World Day of Migrants and Refugees

 

Today, September 29, the church observes the World Day of Migrants and Refugees with the theme: "God walks with his people".

The Church has been celebrating the World Day of Migrants and Refugees (WDMR) since 1914. It is always an occasion to express concern for different vulnerable people on the move; to pray for them as they face many challenges; and to increase awareness about the opportunities that migration offers.

Pope Francis emphasizes that God not only walks with His people but also dwells within them, especially in the poor, marginalized, and those on the peripheries. The encounter with a migrant or refugee is an opportunity to meet Christ and to grow in love, compassion, and faith. Let us pray with migrants and refugees on this 110^th anniversary of the World Day of Migrants and Refugees.

Prayer

God, Almighty Father,

we are your pilgrim Church

journeying towards the Kingdom of heaven.

We live in our homeland,

but as if we were foreigners.

Every foreign place is our home,

yet every native land is foreign to us.

Though we live on earth,

our true citizenship is in heaven.

Do not let us become possessive

of the portion of the world

you have given us as a temporary home.

Help us to keep walking,

together with our migrant brothers and sisters,

toward the eternal dwelling you have prepared for us.

Open our eyes and our hearts

so that every encounter with those in need

becomes an encounter with Jesus, your Son and our Lord. 

Amen.