Social Justice Week 11-17 September 2016 We all have a migration story: Fostering a culture of encounter RESOURCES AND LITURGY NOTES 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year C 11 September 2016 Tutu ana te puehu Stirring up the dust Dear brothers and sisters, migrants and refugees! At the heart of the Gospel of Mercy the encounter and acceptance by others are intertwined with the encounter and acceptance of God himself. Welcoming others means welcoming God in person. POPE FRANCIS Published by Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand PO Box 12-193 Thorndon, Wellington 6144, New Zealand [email protected] www.caritas.org.nz ISBN: 978-0-908348-08-4 (Print) ISBN: 978-0-908348-09-1 (Online) Research and writing: Cathy Bi, Louise Campbell, Fr Patrick Bridgman, Phillip Hadley Editing: Lisa Beech, Emily Benefield Graphic Design: Rose Miller Illustrations: Kieran Rynhart What is Social Justice Week? Social Justice Week was established by the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference in 1997 as an ongoing commitment in the Catholic calendar for the week beginning the second Sunday of September. This is a time to consider, reflect and take action on a particular current social justice issue in the light of Catholic social teaching. Social Justice Week falls during the liturgical season of Ordinary Time. This is a period in which the liturgical readings teach us about discipleship. This year the Social Justice Week theme is: We all have a migration story: Fostering a culture of encounter. Why include liturgy notes for Social Justice Week? “A real concern today is that liturgy and social justice tend to be treated as two unrelated activities in the life of the Church … the equality we know at the table of Christ’s Body must be celebrated at all other tables.” Cardinal Tom Williams said these words in 1997 at “Love in Action Day” during an address to a gathering of Catholic charity and social justice groups. Our liturgical gathering on the Sunday reminds us of Church as community and as a family united in prayer. At the table our diversity and unity is recognised. The justice and mercy we receive from God flows out into the rest of our week and into our relationships. This year we hope to place more emphasis on the way that Social Justice Week can be part of our celebration and gathering on Sunday. How to use this book? We imagine this book as a springboard. You will find here background information, ideas, suggestions, inspiration and reflections. It is a helpful place to start, but it is not prescriptive or compulsory. We respect that parishes will choose to take some ideas and leave others, or come up with new ideas entirely. In the end, we hope that each parish can include the Social Justice Week theme into their Sunday celebration and make it unique to their context and community as appropriate. SOCIAL JUSTICE WEEK 2016: We all have a migration story | 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introductions 1 New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference Statement on Migration 3 Social Justice Week 2016 theme 6 Preparing for Social Justice Week and liturgy notes 8 Readings and homily notes 12 Celebration of Mass 15 Social Justice Week for parish groups and mid-week gatherings 21 A final reflection 23 Catholic social teaching principles 24 2 | SOCIAL JUSTICE WEEK 2016: We all have a migration story New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference Statement on Migration Welcoming others means welcoming God in person! Do not let yourselves be robbed of the hope and joy of life born of your experience of God’s mercy, as manifested in the people you meet on your journey! POPE FRANCIS, MESSAGE FOR THE WORLD DAY OF MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES, 2016 We each have a migration story; a story of how our ancestors, or we ourselves, came to this land. Māori trace their ancestry or whakapapa to the waka upon which their ancestors arrived in Aotearoa New Zealand. As Catholics we trace the migration story of our Church in Aotearoa New Zealand through the arrival in the 1820s of Catholic settlers, followed by Bishop Pompallier and the Society of Mary who arrived from France in 1838, landing first in Hokianga where they were welcomed by the tangata whenua, the people of the land. As Pope John Paul II reminded us when he visited Aotearoa New Zealand 30 years ago, people coming from Europe and more recently from other parts of the world, have not come to a desert, but to a land already marked by a rich and ancient heritage. We are called to respect and foster Māori heritage as a unique element of the identity of this country. Built on respect for persons and respect for diversity, the Treaty of Waitangi provides a basis for all those who are not Māori to belong to this land. Today Aotearoa New Zealand is a home shared by people of over 180 different ethnicities. Some arrive from war torn countries, forced to leave their home due to violence and war. Others come permanently or temporarily to support their family and work for a better life. All have come to New Zealand looking for opportunities for a more decent and hope-filled future to share with loved ones. We are moved by the stories of migrants and refugees who have come to New Zealand from situations of hardship and suffering. Hearing their stories demands we address the poverty, injustice and violence that make leaving home necessary for many individuals and families. SOCIAL JUSTICE WEEK 2016: We all have a migration story | 3 At the same time we ask ourselves – how well are we doing as a country in offering manaakitanga, welcome and hospitality, to those recently arriving on our shores? Many former refugees and migrants continue to carry the pain of leaving home and separation from their homeland after arriving in New Zealand. Questions of identity and belonging linger behind the more practical demands of adjusting to a new way of life. The search for a decent home, meaningful employment and a sense of community, can take years. For migrants and refugees moving permanently to New Zealand on their own, the desire to be reunited with family is often a top priority. For others the loss of extended family networks can in part be compensated for by the welcome extended by the community. Some from migrant and refugee backgrounds struggle to find meaningful work that matches their skills and work background. Others experience exploitative working conditions when they do find work. These experiences demand that we examine our attitudes and the attitudes of our communities towards refugees and migrants. As a country proud of our generosity and fairness, it is appalling to hear of cases where migrant workers are being paid below the minimum legal wage and working in substandard employment conditions. Some recent cases in the media have featured stories of migrant workers whose work conditions resemble forced labour, where workers are restricted in their movement and have to work long hours for little pay. It is shocking that these practices exist in our communities in New Zealand. They must be exposed and eliminated with determination. The dignity of the worker should be at the heart of any job. Temporary and permanent migrant workers must enjoy the same rights and be treated with the same dignity as any other New Zealand worker. We have grave concerns about the treatment of people on temporary work visas and their families. The lack of connection to the local community can often contribute to a migrant’s vulnerability to exploitation and difficulty in finding work. This Jubilee of Mercy challenges us to foster a culture of encounter. As newcomers join our communities, we have an opportunity to meet and encounter each 4 | SOCIAL JUSTICE WEEK 2016: We all have a migration story other, on the one hand, to extend welcome and friendship, and on the other, to discover and celebrate the gifts that people from migrant and refugee backgrounds bring to our parishes, schools, and workplaces. Our migrant brothers and sisters are people whose dignity is to be protected and who have the capacity to contribute to the wellbeing of our common home. Many new arrivals will end up living in the poorest suburbs, because that is where cheap housing is available. We need to support the whole community so that both new arrivals and long term residents can have what they need to live in dignity. We are greatly encouraged by the response of parishes and religious brothers and sisters who are taking practical action to welcome refugees. Many have joined the call to increase our national refugee intake, and others have given time and resources to support families newly arriving in our country. This year, as we celebrate the Day of Prayer for Refugees and Migrants in June, and Social Justice Week with its focus on migration in September, it is timely to celebrate the stories of encounter and transformation that we are already experiencing in our communities. New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference, June 2016 ✠ Patrick Dunn ✠ John Dew Bishop of Auckland Archbishop of Wellington President, NZCBC Vice-President, NZCBC ✠ Charles Drennan ✠ Colin Campbell Bishop of Palmerston North Bishop of Dunedin Secretary, NZCBC ✠ Stephen Lowe ✠ Peter Cullinane Bishop of Hamilton Emeritus Bishop of Palmerston North Fr Richard Loughnan Administrator Diocese of Christchurch SOCIAL JUSTICE WEEK 2016: We all have a migration story | 5 Social Justice Week 2016 theme We all have a migration story: Fostering a culture of encounter Today, migration is changing our world in ways that we cannot ignore. In 2015 the number of persons living in a country other than where they were born reached 244 million for the world as a whole, a 41 per cent increase compared to 2000.