A New Beginning: How a Sydney Parish Helped One Refugee Family Find Belonging
(An article by Astrid Delayre, Senior Communications Officer of Catholic Mission)
Throughout Scripture, we are reminded of our call to welcome the stranger, accompany those in need, and recognise the dignity of every person as a child of God.
In the Gospel of Matthew, Christ tells us, "I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” (Matthew 25:35)
For one parish community in Sydney, these words have become more than an invitation. They have become a mission lived through accompaniment and compassion.
For families forced to flee conflict and persecution, arriving in a new country is only the beginning of rebuilding a life. Finding safety is one step. Finding belonging is another.
Through the Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot (CRISP), Australians are helping make that journey possible.
“People feel welcomed, and people feel part of the community because local volunteers have made a commitment to stand with these people and help them,” explains Anne Nesbitt, a volunteer at Catholic Mission for the CRISP program.
Supported by Catholic Mission and the End Child Detention Coalition through partnership with Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia (CRSA), CRISP offers parishes and community groups the opportunity to sponsor newly arrived refugee families and walk alongside them during their first year in Australia. The program provides practical support, friendship, and a welcoming community as individuals and families begin to settle into a new life.
(Photo: Abolfazl and his mother Soheila with Anne Nesbitt from Catholic Mission.)
For the parish community of St Brigid’s Marrickville in Sydney, this mission became deeply personal.
The Marrickville Refugee Welcome Group has been supporting the Bakhtiari family since their arrival in Australia in August 2025 through a humanitarian pathway. Since then, the family has settled remarkably well, building a new home in Lakemba with the support of parishioners and volunteers who helped furnish and prepare their apartment through generous donations.
Today, every member of the family is pursuing education and new opportunities.
Soheila, the mother, began English classes at Bankstown TAFE earlier this year after receiving informal language support from members of the Welcome Group. Her daughters are thriving at school, with one attending an Intensive English Centre and quickly gaining confidence in speaking English, while the younger daughter has embraced life at her local primary school.
Her smile, supporters say, speaks volumes about the joy and security she has found.
For 19-year-old Abolfazl, known as Abol, education represents possibility. Currently studying a Certificate III in Information Technology at Ultimo TAFE, his ambition is to continue through to a diploma before transferring to the University of Technology Sydney.
Yet his story carries challenges far beyond his years.
As a young Afghan living stateless in Iran, Abol experienced discrimination and injustice in education, employment, and daily life. From the age of nine, he carried significant responsibilities supporting his mother and sisters. Despite these hardships, his determination to learn and build a future has remained unwavering.
Their story is not simply one of survival.
It is a story of resilience, courage, and hope. It is about a mother determined to secure safety for her children. A young man pursuing education despite immense obstacles. A parish community choosing to walk alongside strangers until they became neighbours.
Programs like CRISP demonstrate what can happen when communities put faith into action. As Pope Francis has often reminded the Church, we are called not to remain distant from those experiencing hardship, but to draw near, to accompany, and to build a culture of encounter. Programs like CRISP offer a tangible way for communities to answer that call.
As Catholic Mission continues to encourage parishes across Australia to engage with refugee sponsorship initiatives, stories like the Bakhtiari family’s remind us that mission begins with relationship and that sometimes the most profound acts of evangelisation are found in simple gestures of welcome, solidarity and love.
Because when we open our hearts to others, we do more than change lives.
We become signs of hope in the world.
For more information about the CRISP program, contact Anne Nesbitt at Catholic Mission: anne.nesbitt@catholicmission.org.au.
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