July 8, 2025 // Diocese

‘Sharing Cultures’ at World Refugee Day Celebration

Clare Hildebrandt

Reporter

Myriad dishes with wide-ranging flavors were served for lunch at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne on Friday, June 20 – samosas, Ukrainian dumplings, and chicken biryani were among those offered. The diversity of dishes mirrored the diversity of the attendees as people with various heritages – from Burmese to Mexican, Ukrainian to Haitian – joined together to celebrate World Refugee Day. 

This year, leaders of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, along with a handful of other charity organizations, hosted a World Refugee Day celebration filled with dancing, food, and personal testimonies. Partnering with St. Joseph Community Health Foundation, Amani Family Services, and International House, the staff of Catholic Charities invited people of all backgrounds to join in the fun at the downtown library. 

Matt Smith, chief development officer of Catholic Charities, sat down with Today’s Catholic to talk about the event. 

“World Refugee Day is an international holiday, and we’re proud that Fort Wayne has always been a welcoming community,” he said. “Back in the ’60s, we helped some Cuban refugees settle down, and we now help Vietnamese, Serbians, Ukrainians, Afghani, Haitians, and various people from South American countries. These are folks that are going through the process of entering the country through legal means, and we should celebrate that.”

It is especially important for Catholics to welcome those from foreign lands, Smith said.

“For Catholics, it is part of our social teaching to welcome the stranger and immigrant and help them become part of our community. In the testimonies shared today, you can see people who have had their lives changed in positive ways through their interactions with Catholic Charities,” he explained.   

He added: “And, sometimes, we just need to be joyful and play. It is a very Catholic thing to do to celebrate and enjoy life. The kids were happy flying kites and getting their faces painted while groups danced on the stage.”

Nicole Kurut, marketing manager for Catholic Charities, noticed a deep sense of solidarity between attendees at the event.

“Today we’re celebrating so many different cultures – Burmese, Mexican, Afghani. The dancers [with different heritages] were cheering each other on,” she said with a smile. 

“This event brings the community at large out of pockets and into a safe place to celebrate beautiful cultures. It is wonderful to unite people who are going through similar experiences, such as having to build a new life here and leave their homes,” Kurut finished.

A variety of traditional dances were performed at the gathering, one of them being a Mexican folk dance. Teenagers Jocelyn Pacheco and Stephanie Mondragon took the stage to perform in Mexican folkloric skirts.

“It is honestly just such a beautiful thing,” Pacheco said after dancing. “Sharing my culture and heritage makes me happy. Every time we dance, we see little girls [in the crowd] hold out their skirts and dance with us.”

Mondragon added: “A lot of people will ask questions about our skirts and the type of music we dance to. It’s nice seeing a lot of people here to enjoy the show,”

At the heart of the event, according to Ewelina Connolly, CEO of Amani Family Services, is the need to “accept and love our neighbors.” 

“[World Refugee Day] is an event that is recognized globally, and so in our efforts here, we are all taking part in that. Today is really about how we must accept and love our neighbors,” she said.

Amani Family Services supports refugees and immigrants by fostering a sense of belonging and promoting safety in the community. Through the nonprofit, those in need can receive parenting education, counseling, assistance with the criminal justice system, and much more.

Connolly believes the work being done through various charities will not only affect those currently in need but future generations as well.

“It’s important to remember that even the small things that I do with my team and partners here might be planting seeds for generations that I may never get to see,” Connolly said. “We may be planting seeds for trees we will never be able to rest in the shade of, but the future generations will. I connected with the others here tonight by taking part in something greater than myself.”

Clare Hildebrandt is a staff writer for Today’s Catholic.