Becoming neighbours

Promoting two-way cultural enrichment and sharing while assisting immigrants and refugees to become active members of their community

By Fr. Peter McKenna, S.C.J.
September/October 2007

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Janet's sobs were palpable. Her body seemed wrapped in excruciating pain. Sitting beside her, Sr. Barbara gently put her arm around Janet's shoulders. Separated from her children during the genocide in Rwanda, Janet had been forced to flee the country, leaving her five children behind. Now she was in Toronto, gathered with others in the Scarboro Mission Centre for a workshop on how to sponsor family members to Canada.

She heard the nitty gritty aspects of what it would take to be reunited with her children: $550 per adult processing fee ($150 for those under 22 years of age) to apply to be a permanent resident. Then the cost of DNA testing for each child to prove parenthood, the cost of each child's medical exam, and the cost of repayment of government sponsored travel to Canada. Her sobs became louder and louder.

Appalled by the plight of immigrants, refugees and non-status persons, and challenged by their sufferings and situations of injustice, Scarboro Missions with 18 other religious congregations established Becoming Neighbours Joint Apostolic Ministry in April 2006. Each participating congregation already had a rich history of accompanying and responding to the needs of immigrants and refugees. Becoming Neighbours was a conscious choice to walk collectively and collaboratively in the footsteps of our forebears in response to the new and urgent needs of our times.

Consultation with agencies working with refugees and immigrants revealed that there was a tremendous need of assistance for newcomers like Janet. As a result, immigrants and refugees dealing with this first stage of "adjustment" were earmarked as the target population for the Becoming Neighbours ministry.

Direct information from staff at the United Way and other agencies, as well as two United Way and City of Toronto reports: "Poverty by Postal Code" and "A Call to Action...A Report of the Strong Neighbourhoods Task Force", made a strong case for locating this new ministry in Scarborough, the eastern part of the Greater Toronto Area. Hearing this, Scarboro Missions generously offered workspace in their Mission Centre.

Presence, prayer, friendship and solidarity are the underpinnings of Becoming Neighbours. This is a companion program in which immigrants and refugees, during their initial adjustment to Canadian society, are matched with members of religious congregations, their associates and friends. Becoming Neighbours promotes two-way cultural enrichment and sharing while assisting immigrants and refugees to become active participating members of the community. This unique program also provides opportunities for formation through educational in-service and theological reflection.

Companions who befriend commit themselves to meeting with an immigrant or refugee to help develop the skills necessary for living in a new culture. Other companions include those who coordinate theological reflection sessions, those involved in administration, those who network with others to address immigration inequities, those involved in transportation, those who make a commitment to pray for immigrants and refugees, and those involved as members of the Becoming Neighbours Board of Directors.

The Canadian bishops in their Letter on Immigration and the Protection of Refugees write, "Migrants and refugees are a reminder that all of us before God are 'aliens and transients.' Their presence among us is a source of mutual enrichment for humanity as well as an encouragement toward dialogue and unity...a sign of the Risen Christ... There is need to ensure that everything possible is done to respect their human dignity."

At Becoming Neighbours, we believe each individual makes a difference. Today, 40 members from the 19 founding religious communities act as companions to newcomers. Each newcomer is also matched with one of nearly 60 Becoming Neighbours prayer partners who daily prays the

Prayer of Solidarity:

Gracious and loving God,
we praise you
We ask your blessing
on the people of our city
We pray especially for those of us
who are newcomers
We come from many different
countries and religious traditions
Bless the Becoming Neighbours ministry
Today, we pray especially for...
(name of prayer partner)
Help us, gracious God, to recognize
one another as neighbour
Amen

Janet is a concrete expression of the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Today we are asked: How are we neighbour to the immigrant and refugee? How do we place ourselves with them and for them? How can we discover God there? The bottom line is that it is God who lies by the roadside, stripped of human dignity, waiting for us to respond.

Fr. Peter McKenna is the ministry director of Becoming Neighbours.

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