The Catholic Church has been active in the resettlement of refugees since the end of WWII. Here in the Detroit area, the archdiocese began to resettle refugees in the aftermath of the Vietnam War. Since that time we have settled more than 8,000 refugees.
Refugees turn to the Church during these trying times in their lives. The Refugee Services program helps to develop and coordinate resettlement opportunities for refugees. The majority of the refugees that we settle in this area are joining family members and we help both the sponsors and families as they move towards self-sufficiency.
A refugee is a person admitted lawfully to the United States because they may no longer return to their own country for fear of persecution due to race, religion, nationality or membership in a particular social or political group. Refugees come from many areas of the world including the Middle East, Bosnia, Africa, Cuba and Southeast Asia.