REFUGEE WEEK 19-25 JUNE: A CALL TO PRAYER

Catholics across Australia are being invited to participate in a special Refugee Week prayer service that will be streamed online on the evening of Monday, June 20 at 6.00pm AEST. Register to join the online prayer service on Zoom: https://bit.ly/ RefugeeWeek2022Prayers. Fr Andrew Hamilton (Australian Catholics) writes: “Our own nation must recognise refugees as human beings like ourselves, as brothers and sisters, as people who have much to offer to our society. For that to happen attitudes that are sick need to be healed. In Australia the soil in which a better response to refugees will grow needs careful tending. Plants do not grow if sown in stone. We need to hoe and fertilise the ground through compassion and conversation. We can do that by coming to know refugees and sharing their life stories with our friends, by questioning the sad and politically motivated arguments for locking them up and removing from them access to the rule of law. We can write to our politicians to demand a better policy and support candidates who advocate for refugees. The Catholic Alliance for People Seeking Asylum (CAPSA) brings together people who want to make a difference to Australian policy. If we do these things we can be part of the healing for refugees and for our society. We can build hope that the hearts and minds of our people will change and that eventually the world will move to prevent the making of refugees and to care for people who need protection. Like all world celebrations International Refugee Week begins at home.” Another initiative from the Refugee Council is an ebook “Share a Meal, Share a Story Cookbook” which can be downloaded from https://action.refugeecouncil.org.au/ story_cookbook. (There is a minimum donation of $20 which after associated costs goes to supporting the advocacy of the Refugee Council of Australia. They work to bring about the fairer treatment of refugees and people seeking asylum in Australia and around the world.) Farah Celjo, Managing Editor of SBS Food Online writes: These are not just meals; they are memories of freedom and loss, stories of joy and journey, of belonging and of longing. And most importantly of welcoming. This is where we all come together and embrace one other. Food, and stories, are meant to be shared and we welcome you to this table. We hope that you enjoy sharing these recipes with your friends and families as much as each contributor has enjoyed sharing them with you. Happy cooking and happy feasting!"