Parish Resource Pack
The Council for Immigrants of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference has prepared a Parish Resource Pack for use on the World Day of Migrants and Refugees which is marked on Sunday 29 September on the theme ‘It is not just about migrants’. Click below to download the resource pack:
World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2019 Resource Pack
Message of Pope Francis for the 105th World Day of Migrants and Refugees
The theme of the Pope’s message for the 105th World Day of Migrants and Refugees is ‘It is not just about migrants’.
In his message, Pope Francis says, “In a word, it is not only the cause of migrants that is at stake; it is not just about them, but about all of us, and about the present and future of the human family. Migrants, especially those who are most vulnerable, help us to read the “signs of the times”. Through them, the Lord is calling us to conversion, to be set free from exclusivity, indifference and the throw-away culture. Through them, the Lord invites us to embrace fully our Christian life and to contribute, each according to his or her proper vocation, to the building up of a world that is more and more in accord with God’s plan.
Download the message in full here.
A Living Word – Daily reflections from Father Alan Hilliard
Father Alan Hilliard, a priest of the Archdiocese of Dublin and the coordinator of the chaplaincy service for the Dublin Institute of Technology, is offering a daily reflection from Monday 23 to Friday 27 September on RTÉ Radio One. Father Alan will be reflecting on the themes of migrants and refugees on A Living Word which is the daily pause for thought feature broadcast each morning on Risin’ Time.
Click here for the daily podcasts and see below for the text of each of the reflections:
Monday – Traffickers
This year, Pope Francis has asked that the World Day of Migrants and Refugees takes place on Sunday 29th of September 2019. It is easy to say what we should do for refugees and migrants but this week I hope to share how migrants and refugees have helped me understand life. I never considered myself to be a trafficker but on many occasions I have given somebody a lift in my car when they needed to get somewhere rather urgently. It may have been a family member, a neighbour, or a friend. There are many people who need to get from ‘a’ to ‘b’ and have limited options as to how they might get there. Most are able to avail of public transport, they may have their own transport be it bike, car, or as in keeping with technological advances, they may have an electric scooter! However there are many people who need to get from ‘a’ to ‘b’ under very different circumstances. Those who leave war torn countries often receive aid from families and friends as they move through hostile areas attempting to get themselves and others to safety. What one may term ‘lending a Christian hand’ to a brother or sister in need, others may exploit as an emerging business opportunity, but both are traffickers. The former partakes in prophetic action, the other makes a profit. Outside the Cathedral in Killarney there is a statue of Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty. He saved the lives of six and a half thousand prisoners of war, partisans, and Jews during the Second World War often disguising the escapees as nuns and priests and in so doing he provided safe passage to a new and healthier life. One of Hugh O’Flaherty’s famous sayings and one that motivated him in his work was ‘that God has no country’. There was no ‘a’ or ‘b’ in his eyes or heart…just God’s children evading death. Yes he was a trafficker, I suppose, though the difference was that he undertook prophetic actions and never sought to profit from people’s plight.
Prayers
An Immigrant Prayer
Dear Jesus, our journey through life is long and hard. We cannot make this trip alone; we must walk
together on the journey. You promised to send us a helper, your Spirit. Help us to see your Spirit
in those you send to journey with us. In the refugee family, seeking safety from violence, let us see your Spirit. In the migrant worker, bringing food to our tables, let us see your Spirit. In the asylum seeker, seeking justice for himself and his family, let us see your Spirit. In the unaccompanied child, traveling in a dangerous world, let us see your Spirit. Teach us to recognise that as we walk with each other, you are present. Teach us to welcome not only the strangers in our midst but the gifts they bring as well: the invitation to conversion, communion, and solidarity. This is the help you have sent: we are not alone. We are together on the journey, and for this we give you thanks.
Amen.
Click below to listen to an audio version of this prayer.
The love and affection of the saints be to you,
The love and affection of heaven be to you,
To guard and to cherish you.
May God shield you on every step,
May he aid you on every path,
And may he hold you safe on every slope,
On every hill and on every plain;
On earth and on sea until it is safe to go home again. Click below to listen to an audio version of this blessing.
Prayer of the Faithful
We pray that we may accept the gifts of our migrants and refugees with open hands and hearts
showing them that we are brothers and sisters. Lord hear us.
We pray that we may live our baptismal commitment by helping refugees and migrants in our
dioceses and parishes. Lord hear us.
We pray that we may listen to the Word of God and live it out fully by our hospitality to all in our
parish. Lord hear us.
We pray that we may hear and answer ‘here I am’ to the Gospel values of being welcoming to one
another, especially our immigrant brothers and sisters. Lord hear us.
We pray that we may reach out to touch others as Jesus did. Lord hear us.
We pray that we are willing to help others who are in need of basic necessities, such as food, and are
also able to listen to those in need. Lord hear us.
We pray that we may find ways of following Jesus by seeking ways to help refugees, migrants and
their families. Lord hear us.
God of Unity and Hope, we pray that our country may be transformed with love. May we hear the
cries of migrant and refugee families and be ready to help them in any ways we can. Lord hear us.
All immigrants are our brothers and sisters and all children are gifts of God to us. May we grow in
caring for others and be sensitive to their needs. May we welcome those who come to our diocese
and parish.
We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Litany – It is not just about migrants
It is not just about migrants:
it is also about our fears and hurts.
It is not just about migrants:
it is about charity and compassion.
It is not just about migrants:
it is about our humanity.
It is not just about migrants:
it is a question of seeing that no one is abandoned or
excluded.
It is not just about migrants:
it is about putting the last in first place.
It is not just about migrants:
it is about the whole person, about all people.
It is not just about migrants:
it is about building the city of God.
Litany based on the message of Pope Francis for the World Day of Prayer for Migrants and Refugees 2019.
Click below to listen to an audio version of this litany.
ENDS
