HEMSTHORPE COMMUNITY WELCOME
A Community Sponsorship group working towards helping a forcibly displaced family find sanctuary in Hemsworth/Moorthorpe.
WHo are we and what are we doing?
The UN Refugee Agency estimated that, by the end of 2023, there were over 117.3 million forcibly displaced people in the world. Families are fleeing conflict, violence and persecution, mainly in the Middle East.
Addressing the Global Refugee Forum in late 2023, Pope Francis called on parishes to follow him in his belief that the plight of refugees is a shared responsibility. “We often forget”, he noted, “that behind these numbers there are human faces, each with their own story and suffering. Each number represents one of our fellow brothers and sisters who are in need of help.”
The Community Sponsorship scheme is Home Office backed and was set up by David Cameron in 2015 in response to the Syrian refugee crisis. It is a way for local communities to be directly involved in helping a displaced family settle in the UK. The Home Office works with the UNHCR to match the group with a family identified as vulnerable and in urgent need of resettlement.
The Hemsthorpe Community Welcome (HCW) group is currently formed of the Churches of St Helen's, Sacred Heart and St Joseph's, all located in the Hemsthorpe area.
HCW will look to find accommodation for the refugee family and provide emotional and practical support for the first 2 years of their time in our community. We will work to empower the family to rebuild their lives in safety, and to become self-sufficient members of the community.
Image: UNHCR
Which organisations are involved in the project?
Sacred Heart and St Joseph's
The Catholic Parish of The Sacred Heart and St. Joseph's.
This Parish has two churches: The Sacred Heart in Hemsworth (top image) and St Joseph's in Moorthorpe (bottom image).
Contact us
Hemsthorpe Community Welcome
