The Catholic Commission for Social Justice has been asked by Archbishop Jason Gordon to lead this ministry in the archdiocese and to assist parishes and religious communities in establishing and operationalising this important ministry.
We will work with Fr Simon Peter Ango, and the Refugee Ministry at Living Water Community.
Visit Living Water Community – Ministry to Asylum Seekers and Refugees
Visit UNHCR, The UN Refugee Agency – Trinidad & Tobago
PARISH STEPS
STEP ONE: Each parish and each religious community should:
- Study Pope Francis’ message for the 104th World Day of Migrants and Refugees (January 14, 2018) on the theme: Welcoming, protecting, promoting and integrating migrants and refugees.
- Identify a contact person for this ministry and send, via email to CCSJ, the name of this contact person by the end of June 2018, as far as possible.
STEP TWO: After studying the aforementioned document, each parish and each religious community should engage in The Pastoral Circle, which is “a tool for promoting social analysis on critical social issues”. Engaging in this exercise will assist in initiating all involved into pastoral reflection, leading to action.
Also of use in this exercise is the set of 20 Pastoral Action Points and 20 Action Points for the Global Compacts which provide concrete advice for welcoming, protecting, promoting and integrating migrants and refugees. These action points were produced by the Migrants & Refugees Section of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
STEP THREE: From his studies in Rome and from his work with migrants and refugees, Fr Ango has a sound theological and practical knowledge relating to this ministry. He will arrange vicariate meetings to discuss the newly formed migrant and refugee ministry.
Also attending these meetings will be some members of the refugee ministry, run by Living Water Community, and CCSJ, all of whom will facilitate theological and pastoral reflections on the ministry. We will seek to address concerns, answer questions and assist in understanding procedure and boundaries. We will also support the ministry in other ways, as is necessary.
STEP FOUR: There will be ongoing support for this ministry and opportunities for periodic reflections at meetings that will be arranged by CCSJ.
AMMR Toolkit
This toolkit was created with the help of:
the Archdiocesan Ministry for Migrants and Refugees,
Living Water Community’s Ministry for Migrants and Refugees,
and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.
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| AMMR Toolkit | AMMR Toolkit Vol 2 |
Child Friendly Spaces
Child Friendly Spaces (CFSs) provide children of all ages with a safe space in which they participate in organized activities to play, socialize, learn, and express themselves as they rebuild their lives. CFSs are key programmatic interventions to protect children from physical harm and psychosocial distress and to help them continue learning and developing both during and immediately after an emergency or crisis. CFSs support the resilience and well‐being of children and young people through community organized, structured activities conducted in a safe, child friendly, and stimulating environment. These spaces provide the place for first response to children’s needs and can function as an entry point for working with affected communities. CFSs also help to enhance interaction among communities and improve the social cohesion. This comprehensive approach offers well-coordinated and cost effective multi-sectoral services to vulnerable girls and boys in order for them to reach their full potential.
AMMR in collaboration with UNICEF will be supporting the establishment of CFSs across Trinidad and Tobago. If your Parish is interested in setting up a CFS please email us at ammr@catholictt.org.
AMMR has also established a virtual CFS. Register today using the following link: https://forms.gle/Wh3JYgm7P8wRiw887
LINKS
Vatican awarded international prize for video on migrants, refugees
Protect immigrant children and families
