The Vatican is Asking Catholics to Share Their Experiences Helping Migrants and Refugees

“There was an announcement made at the end of Mass inviting people to offer hospitality to asylum seekers,” Bertrand Gorge, a father from Roquefort-Les-Pins, France, said. 

“It made me ask myself, ‘If we do not welcome migrants, who will?’”

Gorge said that the experience has been very enriching for his family and that they have learned a lot about other cultures and what is happening in different parts of the world.

“For our children, each time has been an absolutely amazing encounter,” he said.

The World Day of Migrants and Refugees was established by Pope Pius X in 1914. It is celebrated annually on the last Sunday in September. This year it falls on Sept. 25.

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Pope Francis has already released a 1,200-word message for the 108th World Migrant and Refugee Day with the theme “Building the Future with Migrants and Refugees.”

“Migrants and refugees offer us a great opportunity for the cultural and spiritual growth of all of us,” the pope said in his latest video message.

“For this reason, it is essential to promote intercultural and interreligious dialogue and to build the future on common values.”

Courtney Mares is a Rome Correspondent for Catholic News Agency. A graduate of Harvard University, she has reported from news bureaus on three continents and was awarded the Gardner Fellowship for her work with North Korean refugees.