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London: Jesuit refugee centre open day


Sister Rosemary at Hurtado Centre

Sister Rosemary at Hurtado Centre

The plight of asylum seekers in the UK is a desperate one. Often after the trauma of separation from family, perhaps escaping from a war zone, and enduring a hazardous journey, refugees are met with official and public hostility. Many asylum seekers are not allowed to receive any benefits, or accommodation, or permission to work. The literally can end up on the streets. Others, including young families with children, can be kept in detention centres for months and sometimes years.

One organisation which is working to support asylum seekers is the Jesuit Refugee Service. (JRS UK). There was open house yesterday, at their new home in Wapping - ten minutes' walk from Tower Bridge in London. Based in a converted school, the Hurtado Jesuit Centre offers practical support, advice, prayers and hospitality to more than 100 refugees each week.

Formally JRS-UK was based in Stamford Hill. They moved in earlier in the year: the centre was officially opened by the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Father Adolfo Nicolás SJ, on 16 April. Since then, its staff and volunteers have had time to settle into their new location and the day was a chance to welcome old supporters and new neighbours.

The office is open from Monday to Friday. Besides offering support to refugees at the centre, trained volunteers also make weekly visits to refugees detained at Harmondsworth and Colnbrook detention centres. JRS also has a pen-befriender scheme connecting detainees with volunteers from around the UK.

On Thursdays from 10-3 the Day Centre is open and refugees can come in for lunch, receive packs containing toiletries, bus passes, advice and help with filling out forms and writing letters.

Canadian Sister Rosemary Howarth, a School Sister of Notre Dame (SSND) , runs a weekly companionship programme with Brother Stephen Power, and Sister Mary Toner. “We thought it would be more one to one, but recently the women formed a prayer group. It just happened that all the women who have come are Christians. The Bible Society has now given us Bibles in several languages – Portuguese, French, Triginia (Ethiopian) which are wonderful.” Sister Rosemary has been in the UK for three years. Before she worked in Peru and Italy. “I have an international heart” she said.

JRS UK works closely with other Church and secular refugee agencies in London, including the French Church in Leicester Square, which especially cares for Francophone refugees. It is part of the JRS international Catholic NGO working in more than 50 countries, with a mission to “accompany, serve and advocate on behalf of all asylum seekers from their first arrival until they are satisfactorily settled.”

Director, Louise Zanré, said: "whilst the Hurtado Jesuit Centre will never be a substitute home for them, we do our best to make each one feel comfortable and at ease.”

In his welcome to visitors, David Rees Jones, chair of the board pointed out that yesterday was the 31st birthday of JRS. The agency has lived in several homes over the years and continues to develop.

He also read the JRS Blessing:

God Bless our eyes so that we will recognise injustices.

God Bless our ears so that we will hear the cry of the stranger.

God Bless our mouths so that we will speak words of welcome to newcomers.

God Bless our shoulders so we will be able to bear the weight of struggling for justice.

God bless our hands so that we can work together with all people to establish peace.

Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga, born in 1901 in Chile, was a Jesuit priest, lawyer, social worker and the founder of the Hogar de Cristo (literally Hearth of Christ) foundation, whose mission is to serve the poorest of the poor. The organization, founded in 1944, provides assistance particularly to the elderly, the homeless, terminally ill patients, abandoned children and young people.

The Hurtado Jesuit Centre is based at: 2 Chandler Street, London E1W 2QT. If you would like more information or are interested in volunteering see: www.jrsuk.net

You can also make a donation through: www.justgiving.com/jesuitrefugeeservice

 

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