鈥楾o involve in order to promote鈥� - Together in service of internally displaced persons
By Vatican News
杏MAP导航 Francis has dedicated the 106th World Migrant and Refugee Day, scheduled for 27 September, to the pastoral care of internally displaced people.
The 杏MAP导航鈥檚 Message for the annual celebration is themed: 鈥淔orced like Jesus Christ to flee.鈥� His reflections are inspired by the experience of Jesus as a child and his parents as displaced refugees.
鈥淪ometimes in our enthusiasm to serve others, we fail to see the riches they possess,鈥� said the 杏MAP导航. 鈥淚f we really want to promote the people to whom we offer assistance, we must involve them and let them be active participants in their own liberation.鈥�
Losing everything, starting anew
The Vatican鈥檚 Migrant and Refugees Section has released the fifth in a series of videos ahead of this year鈥檚 celebrations. The latest video is entitled 鈥淭o involve in order to promote.鈥�
In the video, Father Noel narrates his experience of becoming an Internally Displaced Person (IDP) as a child and losing everything.
鈥淏eing an IDP means I lost everything,鈥� he recounts. 鈥淲e had to start over from the very beginning. And when I say 鈥榚verything鈥�, that means relationships, our livelihood, school, friendships鈥� everything had to start over from the beginning.鈥�
Poverty
Father Noel recalls not having the same opportunities as other children because of poverty. While other children were playing, he had to work at a golf club, carrying golf bags to earn a living.
However, looking back, Fr. Noel notes that these tough experiences as a displaced person are a part of his vocation story, as his mother, unable to educate him due to poverty, put him in a boarding house near a Catholic Church. This, he says, was a good sign for him 鈥渙n this vocation path to becoming a priest.鈥�
Understanding drawn from experience
After his priestly ordination, Fr. Noel draws from his own experience, which enables him to better understand the situation of displaced persons - 鈥渕ore than others.鈥�
鈥淏eing IDPs, they really need to hear a compliment, they really need understanding, especially from Church leaders,鈥� he said, adding that when IDPs visit and the Church leaders are with them, they 鈥渁re happy,鈥� and 鈥渢hey feel safe.鈥�
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