Ted Bergh

Ted Bergh is the CEO of Catholic Charities Southwestern Ohio and a subcommittee chair for the Mayor’s Immigration Task Force.

As the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops celebrates National Migration Week, Pope Francis’ theme this year is timely: Migrants and Refugees Challenge Us – The Response of the Gospel of Mercy.

Much has been said about the plight of migrants and refugees in recent weeks and months, ranging from concern to fear. It’s been a challenging time with more refugees in the world today than at anytime since World War II. National security concerns against a politically charged landscape play on emotions.

Yet at Catholic Charities, we’ve been resettling refugees and welcoming immigrants since our inception 100 years ago. We’ve been answering this Christian call as part of our ministry to serve the poor, protect the vulnerable and welcome the stranger. We are even more committed to showing God’s mercy for refugees and immigrants as we celebrate our centennial anniversary during Pope Francis’ Jubilee Year of Mercy this year.

Pope Francis in his World Migrant and Refugee Day message is clear that migrants and refugees are “the victims of violence and poverty.” Why else would families leave their homes for the “abuses and hardship of the journey to face latent suspicion and fear” upon arrival at their new home? The Holy Father continues, “Migrants are our brothers and sisters in search of a better life, far away from poverty, hunger, exploitation…”

Cincinnati is a city of immigrants who arrived in search of a better life for their children and a safe place to prosper. Immigrants foster growth and are vital to the diversity of the community.

Catholic Charities has resettled more than 10,000 refugees in Cincinnati since the Vietnam War exodus and is the largest provider of immigration services in the region. Refugees who arrive through the U.S. State Department wait as long as two years to gain security clearance. They arrive with only a suitcase and an IOU for their airfare.

The goal of the resettlement program is self-sufficiency for the new arrivals.

Why do we do this? Pope Francis explains: “Biblical revelation urges us to welcome the stranger; it tells us that in so doing, we open our doors to God.”

The refugee question is, “At the heart of the gospel of mercy, the encounter and acceptance by others are intertwined with the encounter and acceptance of God himself,” according to Pope Francis.

Abraham Lincoln in advance of issuing the Emancipation Proclamation said to Congress, “In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free – honorable alike in what we give, and what we preserve. We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth.”

We welcome refugees because it is who we are, what we stand for and what we are called to be. If we become indifferent to the plight of refugees then we “lose the last best hope of earth” to be free and proclaim freedom.

The poem by Emma Lazarus on the Statue of Liberty similarly addresses the challenge of refugees:

“Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Pope Francis prays for courage in our chosen task: “The Virgin Mary, Mother of migrants and refugees, and to Saint Joseph, who experienced the bitterness of emigration to Egypt. To their intercession I also commend those who invest so much energy, time and resources to the pastoral and social care of migrants.”

Join Catholic Charities in welcoming new arrivals to our community. Volunteer opportunities for individuals and groups can be found on our website at www.ccswoh.org.