Tuesday March 23rd: From darkness to light
March 23, 2021
But look at my crosses
March 23, 2021
The Catholic Commission for Social Justice (CCSJ) and the Archdiocese’s Ministry for Migrants & Refugees (AMMR) have embarked on a healthcare outreach campaign across Trinidad and Tobago. The outreach will run for the entire year, with the aim of providing healthcare to members of the migrant/refugee community.
Many healthcare services are unavailable, or difficult to access by the migrant/refugee community due to their status, economic disadvantage, hardships of life, and xenophobia.
Through partnerships with goodwill citizens and organisations, our local Catholic Church has begun intervening to address this inequality in accessing health services, for the sake of protecting life and preserving the dignity of our migrant/refugee brothers and sisters. Through the charity, fidelity, and work of members, supporters, and volunteers of our Parish Ministries for Migrants & Refugees (PMMRs) throughout the Archdiocese, the Church has so far been able to ‘Welcome the stranger in our midst.’
Now, we embark on growing ministry outreaches to begin more intervention activities, through the hosting of migrant and refugee health fairs. Thus far, two outreaches have taken place for 2021 at Arima and St Augustine in February and March respectively, with many more expected throughout the Archdiocese in the coming months.
Do you want to be part of our mission? We welcome anyone of goodwill who is willing to join our Church’s AMMR network in this healthcare campaign, and other forthcoming outreaches. Get involved by contacting your parish ministry leaders to be part of localised ministry, and join our AMMR members and volunteers network on Telegram (AMMR Catholic – Members & Volunteers Group https://t.me/ammrmembers) to be part of our national mission to migrants and refugees throughout the country.
Where there is no PMMR, let us start one! The work of God is continuous, and the labourers are few, but it remains our Christian Social Responsibility to care for our neighbours as we care for ourselves. Let us exercise faith in action to build a more just, compassionate, and inclusive society here in Trinidad & Tobago for migrants and refugees. Pope Francis constantly advocates for the dignity and rights of migrants and refugees. Let us do as he says and ‘Welcome, Protect, Promote, and Integrate’ them into our communities.
Thank you to all our partners in this current campaign, and to all supporters of this ecclesiastical ministry.
By Matthew Pierre
Community Liaison Officer, AMMR
clo.ammr@catholictt.org
