Syrian Refugees to be Resettled by Diocese of Metuchen

Metuchen, NJ - The Diocese of Metuchen announced Wednesday it will begin a refugee resettlement program, and likely take in refugees from Syria, Afghanistan and parts of Africa.

Once they arrive, the refugees will be settled throughout Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren counties, a church spokeswoman said, all of which fall under the Metuchen Roman Catholic diocese.

Church leaders say they expect to start small, resettling about 15 families, with the first families to begin arriving in the autumn of this year.

“It is likely the Diocese of Metuchen will begin to accept refugee families in October 2016,” said Monsignor Joseph Kerrigan in a statement. Kerrigan is pastor of Holy Family Parish in New Brunswick, which is part of the diocese. “We anticipate that we will intake 12 to 15 families, no more than 40 people in total, during the first year.”

Following the Paris attacks, Gov. Chris Christie famously said he would not allow Syrian refugees into the U.S. – “even orphans under the age of 5” – but he never followed through on that threat, saying he had no power to stop the federal government. Christie did send a Nov. 17 letter to President Barack Obama calling for a ban on all Syrian refugees due to security concerns. (You can read Christie’s letter here.)

However, it is quite likely that some of the refugees processed will indeed be from Syria, diocese spokeswoman Erin Friedlander told Patch.

“Yes, it is likely that some of the refugees that come to the Diocese of Metuchen will be from Syria,” Friedlander said. “But (they) may come from other countries as well, such as Afghanistan and Burundi, for example.”

The diocese is awaiting final approval from the U.S. State Department before it can begin receiving families. However, it has already hired four social workers and other staff for the program. The work of resettling refugees involves finding housing, job opportunities, schooling and medical care, as well as counseling.

“The counseling piece is important,” Kerrigan said. “Many refugees have experienced significant trauma or injury.”

Metuchen Diocese answers the call

This is the first time the Metuchen Diocese has agreed to settle refugees.

In June of 2015, the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB) asked many of its parishes across the country, including Metuchen, if they would consider hosting and resettling those fleeing war-torn parts of the world. The USCCB is one of nine voluntary agencies that manages refugee placement under an agreement with the U.S. State Department.

And for the first time, perhaps following Pope Francis’ lead to welcome refugees, Catholic leaders in Metuchen said “yes.”

“We must remember that these are our brothers and sisters,” said Bishop Paul Bootkoski, bishop of the Metuchen Diocese since 2002. ”They have fled their homeland in fear of persecution or violence; these are God’s people – men, women and children – who cannot return home.”

The decision makes Metuchen the only Catholic diocese in central New Jersey to host migrants. Currently, Camden is the only other Catholic diocese resettling refugees in New Jersey.

Several other religious and non-religious groups settle refugees in northern New Jersey, however.

“We’ve never done this before and it is important for us to build a strong resettlement program, both operationally and administratively,” said Kerrigan. “So, we will start slow.”

Obama has called to increase the number of Syrian refugees allowed into the U.S. As of November, about 75 Syrian refugees total were settled in New Jersey in 2015, according to NJ.com.

Image: Syrian refugee girls, age 12, placed at a temporary school in Lebanon in 2014. Russell Watkins/Department for International Development/Wikimedia Commons