“It’s really a place of hope, a way of being in solidarity with those in difficult circumstances.” That’s how Fr. Mark Barwick describes “Welcoming the Stranger,” a collaborative program to house and help unaccompanied refugee minors (URM) in Strasbourg, France. “It’s a place where we can express compassion and justice to those who are in need.”
The program is a partnership between St. Alban’s, the Anglican chaplaincy in Strasbourg which Barwick pastors, and Christ Réssuscité (the Risen Christ), the Catholic parish which oversees the Bernanos Centre, a non-profit that works with a wide network of partners. St. Alban’s recently received money from the Convocation Refugee Grant Program (CRGP) to help fund the work they have been doing for years in cooperation with Christ Réssuscité.
The Bernanos Centre was originally a student dorm on the campus of the Université de Strasbourg but, since 2016, has been transformed into a center for URM. In 2016, a young man arrived at the center, asking for shelter. Fr. Thomas Wender, the director of the center, soon began going out looking for unaccompanied minors, many of whom were sleeping on the streets of Strasbourg.
“It’s a challenge,” Barwick said. While many of the minors come from French-speaking parts of Africa, many others come speaking neither French nor English. “Some have medical needs; certainly, many have psychological problems,” so access to medical care is a priority. The center also helps them to establish legal residency, to which they are entitled under French law, as they are minors. The program also helps them register for schooling, including technical or vocational training. “The goal is that they become self-sustaining.”
The Bernanos Centre currently house 35 young people on-site, and approximately 10 others are supported through host families and shared housing. But they could use space for an additional 30 young people. Since its opening, the center has helped 300 young people, and seventy percent have completed their education. Part of the Convocation grant is being used to finish a working kitchen. Meals are currently being catered.
“Mostly, we are here to be their companions, their friends, to point them in a positive direction,” Barwick said. “It’s very much a ministry of presence. It’s practical but being present is very important. Some things you can’t quantify in a report.”
He added that St. Alban’s involvement in this project was quite natural. “We have a long history of accompanying migrants and asylum seekers. Many in our congregation came to Strasbourg as refugees themselves. This is a way to not just give back but to reaffirm who we are as a church in mission.”