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Brentwood Diocese: Mass for Migrants

  • Jo Siedlecka

Members from Kerala community

Members from Kerala community

London’s annual Mass for Migrants, in honour of Saint Joseph the Worker, took place in Brentwood Diocese this year, on Saturday morning at the Church of Saint Antony of Padua in Forest Gate.

Bishop Alan Williams sm was the Chief Celebrant. The Mass was preceded by a colourful procession of banners from London's diverse ethnic communities, parishes, chaplaincies and civic organisations - from the capital’s three Catholic dioceses: Westminster, Southwark and Brentwood.

Music before the service was provided by the choirs of St Angela’s and St Bonaventure’s Schools. As the procession entered the church, the Kerala community, carrying their traditional sparkling parasols, sang the entrance hymn.

The service began with testimonies. Salvation Army Captain John Clifton from Ilford spoke about their work in collaboration with Caritas, assisting Syrian refugees. Another speaker described the work of Spieza, an Albanian charity working with refugees. Finally a young girl spoke about the support she had received as an asylum seeker two years ago. At time she said she was a ‘broken person’ but now thanks to advocacy and support from voluntary organisations she is settled and is now helping other young people in the situation she was.

A representative of Citizens UK described some successes they have had in the past year. The community organisation succeeded in helping welcome and settle more than a thousand unaccompanied child refugees, admitted to the UK under the government’s Dubs Amendment. Just the day before, they had managed to bring a further three young orphans from Syria to live with their grandparents in Winchester. The children, aged 4, 6 and 12 had been surviving in the ruins of their family home where their parents had been killed. Thanks to a campaign by Citizens UK they are now safe, but there are many more children like them.

In his homily, Bishop Alan Williams praised the Salvation Army saying: “whenever I see them my heart melts” for the very simple reason, he said. They are putting charity into action.”

Bishop Alan said “Lost and confused” was a phrase that we had several times in the testimonies. It is very hard to imagine how difficult it must be to arrive in another country without speaking the language and without knowing the culture. For a child, as Pope Francis described - ‘voiceless and vulnerable’ - one can only try to imagine how lost and confused’ they would feel.

Jesus also must have felt lost and confused, Bishop Alan said. “The world does not understand the mercy of Jesus Christ.”

“Compassion is great, love is great, sympathy is great - but” Bishop Alan said, "what migrants and refugees need is practical help” - being welcomed, support with accommodation, language lessons, finding work. “Let us open our hearts but also think of practical actions.”

Bishop Alan thanked the ethnic chaplaincies, refugees and migrants for the great contribution they make to parishes.

He concluded by quoting Pope Francis’ reflection on St Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians in Amoris Laetitia: “When I try and make sense of all this I put on the love of Christ…. and “love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy. It does not boast. It is not proud…But can I suggest when you leave Mass today you pray those words and say ‘I am patient. I am kind. I do not envy …" and so forth.

The Bidding Prayers were said in several languages, including Tagalog, Spanish, Tamil, Malylayam, Bengali and Irish. The Offertory procession was led by members of the Tamil Community.

The Communion Hymns were sung by the choir of St Antony’s Primary School and St Bonaventure’s School. After the Final Blessing, there was a rousing rendition of We are Marching as the procession of banners filed out.

If you have a spare room and are interested in hosting a refugee see: www.refugeesathome.org

For voluntary work with Jesuit Refugee Services see: www.jrsuk.net

Read about Citizens UK refugee resettlement programme here: www.citizensuk.org/save_lives_by_helping_resettle_refugees

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