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Faith in Action Advocacy
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As people of faith,
we are invited to serveand to see...to recognize Christ already present in those who cross our path.
On any given Sunday in Charlotte, our parish pews hold stories from around the world. We welcome families who have come seeking safety, work, and hope, alongside neighbors whose roots here go back generations. Together, we form one Body of Christ.
The call to “welcome the stranger” is not optional. This invitation lies at the heart of the Gospel and is deeply rooted in Catholic Social Teaching. The Church reminds us that every person, regardless of where they come from, bears the image of God and possesses an inherent dignity.
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Welcoming the stranger in CharlotteWelcoming the Stranger in Charlotte: Living Our Faith Through Hospitality and Justice
In this spirit, and in keeping with the Jesuit commitment to seeing God in all people, we affirm that immigrants and refugees alike deserve to be welcomed with compassion, dignity, and justice. Immigrants are those who choose to move to a new country seeking opportunity or family reunification, while refugees are those forced to flee their homes due to war, persecution, or violence.
As Catholics and members of the Jesuit tradition, we are entrusted not to judge based on legal status but to respond with love and solidarity. In that way, we can recognize our shared humanity and our moral responsibility to welcome and protect the vulnerable.
To welcome the migrant, then, is not merely an act of charity. It is an act of faith, a recognition of the sacred presence of God among us.
In Charlotte, that sacred encounter happens every day. Our city has become home to and has been blessed by a growing number of immigrants and refugees from Latin America, Africa, communities across Southwest Asia and North Africa (often called the Middle East) and Asia. Charlotte is home to women and men who contribute to the life of our parishes, our schools, and our neighborhoods.
The journey rarely ends at arrival. Immigrants often face complex legal challenges, language barriers, and uncertainty about how to build a new life in a new land.
Amid these struggles, the local Catholic community has become a place of refuge and accompaniment offering not only assistance but genuine welcome, rooted in the conviction that we are one human family, called to live in solidarity and work for the common good.
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st peter refugee mentoring program
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At St. Peter Catholic Church, the call to welcome and accompany our neighbors comes to life through the Refugee Mentor Program in partnership with Catholic Charities. In this ministry, parishioners walk alongside newly arrived refugee families as they learn English, navigate schools, and adjust to a new culture. What begins as practical support often grows into friendship; a mutual exchange of grace and understanding. Along the way, mentors discover that true accompaniment transforms both giver and receiver.
For more than seven years, parishioner Martha Schmitt has organized refugee mentor teams at St. Peter’s and individually helping over twenty families from around the world find their footing in a new home. “Refugees come to the United States after they have been fully vetted, with high hopes for a brighter future for their families, the promise of a good education for their children, and to live in a safe environment with all the freedoms a democratic society brings,” Schmitt explained. “They come with high aspirations and a genuine appreciation of their new country and culture.”
Schmitt highlighted the faith-filled commitment of the mentor teams, members of the St. Peter community who offer steady support with compassion and humility. “The work they do in developing strong relationships with these families is inspirational and is truly the work of God’s hands on Earth,” she added.
In the spirit of Jesuit mission and Catholic Social Teaching, this ministry reminds us that building relationships with refugees is not one-sided. It is a sacred encounter, vital to the flourishing of both the refugee and the mentor.
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In the Ignatian spirit of reflection and encounter, we might ask ourselves:
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For those among us who find ourselves indifferent - or even supportive - of policies that harm immigrants and refugees, the Gospel calls us to pause and reflect. When we accept the disappearance or exclusion of our immigrant neighbors, we risk turning away from Christ himself. Our faith does not allow us to separate love of God from love of neighbor, nor to measure a person’s worth by legal status or origin.
Catholic Social Teaching reminds us that “an injury to one is an injury to all,” and that our moral response must always protect human dignity above all else. As Pope Francis has written, “The legitimate regulation of migration must never undermine the essential dignity of the person.” To follow Christ means to stand with the vulnerable, to listen before judging, and to advocate for a society where every person, especially the stranger, is seen, valued, and safe.
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As people of faith, our call to welcome the stranger does not end at the church doors. It extends into our public life and civic responsibility. Putting faith into action means pairing compassion with courage: learning about the laws that shape our neighbors’ lives, lifting our voices when dignity is at stake, and standing alongside those seeking safety and belonging.
· Visit jrsusa.org (Jesuit Refugee Services) Go to “Advocacy” and click “Get Involved” from the drop down boxes.
· Visit justiceforimmigrants.org (Justice for Immigrants) to learn more. This is a collaborative site with the United States Catholic Bishops and other non-profits that are active in welcoming the stranger.
· In North Carolina today, consider supporting programs like the Refugee Cash Assistance initiative, which helps newly arrived families find their footing, or urging lawmakers to expand language and mentoring support that fosters true integration.
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