At a Sept. 26 Mass marking the 107th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, Washington Auxiliary Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville, the chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration, urged people to follow Pope Francis’s admonition to “move from indifference to solidarity.”
“Countries have the moral obligation to open the doors for those who might be richer in dreams and expectations,” said Bishop Dorsonville, the main celebrant and homilist at the Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C.
Recently the USCCB’s commemoration of National Migration Week was moved to September to connect that with the Church’s annual celebration of the World Day of Migrants and Refugees.
The bishop briefly described last week’s treatment of Haitians and other migrants arriving at the U.S. border in Texas under conditions of excessive heat and lack of food, water and shelter as “shameful” and “painful.” Photos showed border patrol officials on horseback confronting some of the refugees.
“We have to respect the human dignity of the person,” he said. “The human person is the image of God.”
Additionally, “there are 80 million people around the world – they are refugees, they are migrants,” Bishop Dorsonville said, “and many of them are victims of human trafficking.” He added that many are not treated as human people but as animals, “and that is wrong for today’s society.”
Expanding on Pope Francis’s theme for this year, “towards an ever wider ‘we,’” Bishop Dorsonville noted that the faithful are called to love others as much as one’s own family. “Let us love the stranger. Let us love the immigrant, the undocumented, the one who is unfortunately faceless and voiceless – because they are the dwelling place of Jesus Christ.”
Bishop Dorsonville urged acceptance, prayer, and advocacy – becoming the voice of those without one – as the solution for ending polarization in a splintered world.
“We are intended to be a ‘wider we’ … something that calls us together as a Church, to walk together and also to make alliances to other churches, to other faiths because the problem is not just one country, these 80 million come from every place around the world and developed societies.”
Earlier in a Sept. 20 press release for National Migration Week, Bishop Dorsonville noted that, “The migration story is one of compassion, welcome, and unity. It is about opening our hearts to others, and at this critical juncture we do not have to look far to see its practical application or find those with a need to migrate.”
“The Holy Father calls us to embrace and express the Church’s catholicity—her universality — ‘according to the will and grace of the Lord who promised to be with us always, until the end of the age.’ Let us, the Catholics of the United States, join together to answer his call and be especially mindful of it during this upcoming week.”
At the multi-lingual Mass – which was also live-streamed on the archdiocesan web site – Bishop Dorsonville said it was a joy to see the few hundred people there gathered to reflect and pray for the migrant, immigrant, and the displaced person.
In his welcome message, Msgr. W. Ronald Jameson, the cathedral’s rector, greeted three ambassadors, representing the countries of Guatemala, Ecuador and the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, as well as other international representatives attending the Mass. Msgr. Jameson also read an excerpt from Pope Francis’s annual message on World Day of Migrants and Refugees quoting: “We are all in the same boat and called to work together so that there will be no more walls that separate us, no longer others, but only a single ‘we,’ encompassing all of humanity.”
Additionally, Tabla For Two, a local musical duo who perform Afghan music to promote peace and mutual understanding, provided the hymn during preparation of the Eucharist as well as music during the prelude.
Calling the Mass a “nice surprise,” Maunica Malladi, a District resident who attends Mass at St. Matthew’s, did not know of the annual commemoration of World Day of Migrants and Refugees. “Everything about it was beautiful,” Malladi noted, adding that for the faithful, the annual event symbolized people’s shared humanity. “Jesus was a refugee as well – we are all His brothers and sisters.”
Xristian Olivas attended the Mass with his mother, Roxana Paalvast, the director of strategic initiatives at the School of Theology and Religious Studies at The Catholic University of America who served as a lector at the liturgy. Both agreed that honoring migrants is a primary message of God. “Jesus Christ says ‘love your neighbor’ – that’s who your neighbors are – migrants, people across the border, people we don’t know,” Olivas said. “We must love, accept, welcome them with open arms.”
Paalvast said it is imperative to really embrace diversity and multi-culturalism. “To welcome the migrants is to follow the essence of God’s teachings,” she said.
Representing the African Catholic Association of the DMV in the Washington area, board member Albert Gyan said it was important to see Church leaders and members concerned about the issues of refugees, migrants, and displaced persons. In his association, Catholic communities of African descent come together for dialogue and advocacy. That group is advocating for more COVID-19 vaccinations for the people of Africa, where currently only 1 percent of the population has been given at least one dose. “We need to have a bigger human family,” Gyan said, adding that he appreciated Bishop Dorsonville’s call for “all Catholics to go beyond their own nuclear family.”
Sister Joanna Okereke, assistant director of the Pastoral Care of Migrants, Refugees & Travelers Committee of Cultural Diversity at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, agreed. “We are striving to be a voice of African Catholic migration,” she said. The woman religious, a member of the Handmaids of the Holy Child of Jesus, a religious order founded in Nigeria, said she thought it was wonderful that the whole world is praying about these issues. “The pope said to get to a ‘wider we’ – (and) see if we can reach everyone and make sure they feel at home.”
Participant Ariel Hobbs, a student at Catholic University heard about the Mass and attended to add her support. “It’s important we have a sense of unity in a world where we are all divided today – both politically and in the Church,” Hobbs said. “It’s important we all come together because we are one in the Body of the Church.”
