During International Women’s Day on March 8 – with the eyes of the world focused on the devastating situation in Ukraine and the plight of refugees from that war torn country, many of whom are women and children -- Bellarmine was privileged to hear from a representative of Jesuit Refugee Service/USA (www.jrsusa.org)
The address by Mr. Josh Utter, outreach officer with JRS/USA and former Peace Corps volunteer, was titled, Jesuit Refugee Service: Walking with Refugees and Forcibly Displaced Persons. The presentation, coordinated by Bellarmine’s Christian Service Program, was held in Leontyne Chapel twice during the day for students, faculty, and staff.
The mission of JRS and the work it does globally for and with refugees and displaced persons was conveyed, as was an update regarding how the organization is responding to the war in Ukraine, where there have been two million refugees since the beginning of the recent invasion.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), by the end of the year 2020, 82.4 million people worldwide had been forcibly displaced. Students were asked to reflect on what most precious belongings they would choose that would fit in their pockets or backpacks if they had to flee their home forever. This personalized the issue, and the audience was also reminded about the refugees who were forced to leave Afghanistan last year.
Also, in conjunction with International Day of Women, many of Bellarmine’s women faculty and staff gathered on the Leo J. and Mary G. Lucas Quad at lunch and during Community Time to collect donations in support of the International Refugee Committee.
These activities are recent examples of ways in which members of the Bellarmine community are living out the Jesuit mission of being men for and with others.