A year ago the Roman Catholic bishops of Kentucky issued a pastoral statement on immigration in which they asked Catholics to welcome people from other countries who come to our state and resettle here.

In that statement, “Every Man and Woman is the Image of God,” the bishops wrote: “Because the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, Christ is present to every human condition, every form of human suffering. We see him in the face of migrants.”

Catholics in the Archdiocese of Louisville will have an opportunity over the coming three months to put these words into action. Migration and Refugee Services at Catholic Charities is expecting the arrival of nearly 350 refugees from various countries to be resettled here. These newcomers are among 37,000 or so who will be resettled in the United States in July, August and September.

As these refugees begin a new life in a new country, they will need a friendly face and a helping hand. And that’s where the Catholic community can demonstrate its welcoming by seeing in these newcomers the face of Christ.

There are many ways in which this can be done. Catholic Charities has made an appeal for donations of furniture and other household items for the people being resettled. Also, parishes and individuals can put together “welcome baskets” with personal hygiene items for the refugees.

In addition, Catholics Charities is in the process of finding affordable housing that refugees can pay for with the temporary cash assistance they receive from the government until they find employment.

Helping refugees to resettle here is not something new for the Catholic community. Over the years, volunteers have helped set up apartments for newcomers. Mentors have assisted new arrivals in learning English and familiarizing them with community services. Others have helped immigrants with things such as shopping and preparing food.

Some of these services have been provided through parishes, others by individuals. To assist the new refugees, contact Christopher Clements at Catholic Charities at 636-9263, ext. 145.

What one does to help or how much one does are not important. What is important is that we show that we are a welcoming community and that through our hospitality we recognize that we are living the Gospel of Jesus.

This was underscored last week by Pope Benedict XVI in marking the United Nations’ World Refugee Day. Welcoming and assisting refugees, he said, is a concrete sign of Gospel love.

“To welcome and give hospitality to refugees is an obligatory gesture of human solidarity,” the pope said, and for Christians it is “a concrete way to demonstrate love.”

This also has been emphasized by previous popes. Pope Pius XII in 1952 described the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph fleeing into exile in Egypt to escape the fury of an evil king as “the archetype of every refugee family.”

Speaking in Mexico City in 1999, Pope John Paul II said immigration is “an almost constant feature of America’s history.” Migrants “should be met with a hospitable and welcoming attitude,” he said, and “the church of America must be a vigilant advocate, defending against any unjust restriction the natural right of individual persons to move freely within their own nation and from one nation to another.”

The bishops of Kentucky noted in their 2006 pastoral statement: “Our country is a nation of immigrants. Our ancestors came from many lands. Over the decades, such a diversity of peoples has enriched our culture, economy and religious experience.”

Our ancestors who came to the United States from different countries are not unlike the refugees who will be coming to Louisville in the coming months. The Catholic Church embraced our immigrant ancestors by offering charitable services and supporting them in their efforts to build a better life. The church should do no less for today’s newcomers.

“Immigrant communities give ample witness to what is to be the church,” the U.S. Catholic bishops said in a 2000 pastoral statement. “For the church in the United States to walk in solidarity with newcomers to our country is to live out our catholicity as a church. The church of the 21st century will be, as it has always been, a church of many cultures, languages and traditions, yet simultaneously one, as God is one — Father, Son and Holy Spirit — unity in diversity.”