Imagine for a moment that rival groups are viciously fighting for power where you live. Friends and family members are being displaced, hurt, or killed in the crossfire. In a fight for survival, you and your family make your way to a refugee camp in a neighbouring country. There you live in temporary shelter with the bare necessities of life. The camp is not a place where you can live forever, and you begin to dream of another life. You register with the United Nations at the camp to migrate to a safe country in the world where you and your family can start life anew. After months (in some cases years) of living in the camp, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees designates you and your family to be sponsored as refugees in Canada.

It’s at this significant turning point that a sponsoring refugee committee springs into action. The refugee committee and parishioners at Saint Benedict Parish have a remarkable record of leaping in and providing a safe landing for those escaping the brutality and chaos of war, leaving behind their homeland, their culture, friends, and extended family.

I had an opportunity to talk with Chris Yetman, Finance Manager at Saint Benedict, about his extensive previous involvement as chair of the Refugee Committee.

“I can remember back in 2004, we sponsored a man from Ethiopia who later brought over his two sisters. He immediately found work washing dishes and began working seven days a week and saving everything he could to sponsor his two sisters he had left behind. Before long, he had brought them over and had gained considerable financial independence.

“Having individuals and family from many different countries with differing languages, cultural tradition, and faiths makes it a learning experience for us. Most of the refugees we have sponsored are from war-torn Africa: Ethiopia, Eritrea, Syria, Somalia, Congo, and Chad to give you some idea.

“There are wonderful success stories. A consistent characteristic for the refugees we have worked with is a commitment to hard work and financial independence. Long before the day of their arrival, our committee members are busy gathering furniture, household goods, and clothing to have on hand. Through the giving hearts of our parishioners, we put together a fund that will support our newcomers for at least a year. When we get word that the refugees will be arriving in a matter of days, the ranks of volunteers swells. We are never lacking for kind, generous hearts and willing hands.

“Volunteers meet the newcomers at the airport and get them settled. You can imagine how baffling and intimidating it might be to have your first encounter with an ATM, having never seen one before. It helps to have a friendly guide beside you.

“While these experiences transform the newcomers, it also transforms our lives. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time working with refugees. I try to stay in touch with them and enjoy hearing about their successes. When all the cultural differences get sorted out, it’s always uplifting to discover we’re very much the same at heart.”