World Day of Migrants and Refugees emphasizes the importance of walking with our brothers and sisters in need

The Catholic Church observes the World Day of Migrants and Refugees on the last Sunday of September each year.

Leading up to Sept. 29, the Catholic Church in the United States will celebrate National Migration Week (Sept. 23-29), calling attention to the challenges confronting migrants and refugees from their country of origin to their destination and how Church teaching calls on Catholics to respond with compassionate acts of love. Catholic dioceses, schools, charitable organizations, and other institutions around the country will commemorate these annual events in various ways, from special Masses and festivals to volunteer opportunities and immigration legal clinics.

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For this year’s observance, Pope Francis selected the theme “God walks with his people.” God not only walks with his people but also within them, in the sense that he identifies himself with men and women on their journey through history, particularly with the least, the poor, and the marginalized, the Holy Father said in his annual message.

Recently, Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R, Archbishop of Newark, appointed Father Alex Gaitan to head the archdiocese’s newest ministry to support immigrants through local church communities. Father Gaitan aims to establish ministries in parishes with immigrant populations to facilitate access to ESL classes and driver’s licenses, provide guidance on enrolling their children in schools, and help in setting up bank accounts. He also wants to create partnerships to help navigate the legal system and to obtain passports. Additionally, he hopes to raise awareness in parishes and schools to combat xenophobia.

Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Migration, remarked that “Pope Francis calls for solidarity with migrants, reminding us that their journeys mirror the biblical Exodus, with God as their guide and companion. He emphasizes that every encounter with migrants is an encounter with Christ, urging us to respond with compassion, recognizing their struggles as a reflection of our shared journey toward the Kingdom of Heaven.”

Visit the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development’s website for more on the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. Additionally, the Justice for Immigrants website includes information on National Migration Week, including prayer resources and homily notes that illuminate the intersection between Church teaching and migration.

For more information on the Archdiocese of Newark’s Immigration Ministry, visit the ministry’s page on rcan.org.

Father Gaitan can be reached at 973-497-4338 or alex.gaitan@rcan.org.

Jaimie Julia Winters, Jersey Catholic editor, contributed to this report.

Featured image: Migrants walk along a train track while traveling toward the U.S. border, in Sayula de Aleman, Mexico, Aug. 22, 2024. (OSV News photo/Angel Hernandez, Reuters)