On December 3 and 5, the CRC held a one day session on refugees and immigrants in Vancouver and Calgary.
Following a theological reflection from Father Timothy Scott, Executive Director of the CRC, those gathered at St. Helen’s Church heard from Mrs. Nora Riordan on her work with refugees in Africa and Canada, as well as Sister Karina Farias Torres, Teresian Missionary Carmelite who spoke of her work with Migrant workers. Following these presentations, there were exchanges on the realities and challenges one faces once you are in a foreign land.
In Calgary, there was a session held for CRC members on the same topic of refugees arriving – with Syria being one of the most important source. The exchanges in Calgary were mostly on how to help settle those arriving. Following a theological reflection from Dr. Michael Duggan, Chair for Catholic Studies at the St-Mary’s University. We were also happy to welcome Mrs. Anoush Newman, Refugee Resettlement Officer for the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society. Both speakers challenged the participants to understand the realities and prepare their religious communities as more refugees from Syria or elsewhere are expected to arrive in the coming years.