Migrant Peoples in our Diocese - Day Conference
A Conference entitled "Immigrant Peoples and Pastoral Care: Challenges and Achievements" took place at the end of March at St Joseph's Church, Gateshead.
Fr Chris Jackson, Chair of Working Group for Immigrant Peoples in the Diocese, writes about the conference:
New Bishop welcomes newcomers
One of Bishop Seamus Cunningham's first engagements was to open a conference for Catholics who have just arrived in the north-east. From India, Africa, the Philippines and Poland, they converged on St Joseph's Gateshead last Saturday (28th March).
In welcoming them Bishop Seamus said 'I am a migrant' and he spoke of his own experience of arriving from Ireland as a newcomer over forty years ago. He spoke of the sense of loneliness and difficulty in adjusting to a new culture that most immigrant peoples experience. He urged all present to integrate into their new community.
He then handed over to Afie Joey of Radio Newcastle who was facilitator for the day. Alfie has the happy knack of putting people at ease, and he encouraged the people at the conference to tell their stories of arriving in the UK.
Marlena (from Poland), Osaro and Celine (from Africa), Sibby and Joshy ( both from South India) and several others spoke simply and directly about settling in to a new country and the role that the Catholic Church has played in assisting them.
Negative experiences were shared as well as very positive ones.
Afie Joey of Radio Newcastle introduces Dorota Antoniak who presented a report
Dorota Antoniak (Poland) presented a report which the Diocese had commissioned her to produce. She had written it after careful research over three months. This report is well worth reading and can be accessed here. Dorota acknowledges that the limited time which she had means that the report does not yet include any research into the African community, but we hope to put that right before long.
At midday Chris Mullin, MP for Sunderland South arrived and spoke for about twenty minutes of the challenges faced by Government in absorbing the many new people in our country. Not all that he said was well received and he was politely challenged on several points. People at the conference were glad that he had come and appreciated his candour. At several points in the day there were opportunities for questions and answers.
Participants reflect on what they have heard and discussed
Towards the end of the day people were invited to consider what they had learnt, its significance for them, and how to put the learning points into practice in the parishes.
Some of the points raised were:
- Need for better communication between newcomers and the parishes.
- We need to be open to one another and integrate faith and cultural traditions.
- Parishes need to have a link person who will keep each community informed.
Priests from overseas who are working with the different communities also had the opportunity of speaking from their experience.
The diocesan working group for the pastoral care of immigrant peoples were delighted with the response and will soon be meeting to assess the day and consider the way forward for all of us.
Fr Chris Jackson, Chair of Working Group for Immigrant Peoples in the Diocese, with Osaro and Celine from Africa