On Jan. 28, some 50 people gathered at Christ Our Light Parish in Cherry Hill for a discussion on “Welcoming the Stranger” with four staff from Catholic Charities’ Refugee Resettlement program. For the panelists, their work with refugees is more than a job.
Moustafa Aldouri and Francis Kap Lian, both case managers at Catholic Charities, are themselves refugees, from Iraq and Myanmar (Burma) respectively. Patrick Barry, director of the refugee program, is the son of refugees from Cambodia. Caitlin Jones, who coordinates refugee services, spent a year working with some of the most desperate refugees in Africa before beginning at Catholic Charities.
“Resettlement is a story of redemption,” Jones said during the panel. “That’s what really brings me back to the work that we do. It’s that story of redemption that I get to be part of.”
Aldouri and Lian both faced extreme political situations in their home countries that forced them to flee. Lian talked about how a military dictatorship in Myanmar forced him to abandon his dream of becoming a priest and leave his home country. Aldouri spoke about the initial difficulties of adjusting to American life as a teenager from Iraq.
“It’s not just a different country; it’s like going to a different world,” he said.
Today, both provide inspiration and hope to the refugee clients they assist at Catholic Charities. Lian has a family in the U.S. and his children attend Catholic school. Aldouri now owns a house and pursues higher education.
When asked the one thing he tells every new refugee when they arrive, Aldouri answered immediately. “If I did it, you can do it!”
Barry told attendees of his personal experiences growing up gradually learning about his family’s history of fleeing Cambodia during a brutal communist regime. Today, that history inspires him in the work that he does.
“We are all God’s children. Welcoming the stranger is a recurring theme throughout the Bible. There are no more famous refugees than Mary and Joseph fleeing Egypt,” he said.
Attendees said the discussion, which put a personal face on an often politicized issue, was a powerful experience.
The event, hosted and organized by the Catholic Community of Christ Our Light, was co-sponsored by the Diocese of Camden’s Office of Life & Justice Ministries.
Written by Joanna Gardner
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The discussion was part of Catholic Charities’ “Mercy In-Focus” program for the Jubilee of Mercy. Throughout the year, the agency is focusing in on different corporal works of mercy, bringing speaker events (“Education”), service projects (“Action”) and fellowship opportunities (“Encounter”) with each of these populations to parishes and faith communities in the Diocese of Camden. To schedule a speaker or event at your parish, contact Joanna Gardner: 856-342-8846, Joanna.Gardner@CamdenDiocese.org
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Upcoming Mercy In-Focus Events
February at Catholic Charities: “Welcome the Stranger.”
ACTION: Orientation and training day for volunteers interested in joining Refugee Apartment Set-up Teams. Learn how you can take part in this important ministry of welcoming the stranger by furnishing and preparing apartments for arriving refugee families.
Friday, February 19, 10:30 a.m.
Catholic Charities Office in Camden
1845 Haddon Avenue
Camden, NJ 08103
ENCOUNTER: Meet your refugee neighbors during a family-friendly afternoon of activities. Enjoy “Bubble Magic: The Science of Suds,” an educational program with the Garden State Discovery museum, and hear from refugee families about their experiences in the U.S. The afternoon includes crafts, refreshments, and a service project for all ages. An educational day of fun for the whole family!
Tuesday, February 23, 4:00 p.m.
Catholic Charities Office in Camden
1845 Haddon Avenue
Camden, NJ 08103
Visit CatholicCharitiesCamden.org/Mercy for more information or contact Joanna Gardner: 856-342-8846, Joanna.Gardner@CamdenDiocese.org