WAPAKONETA — The Petersburg Parishes will host a presentation titled Refugee Resettlement on Sunday, Oct. 9, at 2 p.m. in the St. Joseph Church Adult Center, Wapakoneta. The event is free and open to the public. Attendees should use the Blackhoof Street parking lot to access the Parish Life Center.
Presenter for the afternoon will be Michael Murphy, of Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley. Catholic Social Services is contracted by the United States State Department to resettle refugees in southwest Ohio.
Catholic Social Services respects the dignity of each experience and provides a supportive resettlement program where each individual and culture are celebrated. Building upon the courage and strength of Dayton’s newest neighbors, Catholic Social Services provides a partnership toward personal/economic self-sufficiency and independence. Move past the rhetoric about refugees and learn their true story.’
(Did You know? The average length of time spent in refugee camps by refugees waiting for some durable solution to their plight has recently risen to 17 years. Source: Caritas)
Murphy’s background is in multicultural/international community development/design, delivery, and evaluation. He has spent more than 10 years working within multicultural/international programming in Soquel, California, Sanfantout-Togo, and, most recently, Dayton.
All are welcome to what promises to be an informative and inspiring presentation. Attendees are also invited to bring a new or very gently used kitchen utensil to donate to Catholic Social Services. These utensils will be used to stock the refugees’ new homes.
The Petersburg Parishes of Botkins Immaculate Conception, Fryburg St. John, Rhine St. Lawrence, and Wapakoneta St. Joseph are named for the now-vanished Petersburg settlement (between Wapakoneta and Botkins) from which the parishes emerged in the 19th century. They are served by the Rev. Patrick Sloneker, pastor, and the Rev. Sean Wilson, associate pastor. For more information, call 419-738-4924.
