving U.S. Catholics the opportunity to take what they learn
about migrants and refugees and approach federal policymakers to better
allocate international assistance to address the factors that cause people to
flee.
Together with Catholics worldwide, the U.S. organizers said they
hope the campaign will begin to ease the burdens under which migrants and
refugees live.
"We're mobilizing the worldwide Catholic Church to
serve," Witte said. "There are so many networks that the Catholic
Church already has that we can infuse an opportunity allow them to live their
baptismal call and to stand up for the most vulnerable."
Find out more
Go to sharejourney.org or journey.caritas.org.