Day of reflection will link to Holy Family
By Agnieszka Krawczynski
The B.C. Catholic
Men and women in religious communities as well as laity will pause to reflect on welcoming refugees and immigrants as Advent draws near. “We remember that Joseph and Mary were refugees after the birth of Jesus,” said Jean-Michel Bigou of the Canadian Religious Conference.
“As we are close to celebrating Christmas, we thought it was relevant to highlight the link between the Holy Family and the current refugee and immigrant conditions.”
The Canadian Religious Conference, which provides resources for 200 religious communities, will host two days of reflection on the challenges refugees and immigrants face and how they are being and can be helped.
“The world is experiencing a serious refugee crisis. Refugees and immigrants are top headlines daily,” Bigou said.
Many religious communities are already helping, he said. A 2016 CRC report shows many orders have sponsored refugee families or made significant donations to organizations that help them.
St. Helen’s Parish in Burnaby will host a day of reflection for women and men religious and lay people interested in issues of justice Dec. 3.
Speakers are to include Sister Karina Farias, CMT, from Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, who serves migrant farm workers, and Nora Riordan, who is involved in social justice efforts in the Archdiocese of Vancouver.
A similar event will be held in Calgary Dec. 5. “We would like to organize such activities twice a year in western Canada,” said Bigou. The topic will depend on “the needs of the religious and the place they are.”
The registration deadline is Nov. 28. Info: sgravel@crc-canada.org.
