Catholic Sisters in Asia document programs for migrants and refugees

A project of Catholic Sisters in Asia documents services and programs for migrants and refugees in the region.

“The search for a better life – and for others, the search for safety – has spurred intense migration in Asia, both within and across national borders. The migration journey, however, can pose many challenges to people on the move,” said Sr. Elizabeth Pedernal, of the Missionary Sisters of St.  Charles Borromeo – Scalabrinians, (MSCS) the focal person of the project.

“Through various channels, the Catholic Church has been attentive to the concerns of migrants and refugees and is among the courageous voices advocating for their rights,” she told Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), in an email.

The Scalabrini Migration Center (SMC), Inc., in cooperation with the Missionary Sisters of St. Charles Scalabrinians (MSCS), has been tasked by the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development (Dicastero per il Servizio dello Sviluppo Umani Integrale or DSSUI) to document 30 good practices concerning the care of migrants and refugees, particularly those undertaken by Catholic Sisters in Asia.

Sisters belonging to various religious orders and congregations have initiated programs and services for migrants and refugees in the region, bearing witness that God is on the journey with them.

Since 2021, the DSSUI has published reports on good practices in the migrant ministry in various regions, including specific programs that were implemented during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

These are posted on https://migrants-refugees.va/resource-center/documents/.

This year, one of the reports is dedicated to the migration scenario in Asia, with a focus on the work of the sisters. “This documentation can be a source of inspiration and reference for the ministry with migrants and refugees in Asia and beyond,” said Pedernal.

“On September 24, we celebrated the 109th World Day of Migrants and Refugees (WDMR). This yearly commemoration provides an occasion to remind us of our responsibility as Church to foster societies that welcome, protect, promote and integrate migrants and refugees,” she said.

This year, the WDMR will center on the theme free to choose whether to migrate or to stay. The theme draws attention to the work-in-progress towards ensuring that everyone has access to integral human development in their homeland, providing people the option to stay.

The envisaged report on good practice in Asia, also aims to cover initiatives and programs that promote access to enabling factors that will make migration an option rather than a forced decision, said Pedernal.

The report seeks to include good practices in origin, transit and destination countries in the sub-regions of East, South and Southeast Asia.

“We call the participation of all the Consecrated women, Religious Sisters by sharing a migration-related program or service spearheaded by the congregation in the in Asian Country,” said Pedernal.

For more details, Sr. Pedernal can be reached at [email protected].