Jesuit Refugee Service/USA

Saint John Paul II, Pope, pray for us!

Jesuit Stories From the Middle East with Michael Petro, SJ On October 4 and 5, the Catholic Church will observe the 111th World Day of Migrants and Refugees. Today’s guest, who recently stopped by our studio in Washington, DC, is a perfect guest for the occa

Michael Petro, S.J., Project Director for JRS Lebanon, recently joined the AMDG Podcast while visiting the U.S. to share stories from his ministry in the Middle East.

🎧 Listen here: https://ow.ly/i87b50X7nEx

On #WorldTeachersDay, we honor the teachers in JRS classrooms who walk alongside displaced children and families every day.

They teach not only math or reading — but also courage, hope, and the belief that the future is still bright.

Even in the face of hardship, migrants bring resilience and hope. On this Jubilee, we celebrate migrants’ journeys, honor their dignity, and recommit to a future of solidarity and welcome.

#JubileeOfMigrants

Watch CFN Live | CFNtv CFN Live is a dynamic new program where we will be bringing you uplifting, inspiring stories as well as discussing the latest issues facing the church...

Michael Petro, S.J., Project Director for JRS Lebanon, joined Catholic Faith Network during his visit with JRS/USA to share about JRS’s work with displaced families in Lebanon.

📺 Watch here: https://www.catholicfaithnetwork.org/watchcfnlive

Pilgrims walk in solidarity and hope for migrants in Washington procession

We are grateful to all who walked in solidarity and hope alongside migrant and refugee communities.

Read more in the Catholic Standard: https://ow.ly/vm6H50X4Y3J

The 'complicated' path to spiritual care in ICE detention (RNS) — Immigrant detention centers across the country rely on a patchwork of volunteers, private contractors and rare church agreements to provide pastoral care, leaving detainees’ access to faith un...

“The goal is for people who are in these really difficult settings...to at least have some access to how they want to express and practice their faith,” said JRS/USA VP of Programs, Hilary Chester, in a recent article for the Religion News Service.

🔗 religionnews.com/2025/09/11/d...

YouTube video by Jesuit Refugee Service/USA From War to Welcome - Jesuit Refugee Service in Poland

JRS film on Ukrainian refugees wins "Best Video – Social Justice Issues" from Catholic Media Association! A powerful documentary that highlights the challenges faced by the displaced and the compassionate work of JRS.

youtu.be/dXU3OKUS29w

World Humanitarian Day: Why Humanitarian Aid Is Essential Humanitarian aid provides food, care, education, and hope to displaced communities worldwide. Learn why it is vital this World Humanitarian Day.

This year’s #WorldHumanitarianDay resonates more than ever.

US funding freeze and global budget reductions have impacted the entire humanitarian sector, affecting vulnerable communities worldwide.

➡️Learn why humanitarian aid matters: www.jrsusa.org/world-humani...

Why education is life-changing for girls in Kakuma refugee camp - JRS Access to quality education allows girls in Kakuma refugee camp to shape the lives they aspire to, enabling them to thrive and advocate for their rights.

📚Access to quality education allows young women and girls to shape the lives they aspire to, enabling them to thrive and advocate for their rights.

Meet Ruba Abas, who’s been at Kakuma camp since 2013 and studies at JRS’s Greenlight Secondary School.

➡️ ow.ly/Iagx50WFcrJ

Quote from Paul Frank, generous friend of JRS/USA

Paul Frank, a faithful and generous supporter of #JRS/USA, recently shared why he feels called to philanthropy and to stand with forcibly displaced people, particularly through the lens of his Catholic faith and Ignatian spirituality.

Read here: www.jrsusa.org/story/we-mus...

Thanks so much to @deaconspod.bsky.social for having JRS/USA VP of Program Operations on to discuss JRS's work in the wake of devastating cuts to US foreign aid.

Trump’s Foreign-Aid Cuts Are Ending Lives — and US Influence USAID and nonprofits have used government funding to exert soft power, and China is taking advantage of the vacuum.

Don Kerwin, JRS/USA’s VP of Advocacy, Research & Partnerships, writes in Bloomberg Opinion on how U.S. foreign aid cuts are costing lives & weakening global influence. “The impact… will be felt for generations,” he warns.

Read more: www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...

From an early age, Nyaneng Simon Tut has faced constant disruption. She was born in Kakuma refugee camp after her family fled South Sudan.

Today, she’s studying communications at university in Nairobi — making a living out of a passion. ow.ly/1F3K50Wg0iN

Rev. Michael Pham, the first U.S. bishop appointed by Pope Leo XIV is calling on faith leaders across the Diocese of San Diego to accompany asylum seekers to court this Friday, June 20, in honor of World Refugee Day.

JRS/USA applauds this call to solidarity and action.

Read more: ow.ly/nvQ150WbRgj

Praying for Refugees - This Is The Day - CatholicTV

On "This Is The Day," JRS International Director Br. Michael Schöpf, S.J., discussed JRS' work around the world.

🔗 ow.ly/rOON50W9hhY

Jesuits ready to work with Rep. Ciscomani, others on immigration policy - Daily Independent In 1687, Jesuits started establishing missions in the Sonoran Desert. The missions, including San Xavier del Bac, founded in 1700 by Father Eusebio Kino, S.J., were highly successful evangelically and...

In an op-ed in the Daily Independent, JRS/USA President Kelly Ryan calls for immigration policies that are both effective and rooted in dignity—aligned with Catholic social teaching and the Jesuit mission.

Read more: www.yourvalley.net/stories/jesu...

Today is the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression.

Children forced to flee, to grieve, to survive—deserve more than our sympathy; they deserve safety, justice, and a future.

We cannot look away.

What happens when the food stops? Photo of Maban, South Sudan with overlaying text.

No food rations are reaching our communities in Maban, #SouthSudan.

Aid cuts and conflict have driven food prices.

Families are struggling. School and mental health programs are slowing or stopping.

Please keep JRS South Sudan in your prayers and give if you can: www.jrsusa.org?form=FUNJAEB...

Despite months of assurances by Marco Rubio that the administration planned to maintain “lifesaving” aid, there has been a catastrophic halt to programs that — by any reasonable definition — prevent people from dying or being brutally harmed, writes @jrsusa.bsky.social's Kelly Ryan: wapo.st/3FuKJoI

Joshua 1:9

For those forced to flee their homes, the journey is filled with uncertainty. This verse reminds us that God’s presence is not confined by borders. Wherever we go, God walks with them.

#Faith #Refugees #Accompaniment #JRSUSA #ScriptureReflection

The State of Menstrual Health & Hygiene (MHH) in JRS: 2025 Report The 2025 Report on The State of Menstrual Health & Hygiene in JRS highlights some key promising MHH practices across JRS and shows significant progress since last year’s report.

On World Menstrual Hygiene Day, JRS is proud to release the 2025 Menstrual Health and Hygiene Report.

Learn how JRS supports the participation of women and girls and challenges harmful norms by improving access to menstrual hygiene items and raising awareness: www.jrsusa.org/resource/the...

“We’re going to be doing humanitarian relief. All of it.” —Sen. Rubio

But they’re not. JRS/USA President Kelly Ryan breaks down what’s actually happening with U.S. foreign aid in her
@washingtonpost.com op-ed.

Read it here: washingtonpost.com/opini…

#humanitarianaid

Secondary education is a lifeline for girls living in displacement.

JRS is committed to offering gender-responsive education programmes to ensure that forcibly displaced girls and young women can stay in school. ow.ly/2MJP50VQVM4

JRS/USA is proud to join RCUSA and fellow partners in standing behind this important statement.

Action Alert Restore Refugee Assistance and the US Refugee Admissions Program Now

Tell Congress: Restore refugee programs now.

100,000+ displaced people lost vital support after JRS/USA programs were cut. USRAP remains suspended with no plan in sight.

We can’t stay silent.

Take Action today: www.jrsusa.org/take-action-...

#RestoreUSRAP #JRSUSA #ProtectRefugees

‘We are not animals, Father’: Jesuit superior general on the rights of migrants So many who work today with migrants around the world have observed a human family where millions of people are on the move, suffering and persecuted. How can we best serve migrants in our social and ...

“No somos animales, Padre.”
A migrant in detention said this to a Jesuit lawyer. The response? “Of course not.”
But our systems often treat migrants as if they are.

Human dignity doesn’t stop at borders.
We must do better.

Read more Fr. Arturo Sosa, S.J., Jesuit Superior General, below ⬇️

As the conclave begins, we pray that the Holy Spirit will guide those gathered, that they may discern a shepherd who walks closely with all of God’s people, especially refugees and all those who forced to flee their homes.

May the next pope be one who leads our Church with compassion and justice.

Quote from Mrs. Sittatun, resident of Tambakrejo, a fishing village in Central Java

On the frontlines of the climate crisis in Indonesia, two women are leading the charge to protect their village from rising tides.

Learn how JRS is walking with them as they work to preserve the place they love: www.jrsusa.org/story/agains...

Today we celebrate the Jubilee of People with Disabilities. Refugees like Nujeen Mustafa, who crossed 3,500 miles in her wheelchair, show us: disability is not a limitation.

Every person deserves access and opportunity.