Archdiocese has processed about 250 arrivals from Syria, Iraq, Liberia, and Eritrea this year
The B.C. Catholic
The hype about sponsoring refugees is fading from mainstream news, but churches are still working hard to pull foreigners to safety.
Thirty-three refugees have arrived with the help of southern B.C. churches in the last 50 days alone: 18 Syrians, five Iraqis, five Liberians, and five Eritreans.
“As human beings and as followers of Christ, we should show them love and respect,” said volunteer Ralph Guerra, a member of Our Lady of Mercy Parish.
“When it’s time for us to face the Lord, we can say, ‘Lord, we opened our doors to You.'” His parish welcomed a young Syrian couple and their 4-year-old daughter at the airport Sept. 7.
Guerra, who immigrated to Canada from the Philippines six years ago, calls it a “privilege” to help the family find a new home in Burnaby.
“I’m an immigrant too. We struggled when we first came here. We didn’t have enough money, but we worked hard,” he said.
“I told God, everything that He gave me, I would return to people. I always prayed to God to make me His tool for other people, so other people would know that God loves them so much.”
St. George Melkite Greek Catholic Mission, which uses St. Francis de Sales Church, welcomed six Syrian refugees Sept. 7, 9, and 21.
Parishioner Carlo Rahal said most of the refugees they welcome already have family members in B.C. “We get these people out of a war zone” and “unite families.”
The parish only steps in when a family needs help. “We do check to make sure that the sponsoring families are financially capable of looking after them,” and “back them up if they need assistance.”
He plans to host a big parish dinner near Thanksgiving or Christmas to introduce all new arrivals to their fellow parishioners.
Only about a week earlier, Aug. 30, St. Joseph’s Parish in Langley welcomed four Iraqi refugees. Another Iraqi refugee arrived with the help of Sts. Peter and Paul Chaldean Catholic Mission, meeting at St. Andrew Kim Church, Sept. 7.
Though the Middle East gets the most press these days, it is not the only violent place on the map. A slow, steady stream of refugees from Africa has been flowing into southern B.C. as well.
St. Peter’s Parish in New Westminster greeted two Eritreans at the airport Aug. 23, while St. Francis de Sales Parish and Holy Name of Jesus Parish welcomed one Eritrean each Aug. 24.
Less than a month later, five Liberians arrived at Sacred Heart Parish in Williams Lake.
“It’s just one of those things, that when you have an opportunity to serve and make someone’s life better, it’s the automatic choice,” said Christine Mason, a parishioner on the sponsoring committee.
A grandmother, mother, teenager, and two young children landed Sept. 19. Sponsors picked them up at the airport and whisked them away to their own apartment, fully furnished with donations from generous parishioners.
Churchgoers are communicating with the family in French and a bit of English. “The grandma was saying how grateful she was because they faced a lot of suffering in the camp,” said Mason.
The most recent arrivals, scheduled to land at Vancouver International Airport Oct. 6, are five Syrians sponsored by St. Mary’s Parish in Chilliwack and four helped by Star of the Sea Parish.
Diane Chua, the archdiocesan refugee program coordinator, said about 250 refugees have landed this year, 98 of them between January and March, when the federal government made helping Syrian refugees a priority.
Chua pointed out that some African refugees have waited as long as five years to come, and many parishes are still applying to sponsor or waiting for their refugee families to arrive.
