Sowing Seeds of Light and Hope

"In this world, one has to pay the price to assume the cause of the poor, a price that, in substance, consists in sharing the same destiny of scorn, oppression and repression."

Father Juan Moreno, a Jesuit priest born and raised in El Salvador, spoke these words during our Congregation of Notre Dame’s Congress on Mission in Montreal in 1988. One year later, in the wee hours of the morning of November 16^th, 1989, the Salvadoran military added him and his five brother-priests, who were living and working at the University of San Salvador, along with their housekeeper and daughter to the thousands of children, women and men, murdered in a bloody twelve-year war.

Father Moreno left us with questions that he answered with his death. Six years ago, when asked the name of this new refugee shelter, his name came easily to my lips.

Refuge Juan Moreno is what its name implies - a safe place, a shelter. But more than that, Refuge Juan Moreno is a place where refugee women and families find a genuine welcome, a spirit of community, a sense of family, a first home in a strange land.

During this past year, Refuge Juan Moreno was able to house 177 refugees from 29 different countries and 4 different continents.

If you were to visit 7785 d’Outremont, you might meet Marie from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Marie is feeding her two little ones: Pierre, who is one and a half year old and Cécile, who is three. Marie is five months pregnant. Josée sits in the living room after a very long day going from Canadian Immigration to Québec Immigration. Josée is also from a refugee-producing country in Africa. Two families from Albania are in the upstairs bedrooms. Even in their anxiety about the future, each one radiates a calm strength.

These are the people who, in spite of mechanisms to prevent their passage, have arrived at our borders and have asked for protection. It is true that they need some help in the beginning, but if given a chance, the majority will participate positively in creating a healthy environment. And in our time of need, most of these human beings whom we call refugees, bring FAITH and HOPE and PERSEVERANCE. In this relationship we, together, continue justice-building and peace-making.