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In this edition:
| Registration for the 8th ACMRO National Conference 2026 is Now Open
| Online Resources Published (Available) for World Refugee Day (WRD) 2026: A Million Stories
| 112th World Day of Migrants and Refugees (WDMR) Theme – ‘Even Just One of These Children’
| Migrant Jubilee Cross Visits the Diocese of Sandhurst
| The Changing Face of Faith: Archbishop Coleridge’s Perspective
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The ACMRO team is pleased to announce that registration for the 8th ACMRO National Conference 2026 is now open. The conference, themed “Migrant Communities in a Synodal Church", will acknowledge and celebrate the faith, gifts, contributions, and resilience of migrant communities, as well as the richness they bring to the church in Australia and wider society. It will also give particular attention to the dynamic role of migrant communities within a synodal Church.
The keynote speakers for the conference are Cardinal Fabio Baggio, C.S., Under-Secretary of the Dicastery for Integral Human Development, and Dr Trudy Dantis, Director of the National Centre for Pastoral Research at the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference.
Canberra and Goulburn Archbishop Christopher Prowse, Chair of the Bishops Commission for Evangelisation, Laity and Ministry, will be leading the panel discussion, and Bunbury Bishop George Kolodziej, S.D.S. will address the participants during the conference dinner.
The conference, which runs from 25 August to 26 August at Mary MacKillop Place in North Sydney, NSW, is open to everyone and will provide delegates with the opportunity to receive formation on the following three sub-themes: Fostering a “Culture of Encounter” (Encounter), Migrant Communities as Evangelisers (Discipleship) and Migrant Communities as Missionaries of Hope (Mission).
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ACMRO has published online resources to support the celebration of World Refugee Day 2026 (WRD). WRD is celebrated internationally each year on 20 June to honour people who have been forced to flee their homes.
For Australia, this year is particularly significant. In the aftermath of World War II, as Europe emerged from widespread devastation, Australia answered a global appeal by offering hope and a new beginning to people who had lost their homes.
Beginning with a 1947 agreement to accept 4,000 refugees from Central Europe, Australia has since granted one million permanent humanitarian visas. These individuals, arriving from every corner of the world, have played a vital role in shaping modern Australia. This celebration provides an opportunity to pause and reflect on this landmark achievement and honour the million personal stories that lie behind it.
Fr Khalid Marogi, Director of ACMRO, encourages parishes, schools, and other Catholic communities to make use of the available online resources in commemorating WRD 2026.
Fr Khalid adds that we are invited to unite with Pope Leo XIV in prayer and action to respond to the urgent challenges faced by displaced people amid war, climate crises, and economic inequality. He urges us to renew our commitment to peace, dignity and shared responsibility.
The WRD 2026 webpage includes liturgical resources for primary and secondary schools, homily notes, prayers of intercession and parish bulletin notices.
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“Even just one of these children” is the theme chosen by Pope Leo XIV for the 112th World Day of Migrants and Refugees (WDMR), which will be marked on Sunday, 27 September 2026.
The theme focuses on minors on the move, recalling the duty to welcome each one of them, as the Gospel teaches us. It also refers to Matthew 18:5: “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.”
In a statement, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development (DPIHD) emphasises: “With this choice, the Holy Father intends to express the Church’s concern for minors directly involved in migration, recalling the duty to welcome each one of them, as the Gospel teaches us.”
The DPIHD also notes that this is “not the first time that the Popes have spoken authoritatively on this issue, but the current migration situation presents new challenges that seriously threaten the rights and dignity of the youngest among us and require urgent and effective responses. Therefore, this is not a matter of discussing numbers or percentages, because ‘even just one’ has the highest value.”
ACMRO will soon publish an online resources webpage featuring articles, videos, and liturgical materials for parishes and primary and secondary schools to mark the celebration of WDMR 2026.
We extend our acknowledgement and gratitude to the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and Vatican News, the original publishers of this article.
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The Migrant Jubilee Cross travelled through the Diocese of Sandhurst in the second half of March 2026, offering communities a powerful symbol of faith, welcome and the rich migrant heritage that shapes the local Church. Its journey included a visit to St Brendan’s in Shepparton, where Fr Adi Indra – drawing on his childhood love of Lego – assembled the cross with the help of parishioners Santhosh and Tresy Jose, who had transported it from St Thomas Syro-Malabar Parish in Dandenong South. The cross featured prominently in a special Feast of St Patrick Mass celebrated by Fr Ronaldo Masilang RCJ and later made an unexpected visit to St Mel’s in Shepparton South, where parishioners were invited to reflect and pray for migrants. On 24 March, diocesan staff Leslie and Michael Cooper delivered the cross to St Kilian’s in Bendigo, where they were welcomed by Parish Administrator Fr Junray Rayna.
This pilgrimage through the diocese highlights the multicultural tapestry of the Church in Sandhurst. The Cross’s journey weaves together the stories of priests, parishioners, and communities from Indonesian, Indian, Irish, Filipino, Italian, American, German, Maltese and Australian backgrounds, each contributing to the living history of the local faith community. Its movement from parish to parish serves as a vivid reminder of the diverse threads that form the diocese's identity – an embodiment of migration, heritage and unity in faith. As it continues its travels, the Migrant Jubilee Cross quietly tells a story of resilience, shared tradition and the enduring contributions of migrants to the life of the Church.
We extend our acknowledgement and gratitude to the Diocese of Sandhurst, the original publisher of this article.
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While in Canberra for the New Bishops Seminar in March, Archbishop Emeritus Mark Coleridge took a moment to speak with Catholic Voice about what lies ahead for the Catholic Church in Australia. The former Archbishop of Brisbane reflected on how the Church is changing and shared his perspective on its ongoing evolution.
Among his key reflections was the “Changing Face of the Church". He noted that the growing cultural diversity within the Catholic community in Australia is reshaping its identity – a development he described as both enriching and essential for the church’s future. Highlighting the global shift in Catholic demographics towards Africa, Asia and Latin America, he observed that Australia’s own vitality increasingly depends on communities such as the Vietnamese, Indians and Filipinos.
Archbishop Coleridge emphasised that this evolving landscape calls for mutual learning, particularly from long-established Anglo-Australian Catholics who must adopt a deeper sensitivity and openness to the gifts newcomers bring. He reiterated his long-standing commitment to encouraging migrant communities into leadership roles, acknowledging that while some may hesitate, their leadership gifts are invaluable and deserve a more central place in the life of the Church.
We extend our acknowledgement and gratitude to the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn’s Catholic Voice, the original publisher of this article.
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