This Sunday, September 27, the Church will celebrate the 106th World Day of Migrants and Refugees (WMRD). This year, Pope Francis has announced that the focus will be on Internally Displaced Persons, or IDPs, and the title of his official theme for WMRD is "Like Jesus Christ, Forced to Flee."
This is a day of prayer and reflection on the suffering faced by migrants and refugees around the world and the Church's call to be a beacon of hope and welcome for displaced communities. Join us as we pray, study, and act to mark this day.
Pray
- Pray this prayer from Pope Francis for World Day of Migrants and Refugees: “Lord, teach us to see with your eyes, with that welcoming and merciful gaze…”
Study
- Read Pope Francis’s message for the 106th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, “Like Jesus Christ, Forced to Flee.”
- Read the document on IDPs compiled by the Migrants and Refugees Section at the Vatican: "Pastoral Orientation on Internally Displaced People."
- Read a homily in honor of WMRD by Maryknoll Fr. Joseph Healey in collaboration with refugees and IDPs from South Sudan.
- Learn about IDPs through this short backgrounder from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Act
- To prepare for the upcoming U.S. elections, read our two-page election issue briefs on refugees and U.S. immigration policy and watch the corresponding 30-minute webinars.
- Ask Congress to urge the Trump administration to restore the U.S. refugee program, which has been greatly shrunk in recent years.
- Read our statement on the Ninth Circuit Court's recent decision to allow the Trump administration to end the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) programs for Haiti, Sudan, Nicaragua, and El Salvador, a move that could put about 300,000 immigrants at risk of deportation. Look out for action alerts on this issue in the coming weeks.
- Share pictures, stories and Church teaching from the Vatican’s Migrants and Refugees website
Photo: Children queue for water in the Jamam refugee camp, courtesy of DFID via Flickr.