Celebrating the Year of Welcome - 2020

Next week, Australia joins with the world in celebrating Refugee Week, this year culminating in World Refugee Day on Saturday June 20. During this week, we are asked to reflect on and, if possible, contribute to creating a ‘better understanding between different communities and to encourage successful integration enabling refugees to live in safety and to continue making a valuable contribution to Australia.’ This year, as we celebrate ‘the year of welcome’, we continue to celebrate the positive contributions made by refugees to Australian society. 

 As we welcome and foster refugees in our community, including here at St Brigid’s, we are living out two of the Catholic values that are embedded in our school life: Compassion - We are moved by God’s grace to be accepting, empathetic and merciful by embracing the dignity of each person so that they are loved and valued; and Service - We are called to respond actively to God’s mission as servant leaders by reaching out to others, especially the needy, as Jesus did.

In these troubled times, let us never forget those who are in need of our compassion and service in order that they might experience the basic rights and dignity of the human person. The future of a world of peace and harmony, equality and safety for all, is truly in our hands and those of our children. In celebrating Refugee Week, we are called to be Christ in action - to reach out in care and appreciation to those who have come to our land and our community for shelter and new beginnings. 

In God’s name, and through the example of Jesus, 

we seek to love the neighbour who is different 

and welcome the stranger in our midst. Lord, hear us