Saturday the 13th of January 2018 : Celebration in Haifa of the International Day for Migrants and Asylum Seekers


Sr Claudia reports

A blue sky and a warm sun welcomed today the different migrant communities that gathered in Haifa to celebrate the World Day for Migrants and Refugees. The sky seemed to transmit a bit of joy and warmth to the Asylum Seekers who are threatened with expulsion in these difficult days.

Father Abdo, parish priest of St. Joseph Church in Haifa, welcomed us while the church was getting filled with different faces and various colors.

The Eucharistic celebration, presided by his Excellency Mons. Marcuzzo, Vicar in Jerusalem, was animated by songs of the various choirs representing the present communities. In his homily, his Excellency Mgr Bakouni, Melkite Archbishop of Galilee, commenting on the Good Samaritan's Gospel, recalled that our faith asks us to be concrete in our love for others, loving them as He loves us, in deeds and not just in words.

Father Rafic Nahra, coordinator of the Pastoral among Migrants and Asylum Seekers, iintroducing the celebration, underlined that our being together was not simply due to tradition, but a great opportunity to share our life of faith: different languages, cultures and histories get united in the Eucharist and form together the one and universal Church of Christ. At the end, he thanked all those present, in particular the chaplains of the different communities, the Maronite Archbishop of Galilee and the Episcopal Vicar of Galilee Mons. Hanna Kildani.

Fr Abdo, after recalling the service carried out by Fr. David Neuhaus in the previous years, invited everyone to participate in the cultural program and in lunch.

Evocative folk dances of different ethnic groups took place in the school theater: Filipino, Indian, Sri Lankan, Arab and Ethiopian-Eritrean. The courtyard welcomed then all the participants who concluded the morning with a festive sharing of various culinary specialties

To all the organizers, who made possible the success of this day, our cordial thanks with the wish that we continue to enjoy and show the beauty of unity in diversity.

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