Brisbane’s Vietnamese Catholic Community fulfilled a dream that has been 45 years in the making this month with the opening and dedication of its new church.

About 2000 people attended the opening of the Queen of Vietnamese Martyrs Catholic Church at Inala.

On Palm Sunday this year, I was privileged to have been part of a walk for justice and freedom for refugees, writes Fr Clement Baffoe SVD. The event was organised by Amnesty International-Townsville in collaboration with the Townsville Multicultural Support Group(TMSG) and a number of people from different faith backgrounds.

I then used my talk to appeal to all to open their hearts and doors especially the doors of our country to refugees. Opening our hearts and doors means we are giving people hope and the chance to live a dignified life. May we all stand up for the justice and freedom of refugees, especially those who remain in limbo at detention centres.

American biblical scholar, Fr vănThanh Nguyễn, SVD will lead the Divine Word Missionaries AUS Province members in their annual retreat this year, despite not being able to travel from the US because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fr vănThanh, who is Professor of New Testament Studies at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, will deliver the retreat online on the topic, ‘The Love of Christ Impels Us: A Retreat with Saint Paul and the 18^th General Chapter’, to confreres from Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and Myanmar during July.

As winter sweeps over Europe, as the landscape is covered by vast drifts of white snow, an idyllic picture of romantic, post-card proportions presents itself. However, the picture remains short lived, when a greater reality becomes apparent: not everyone is enjoying the snowy scene, reflects Fr Michael Hardie SVD.

Especially not the migrants and refugees crowded into makeshift camps, without adequate clothing and footwear, without enough food to last from one day to another, with no help and no hope in sight. These are the refugees who have trudged the Long Walk from their homes and countries of origin in Syria and Iraq to find a better future in Europe, but as the biting cold eats into their meagre reserves of strength, those dreams are fast fading.

The recent deaths of 39 Vietnamese citizens in the back of a freezing, airless container truck in the British county of Essex in October this year, after a long and dangerous journey from their departure point at Zeebrugge, Belgium, highlights what has become an all-too-common way for economic migrants to enter Europe in search of Nirvana.

Discovered dead in the back of the container when the truck stopped at its destination in the northeast of London, the 39 were originally mistaken for Chinese. Further investigation, however, and the existence of a solitary, despairing text message from one of the young stowaways as she breathed her last, revealed that they were Vietnamese. Most were young, many of them from the northern Vietnamese provinces of Ha Tinh and Nghe An.  All had left their homeland with the help of the people smuggling networks which are so pervasive in today’s world of labour export and people trafficking.

The SVD Thai District recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Divine Word Missionaries’ presence in Thailand.

The anniversary was marked during a gathering of the confreres for their quarterly recollection, where, in a spirit of prayer they gave thanks to God for blessing the Thailand mission over the years.

Pope Francis’ call for Church communities to provide a welcoming presence for migrants and refugees came to vibrant life at the SVD’s Marsfield community recently with the celebration of Multicultural Sunday.Pope Francis’ call for Church communities to provide a welcoming presence for migrants and refugees came to vibrant life at the SVD’s Marsfield community recently with the celebration of Multicultural Sunday.

The day began with Mass, followed by cultural performances by different ethnic groups. The celebration ended with a multicultural banquet under a clear blue sky.
Rector of the Marsfield Community, Fr Mikhael Loke says the day was timed to fit in with the worldwide celebration of Refugee and Migrant Sunday.

The Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters in Australia celebrated their big feast day of Pentecost with music, dancing and communion with others, including refugees and asylum seekers.

The Sisters, who were founded by St Arnold Janssen, along with the Divine Word Missionaries and another order of women religious, the Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters, had Pentecost celebrations in Melbourne, Sydney, Townsville and Brisbane.

On the matter of providing safe harbour and unconditional welcome for refugees, migrants and the stranger, all four Evangelists agree: “Whoever receives such little ones in my name, receives me.” (Mk 9:37; Mt 18:5; Lk 9:48; Jn 13:20). The Synoptic Gospels also remind us of the woes that may befall any whose actions initiate war, destroy families and create refugees: “It would be better for them to have a great millstone tied around their necks and be drowned in the depths of the sea.” (Mk 9:42; Mt 18:6; Lk 17:2).

The use of ‘little ones’ as a category of persons helps us to understand that the refugee is someone who is often marginalised, often vulnerable, often powerless. The combination of all these factors means that they are always deserving of our compassion and concern.

In Australia we are part way through a Federal Election campaign. So far, the population at large seems to be fairly underwhelmed with what’s on offer from the various parties. I understand this apathy, but I worry sometimes about this disengagement from the political process, because I wonder where it will lead us, and especially what it will mean for the most vulnerable people in our society.

The Australian Bishops have decided to dip their toe into the campaign, not in a party-political way, but by calling for the voices of the “thrown away people” to be heard.