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This 2025 United Nations Refugee Day, under the auspices of the UNHCR, have wisely chosen the theme of: “Community as a Superpower.”
This theme indicates that welcome, inclusion, and respect help form communities that support the refugees.
We would all remember the Nadesalingam (Murugappan) family who were Sri Lankan (Tamil) Asylum Seekers in Australia. Known as the “Biloela refugees,” this family is much loved in the Queensland town of Biloela and were welcomed and included by the local community during their high-profile court case.
When the family was threatened with deportation, the Biloela community sprang into action and ran a sustained campaign against their deportation, called “Home to Bilo.” This movement spread among the people of Australia and was influential in the ultimate cancellation of the deportation order after four years of legal struggles. In this instance, we see how connection between refugees and the local community is so important.
It is a dynamic through which welcome leads to connection which in turn leads to commitment to each other. This exemplifies the theme of this year’s World Refugee Day – “Community as a Superpower.”
The late Pope Francis often highlighted his concern for refugees. His first journey outside the Vatican was to the Italian island of Lampedusa. Many refugees from Africa and beyond had made their way to this island, looking for refuge and a stable life in Europe. Pope Francis met the people who had survived the treacherous journey in small boars across the Mediterranean Sea.
He offered Mass with them for the many who had perished on the way. Thus, he set the tone for his papacy. He was on the side of the vulnerable. At the same time, he challenged our lack of concern when he proclaimed on this same day:
“In this globalised world, we have fallen into globalised indifference.”
Pope Francis maintained this concern for refugees up to the end. When he proclaimed this year as a Jubilee Year, he chose the theme ‘Pilgrims of Hope” with a special concern for migrants and refugees. If we are to be pilgrims of hope, it is migrants and refugees who show us the face of pilgrims and the real power of hope. For them hope is the motivating force that impels them on their journey to seek a safer and better life.
The Columban General Assembly, held in Lima last year, uses the following words of Pope Francis, “ We are transformed by hearing the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor” (Laudato Sl 49), as the basis for choosing two priorities for our mission today. The two priorities are biodiversity and concern for migrants and refugees.
The second of these is relevant for World Refugee Day. Over many years Columbans have moved with their people, whether that be within the peoples’ own country or overseas. I think of the way Columbans followed the internal migrants in Korea as they moved from the rural areas to the cities looking for a better life.
In Peru, Chile, and the Philippines, Columbans ministered to the many people who flocked to the cities from the high ground or the provinces to the burgeoning cities. Columbans have also supported migrant workers in Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, and South Korea as they found their way in a new country.
I think also of Columbans in Myanmar who support people fleeing the violence of the civil war. In a similar way, other Columbans are now involved with refugees in several countries.
One of these Columbans is Fr. Daniel Harding who has responded to the plight of the Venezuelan refugees, in Chile. In Chile alone Fr. Dan writes,
“There are 800,000 refugees fleeing poverty and persecution created by a dictatorial regime which has led the country into an economic disaster zone.”
When Fr. Dan returned to Chile after several years in Australia, he thought it would be ‘business as usual’ in his parish. However, things had changed in his absence. He writes,
“When I saw hundreds of Venezuelan families living in small tents all around Santiago’s principal parks and plazas, I just could not believe my eyes.”
He knew he and the Church had to act, so he set up a house for some of the refugees. The parish community then provided meals for as many of the refugees as possible in their local area. This may seem like a drop in the ocean, but it means a lot to people trying to stake out an existence for themselves and family back home. Fr. Dan and his parish community’s efforts provide the refugees with hope and dignity which they certainly appreciative.
Closer to home, Fr. Bernie Lane accompanies the refugees housed in a small cottage on our land here in Essendon. These refugees are a part of the Brigidine Asylum Seeker Program. They come from all over the world and stay while they are seeking bridging visas. Now, over the last ten years some sixty men have stayed, having fled wars, persecution, and threats on their lives in their own country, the uncertainty of waiting for a bridging visa adds to their trauma.
Fr. Bernie in his quiet way listens to their story giving them understanding, care and respect. He not only helps the asylum seekers in the present but eases the pain of their past traumas through pastoral counselling. Fr. Bernie says, “the asylum seekers always express their sincere gratitude for the support they receive here.”
Being aware of the trauma that refugees go through brings with it a feeling of appreciation for the struggles these courageous people have journey through to find a new home. The response of the people of Biloela to the plight of the Nadesalingam family; the actions and words of Pope Francis, the missional response of Fr. Dan, Fr. Bernie and many others around the world to the human needs of refugees inspires us to also open our hearts in the same way.
This Jubilee Year, may we also invite refugees as ‘Pilgrims of Hope’ into our communities where they can find acceptance and welcome. Such welcoming places inspire hope in the ways people love their neighbours and become super-powerful communities founded on the human dignity each person carries.
Columban Fr Kelvin Barrett lives and works at St Columban’s, Essendon.
