The Diocese of Parramatta is one of the most culturally diverse dioceses in Australia. The faces in our parishes are a living example of how culturally, linguistically and ethnically diverse we are. This reality continues to remind us that our duty and responsibility to care for migrants is part of our daily pastoral life.
Catholic tradition teaches us that welcoming migrants is rooted in our faith in Christ, who chose to identify himself with those on the move, and invited his disciples to recognise him in the stranger whom we welcome (Mt.25:35).
In the Holy Family of Nazareth, we understand that migrants are not mere statistics but individuals with a personal story trying to find peace and stability in the middle of uncertainty and many times fear.
As our parishes welcome new arrivals into their midst, there is a consistent, almost unspoken process of walking together, with four different aspects shaping our pastoral approach and care towards migrants and new arrivals. These aspects are: welcoming, protecting, promoting and integrating people into our faith communities and our society at large.
Through this process and with these experiences our Diocese and our parishes have become places of encounter, friendship and advocacy.
Through social justice and refugee groups, parishes work together with other diocesan and church agencies to provide help and support to migrants and refugees. Some parishes have joined the Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot (CRISP), where communities work together to offer support to migrant families. Some other parishes and schools run “food drives” to support families; some also offer vouchers and clothing.
However, parishes are not isolated from the other areas of service and support. We work closely with agencies like Catholic Care Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains, who provide counselling and support programs as well as English support classes, as well as other agencies and services such as House of Welcome, Jesuit Refugee Services and Vinnies, all of whom offer a welcoming hand to migrants, asylum seekers and refugees.
In this way, we experience the consolation found in the letter to the Hebrews: “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” (Hebrews 13:2)
Fr Fernando is the Vicar General and the Episcopal Vicar for Social Welfare in the Diocese of Parramatta.
This article was originally published in the 2026 June | Winter edition of the Catholic Outlook Magazine. You can read it online here or pick up a copy in your local parish.
