Catholic Charities staff members celebrate World Refugee Day. Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston will once again celebrate World Refugee Day this month. The mission of World Refugee Day Houston is to raise awareness, honor refugees, and show gratitude to the many Houstonians who have welcomed refugees for more than 40 years. The Houston Refugee Consortium will honor and recognize refugees’ courage and contributions at…
Houston has led refugee resettlement nationally for the last several years, welcoming more refugees than any other city in the United States. Every year, there are approximately 2,500 refugees from all over the world that resettle in the greater Houston area. In honor of World Refugee Day on June 18, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston is sharing stories from several former refugees to help honor and celebrate their…
Mr. Tip Ta and his daughter came to the U.S. from Burma unable to speak English. With your support of Catholic Charities, case managers helped Mr. T obtain full-time employment, and his daughter is thriving in school. Living in a refugee camp is hard. Living in a refugee camp as a single father with a disability makes it especially tough. Mr. Tip Ta and his daughter lived in a refugee camp on the Thai/Burma border for many years, a place that…
In 2009, the Smith* Family connected to the Shafi Family while living in Istanbul. Inspired by their perseverance, the Smith* family purchased a car for the Shafi Family, giving them the gift of independence and transportation to become self-sufficient. From left: Waqar Shafi — the first in to receive his license, Carson, and Suleman, Wagar’s brother. Pope Francis put out a call to #ShareJourney with our migrant and refugee…
With the help of Catholic Charities, Lucy was able to graduate from Prairie View A&M University with a bachelor’s in nursing. After the death of her father in 1997 Lucy’s family fled the violence in Rwanda hoping to find a better life in Zambia. Upon their arrival in Zambia, Lucy and her mother, two brothers, and two sisters were accepted into the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) program to receive assistance and…
Information about President Trump’s Executive Order on Refugees How will President Trump’s Executive Order affect refugees in America? English | Spanish | Arabic In helping to create a home-away-from-home, we assist government-approved refugees in becoming self-sufficient through cultural orientation, job development, family reunification and resettlement. We assist newcomers approved by the federal government in securing housing, food,…
Below is a press release from the Texas Catholic Conference (View original release) AUSTIN — Catholic charitable and social services will continue to work with other nonprofits serving refugees in Texas, as the state government announced its intention to step away from its role. Speaking on behalf of two dozen Catholic organizations and his fellow Catholic bishops in the state, Bishop Michael F. Olson of Fort Worth said, “Our first priority is…
This article originally appeared in the Fall 2016 Good News Now Newsletter. Read the full newsletter here [PDF]. When Mark and Katherine Griffin wanted to make a specific impact on the refugee community, Catholic Charities put them in touch with the Noors, a refugee family from Afghanistan. Despite culture differences and language barriers, the Griffins hoped initiating a friendship with a single family could make a difference in a small, yet…
Lucy Mulenzi is from the Republic of Rwanda. Warring political factions held an uneasy peace until an assassination in the mid-1990s threw the country into turmoil. In the course of just 100 days, between 500,000 and 1 million Rwandans were killed. Millions fled their homes. Chased by violence and death, Lucy, her mother and siblings lived for years in a refugee camp before she was cleared for resettlement in the United States. This is Lucy’s…
In regards to President Donald Trump’s announcements on immigration, the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB), Archbishop Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, and Catholic Charities USA released the following statements: USCCB Committee On Migration Chair Strongly Opposes Executive Order Because It Harms Vulnerable Refugee And Immigrant Families WASHINGTON—President Donald J. Trump issued today an Executive Order addressing the U.S….
