The Archdiocese of Adelaide celebrated the 108th World Day of Migrants and Refugees with Holy Mass at St Francis Xavier Cathedral at 2.30pm, on Sunday 25 September. This annual multicultural mass is one of the Diocese most important celebrations for our church communities in Adelaide and consequently was livestreamed.  The theme chosen by Pope Francis for the celebration is “ Building the Future with Migrants and Refugees”.

This year, Archbishop Patrick O’Regan encouraged his church to celebrate this special occasion by inviting parishes to link with the local multicultural communities – resources were sent out to parishes encouraging them to:- Link with their local multicultural community;  share/display their migration stories; share a multicultural meal; to display a real map showing the rich cultural heritage of their parish community; and to gather for prayer and reflection with links to relevant prayer resources.

The central celebration at 2pm in the Cathedral was beautiful, celebrated by the Archbishop himself, along with 8 priests and deacons, including chaplains of cultural communities, concelebrating the Mass. The congregation was made up of people from many cultures; some came in their national costumes, others in spirit, representing the faith they have brought to Adelaide to make up our diverse multicultural church.

The Archbishop gave an inspiring homily communicating that we each have a part to play in being committed to building a future with Migrants and Refugees. One that embraces God’s plan, leaving no one behind.

The liturgy of the Mass was spiritually inspiring and culturally inclusive. The Vietnamese Choir were outstanding along with the Konkani Catholic Community and the Spanish community. The Readings were beautifully read in Ukranian and Malayalam; with the universal prayers read in several languages, namely Congolese, Albanian, Chinese, Filipino, Polish, Maltese, and Italian.  The Archbishop concluded the liturgy of the Mass by inviting the congregation to join him in praying together Pope Francis’ prayer for migrants and refugees; a prayer of hope that we each become builders of God’s Kingdom, together with Migrants and Refugees, learning how to live together, with a beautiful confidence in the future.

After the Mass the people were treated with Ice cream and coffee – lots of smiles were abound. There was a sense of joy in each person inspired to make a difference and become an even more welcoming community!