World Day of Migrants and Refugees - September 25, 2022
For Immediate Release
September 22, 2022
The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace (CSJP) issued a public statement on the occasion of the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, September 25, 2022. The Congregation has a long-standing commitment to welcome migrants and refugees. The statement responds to current events and actions by public officials which fail to respect human dignity.
“The recent spate of expulsions of migrants and asylum seekers from Texas, Florida and Arizona, shows no regard for the humanity of those who seek shelter and protection in our country, according to international and U.S. law,” reads the statement. “As a Catholic Congregation of religious women and associates, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace deplore forced bussing and flights to places without notice that guests are arriving. We object to this behaviour, not because we want distance from immigrants, but because their treatment ignores the richness of the humanity they bring with them.”
The statement also raises concern about the situation of asylum seekers in the UK. “In the UK the new Prime Minister, Liz Truss, shows every sign of hardening the government’s already harsh measures against asylum seekers.” The Congregation’s members live and minister in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
“We hear the cry of people forced to migrate due to poverty, violence, and environmental destruction,” said Congregation Peace through Justice Facilitator Frank McCann. “As we say in the statement, we speak from our experience of providing hospitality to our migrant and refugee brothers and sisters. We are grateful for the opportunity we’ve had to welcome guests from around the world in our houses of hospitality in New Jersey and Nottingham.” To date the Congregation has welcomed guests from Afghanistan, Haiti, Congo, Tibet, Eritrea, Uganda, Cameroon, and Venezuela.
The Congregation calls “on all peoples to reject the unmerited fear instilled by isolationists and join us in reaching out a hand of welcome to those who seek safety and a better life.”
The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace was founded in Nottingham, England in 1884 by Margaret Anna Cusack. Today sisters and lay associates minister in the United Kingdom and on the East and West coasts of the United States. The founding mission and charism of the Congregation is to promote social justice as a path to peace The first sisters were immigrants who served primarily Irish immigrants in England and in the United States.
