Catholic Identity and Mission 

World Day of Migrants and Refugees

This Sunday is Migrant and Refugee Sunday in the Church.

The Church has been celebrating the World Day of Migrants and Refugees (WDMR) since 1914. It is always an occasion to express concern for different vulnerable people on the move; to pray for them as they face many challenges; and to increase awareness about the opportunities that migration offers.

Every year the WDMR is the last Sunday of September;  in 2022 it will be celebrated on 25 September.  As the title for his annual message, the Holy Father has chosen “Building the Future with Migrants and Refugees”.

Taken from Pope Francis' message for Migrant and Refugee Sunday, The Kingdom of God is to be built with with migrants and refugees, for without them it would not be the Kingdom that God wants. The inclusion of those most vulnerable is the necessary condition for full citizenship in God’s Kingdom. Indeed, the Lord says, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world". 

St Gabriel's School community is a place of celebration in the many different cultural groups represented within the school.  There is so much to learn and to be grateful for in the make up of our school community and the opportunities for growth in understanding and acceptance is all around.  

Give Us Hearts

God of love and compassion: may we always recognize your spirit:

• in the refugee family, seeking safety from violence;
• in the migrant worker, bringing food to our tables;
• in the asylum-seekers, seeking justice for their families;
• in the unaccompanied child, traveling in a dangerous world.

Give us hearts that break open whenever our brothers and sisters turn to us.  Give us hearts that no longer turn deaf to their voices in times of need:

Give us eyes to recognize a moment for grace instead of a threat.  Give us voices that fail to remain silent but which decide instead to advocate prophetically.  Give us hands that reach out in welcome, but also in work, for a world of justice until all homelands are safe and secure.  Bless us, O Lord...

- Fr. Dan Hartnett S.J.