Dear Friends,
As you receive this edition of In the Word, the universal Church has just celebrated the 112th World Day of Migrants and Refugees.
Taking the theme, ‘Even just one of these children’, inspired by Matthew 18:10, Pope Leo XIV’s message for the day focused on the vulnerability of minors on the move who are forced to flee due to war, poverty, violence and environmental disasters.
The Holy Father notes that each child, each person, has innate human dignity and should not be reduced to a statistic or an abstract concept.
“Christian communities should be encouraged to promote the integration of refugees and migrants and to value them as full members of the ecclesial family, fostering new educational and spiritual paths, including personalised ones, which go beyond the mentality of mere assistance,” Pope Leo said.
As Divine Word Missionaries we are committed to honouring and valuing every person, young and old, and we are deeply involved in ministry with migrants and refugees.
In this edition of In the Word, you will read the contribution of Fr Jun Perez SVD to the recent Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office conference, in which he outlines the SVD’s commitment to ministry with multicultural parishes, ethnic chaplaincies and migrant communities.
In his presentation, Fr Jun spoke about the richness that migrant communities provide in our Church and the central role they play in parish life.
Also featuring in this edition of our E-News is a reflection by Fr John Le SVD who is a member of the SVD Australia Province in Thailand. Fr John reflects on his ministry with Vietnamese migrants in Bangkok, placing an emphasis on the ministry of accompaniment.
As a missionary society which is itself deeply intercultural, the Divine Word Missionaries understand the challenges and difficulties faced by migrants and refugees and we embrace the richness and vitality that they provide in our faith communities.
As the political rhetoric against immigration continues to intensify, we invite all people of goodwill to follow Pope Leo’s call to respect the human dignity of each migrant and refugee, and to offer a warm welcome in our parishes, along with practical and spiritual support.
May our communities of faith be places of welcome, listening, sharing of cultures and above all, seeing the face of Christ in each person we meet.
Yours in the Word,
Fr Boni Buahendri SVD,
Provincial.