World Refugee Day Message

Originally posted on Catholic Charities USA

The 167 Catholic Charities agencies across the country and in the U.S. territories often encounter our sisters and brothers at the most vulnerable times in their lives. They are seniors, veterans, natural disaster survivors, families at risk because of financial insecurities and others who feel left behind in society.

Migrants are an especially vulnerable population cared for by Catholic Charities staff and volunteers because they are on the move, far from home, and strangers in a strange land.

After being processed by federal authorities, they arrive at our sites weary from their travels. They are seeking respite — a warm meal, a hot shower and a safe place to stay for the night. Our agencies on the border are but one stop on a longer journey, from government custody to immigration court, often from poverty and peril to the hope of a permanent home, a job and an education for their children — if permitted to stay.