Beginning in 2018, the office has coordinated with Catholic stakeholders like The Good Shepherd of Hamilton to provide refugee families and children with Christmas gifts. It has become a staple as the diocese recognizes and celebrates the newcomer families' first Christmas in Canada.
Rita Balla, director of the Office for Refugees, said the gift-giving initiative has gradually become custom, beginning first with the help of The Good Shepherd organization for a woman who arrived in Canada through the Sisters of St. Joseph.
“We had a family of a single mother arrive in Hamilton at the time and my director at the time mentioned that we should reach out to Good Shepherd due to their generosity towards newcomer families. Even though this wasn't their sponsorship, they made sure that families could come and pick out Christmas gifts during that first year,” she said.
The second year saw the office relay more personalized information including the quantity, age and gender of its sponsored families, ensuring more tailored gifts could be donated. By the third year, the program was flourishing as the office’s post-arrival coordinator, complete with a Santa hat, delivered gifts to families in need as late as Christmas Eve.
“These are families where December marks their first Christmas in Canada and so the program is very special to them. It represents a new life, newfound safety and welcoming where we bring forward the spirit of Christmas and let them know that they are welcome in the community,” Balla said. “It is also about the collaboration happening that provides a sense of caring from their new communities to let them know that they are not alone, that there are people in Canada who care about them and who want to see them safe in Canada.”
This year, the office has brought Christmas wishes and gifts to 27 people who arrived this year through the private sponsorship refugee program, including nine children. The families hail from various countries including Eritrea in East Africa, Syria and Somalia.
While many families coming through the program reside locally at Good Shepherd’s Nora Vos apartments in Hamilton, other families this year have settled in cities such as Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph and even as far away as Richmond Hill, an exceptional case as it is outside diocesan boundaries.
Balla said one man from Eritrea moved to Vancouver to live with his brother as part of a secondary migration sponsorship. As gift deliveries are contained to more local levels, the man will receive a gift card in place of the traditionally delivered gift.
The refugee program is already looking ahead. With the immigration system sporting a backlog of over 100,000, Balla is hopeful there will be more arrivals in the new year.
“Our numbers (of arrivals) are usually less than 50, but over the next few years and with the amazing and constant support of Bishop Douglas Crosby, we are hoping to increase our numbers in the years to come,” she said. “There is a pool next year that we are hoping we can pull from to continue sponsoring and supporting these new families in Canada.”
Regardless of next year’s intake, the sense of comfort, safety and celebration being delivered through gifts and well-wishes each year through the Office of Refugees keeps the staff going strong. For the office’s director, it’s examples of charity from Christmases long past that continue to exemplify just how important serving the vulnerable, especially during the season of giving, truly is.
“I worked at Wesley Urban Ministries for over 10 years and I still remember a family of a different faith who were so proud to show me the Christmas tree in their home. That really hit home for me in knowing that it is vitally important that people feel a part of something bigger than themselves,” she said. “We live by example as Catholics so if they have questions and they want to be part of the celebration, whether commercial or by getting to the root of it, we can show that It's more than just a Christmas tree, it represents a whole faith.”