As we celebrate the Jubilee of Migrants from 4-5 October, we also commemorate the 111th World Day of Migrants and Refugees in the Church.
Every year, the World Day of Migrants and Refugees invites us to pause and remember the journeys of countless women, men, and children who leave behind their homes in search of safety, dignity, and opportunity. This year, as we mark the Jubilee of Migrants, the Church calls us not only to remember their struggles but to celebrate their resilience, their gifts, and their profound role in shaping our shared humanity.
The Jubilee of Migrants reminds us that migration is not just a social or political issue – it is a deeply spiritual one. As the document affirms, the Church herself is a pilgrim, a community always on the move, journeying together. People who are migrants embody this truth in a tangible way: they are living witnesses of human vulnerability and hope, carrying with them the possibility of new life, renewal, and communion.
Pope Francis has reminded us in his message for the 108th World Day of Migrants and Refugees that history reveals a clear truth: “the contribution of migrants and refugees has been fundamental to the social and economic growth of our societies. Their work, their youth, their enthusiasm and their willingness to sacrifice enrich the communities that receive them”. Their stories are not marginal – they are central to who we are as a Christian community.
But celebration must go hand in hand with justice. The Jubilee of Migrants is not only a time of gratitude but also of reckoning. People who are migrants continue to face exclusion, exploitation, discrimination and violence. Their voices are too often silenced, their humanity overlooked. To be faithful to the Gospel is to recognise in the face of every migrant the face of Christ – ‘the foreigner who knocks at our door’ – and to respond with solidarity, protection, and love.
This Jubilee calls us to move beyond tolerance into communion. It is not enough to “allow” migrants space. We should embrace their stories, languages and tradition so they can enrich the fabric of our Church and our wider communities. We must remember that ethnic and cultural diversity is not temporary or peripheral – it is structural, integral and holy.
On this World Day of Migrants and Refugees, let us commit ourselves anew to a path of justice and peace. May we see people who are migrants not as strangers, but as brothers and sisters who carry within them the promise of a more just and united world. Let us also remember that the Jubilee of Migrants is, ultimately, a jubilee of humanity. It is an invitation to recognise that our shared journey is richer, more faithful, and more just when no one is left behind.
The Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office provides resources and shares more information here.
Emilia Nicholas
Josephite Justice Network