World Refugee Day--Catholic Releif Services

This month's current event article is written by Dan Brencic, Peacebuilders 2005. Dan also participated in the joint CRS-CTU program for Peacebuilders alums in 2006. He is currently a student at the University of Illinois and has interned with Catholic Relief Services this summer.

One of the guiding principles of Catholic Relief Services is the concept of solidarity expressed as, "We are all part of one human family - whatever our national, racial, religious, economic or ideological differences - and in an increasingly interconnected world, loving our neighbor has global dimensions." This principle was truly exhibited in my experiences working with the World Refugee Day celebration.

Catholic Relief Services along with sixteen other sponsoring agencies organized World Refugee Day on June 20, 2007 to celebrate the contributions of refugees and to raise awareness about the millions of refugees world-wide who are forced to flee their homes. The program featured a segment on National Public Radio discussing World Refugee Day and a luncheon at the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago. All of this culminated with a live music celebration at the Wild Hare near Wrigley Field featuring Chinese dragon dancers, an Eritrean drum group and many other performers from around the world.

Early in the evening, buses arrived with hundreds of clients from the numerous sponsoring organizations. I helped serve food and I was moved by what I was witnessing. As I stood there observing all of the people, I saw the beauty of the evening. Rarely in life can we all come together as one human family and celebrate all of our differences. In this one place, on that night, refugees from Bosnia and all over Africa and Southeast Asia came together to share in a meal and celebration. Many of the people there that evening shared only one thing in common -the refugee experience.

The people present that evening have experienced unspeakable tragedies. Nearly 12 million people live as refugees in temporary camps worldwide. 80% are women and children. The average stay in a refugee camp is now seventeen years. Those at the World Refugee Day event are the lucky ones. Each person there is a client of a refugee organization like Heartland Allianceor Interfaith Refugee and Immigration Ministries . Families have been resettled and lives are being transformed.

"We are all part of one human family." What can you do to connect to the part of your family living as refugees? World Refugee Day has a website that provides information about the cause of refugees. The site also provides links for all seventeen sponsoring organizations. The World Refugee Day committee is as diverse as the clients, featuring organizations from all faiths, geographic regions and facets of the refugee cause. By being informed about this issue, individuals can raise awareness in their communities. Catholic Relief Services has a legislative network that features monthly newsletters and action alerts so you can advocate for legislation that benefits the world's poor.

Catholic Connections

"Christians must above all listen to the cry for help that comes from a multitude of migrants and refugees, but they must then foster, with active commitment, prospects of hope that will herald the dawn of a more open and supportive society."
--Message of the Holy Father John Paul II for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, 2005.

Reflection Questions

What is one thing you can do to learn more about the reality of the refugee situation in our world? What is one thing you can do to support this part of the human family?

Join us in our Forum to discuss these questions!