Posted September 25, 2019

Some 300 area faithful joined in prayer on Sept. 23 at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Philadelphia ahead of the 105th annual World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which will be observed on Sept. 29.

In his 2019 message for the observance, Pope Francis has stressed that immigration “is about all of us,” and has called on all people of good will to affirm the human dignity of the 71 million people currently displaced throughout the world.

At the Sept. 23 service, which was organized by the Archdiocese, several migrants and refugees shared their experiences in fleeing torture, persecution and disaster. Auxiliary Bishop Edward M. Deliman, who presided at the gathering, said immigration is “a moral quagmire that begs for a just solution, and for the wisdom and guidance of the Holy Spirit.”

(Related: Read our feature story on the Sept. 23 Archdiocesan prayer service for the 2019 World Day for Migrants and Refugees.)

(All photos by Sarah Webb.)

  • Participants process into St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Philadelphia during a Sept. 23 prayer service to mark the 2019 World Day of Migrants and Refugees. The archdiocesan event drew some 300 attendees, who reflected on both Scripture and first-hand accounts of migrant and refugee experiences.

  • Members of the St. Augustine Parish Filipino Choir sing at a Sept. 23 prayer service to mark the 2019 World Day of Migrants and Refugees. The archdiocesan gathering was hosted by St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Philadelphia.

  • Clergy from the various archdiocesan cultural ministries process into St. Thomas Aquinas Church on Sept. 23 for a prayer service marking the 2019 World Day of Migrants and Refugees.

  • Auxiliary Bishop Edward M. Deliman speaks at a Sept. 23 prayer service marking the 2019 World Day of Migrants and Refugees. In his remarks, Bishop Deliman recounted his own experiences in ministering to families torn apart by immigration detention.

  • Members of the Archdiocese’s Pakistani Catholic community listen to the Gospel at a Sept. 23 prayer service marking the 2019 World Day for Migrants and Refugees, an archdiocesan gathering hosted by St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Philadelphia.

  • Participants join in prayer at a Sept. 23 service organized by the Archdiocese to mark the 2019 World Day of Migrants and Refugees.