Gathering at Hinsley Hall under the guidance of Mary Sellers and the North West region, our Christian Life Community came together to discern a fundamental Gospel question: “Who IS my neighbour?” Focused on the CLC frontier of Globalization and Poverty through the lens of migration, the weekend invited us to look deeply at the reality of those who are displaced.
Although I missed the Friday evening migration activity, hearing feedback from other members showed just how profoundly it moved them. Physically stepping into the shoes of someone forced to flee,leaving behind family, home, and every material possession, left a lasting impression. It brought to mind the Suscipe of St. Ignatius:

“Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all I have and call my own…”

This prayer is deeply personal to me and has carried me through my own journey of grief.

While someone shared during the weekend how difficult a prayer it is to hold, its truth is undeniable. We enter this world with nothing, and we leave with nothing. Everything in between is gift and mystery. For a refugee, surrendering everything isn’t a spiritual choice, it is a stark reality. To leave it all behind requires immense trust and hope that God will move the hearts of strangers to receive them with love and dignity.

Throughout the weekend, our speakers, volunteers and dedicated advocates, shared moving personal experiences of walking alongside refugees. I was struck by the deep passion within our community and the vital work being done: helping families integrate, offering hope, and supporting people through trauma that affects generations.

As Benjamin Zephaniah reminds us in his poem, “We can all be refugees… We all came here from somewhere.” The weekend challenged us to move past seeing refugees as a distant problem or a political debate. Scripture urges us in Hebrews 13:2, “Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.” When we welcome the stranger, we do not just extend charity, we encounter Christ himself.

Michelle Ellison
President
CLC England and Wales