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One home in Albany brought together two very different families this holiday season: Despite a language barrier, an Eritrean family who now reside in the downstairs apartment and the Burmese family upstairs seem to understand one another remarkably well.

Welcomed to the Albany Dio-cese during 2009 by Catholic Charities' Refugee Resettlement program, coordinated by Mari-anne Comfort, the families are starting the new year with help from two parishes.

Three continents
The Burmese family - Za Lin Lai Sak, 57; his wife, Van Tin Par, 41; their son, Van Yin Lung, 17; and daughter, Ni Saing Sin, 15 - are receiving assistance from Christ the King parish in Guilderland.

The Eritreans - Misgina Negash Gebremedhin, 31; his wife Kiros, 26; and children Zebib, five, and Semira, who will celebrate her third birthday in March - are being helped by St. Edward's in Clifton Park.

"When I need real inspiration, I come here," said Kathy Kavanaugh, a volunteer from Christ the King. "Witnessing the interaction between the Lai Saks and the family from Eritrea and the many volunteers who have stepped forward to help them has been a gift. There's no doubt in my mind that the American spirit is alive and well."

Volunteer Angela DiBernar-do said all who visited with the Lai Saks over the recent holidays reported that they had received "the greatest gift of all for Christmas from the refugees: love."

Mr. Lai Sak asked his teen-agers to convey their thanks for "the gift of a new life of hope" in the Albany Diocese.

"We never forget the kindness till the day we die," said Mr. Lai Sak, who endured a year in prison in Burma for political reasons prior to achieving refugee status.

Both parents expressed appreciation for the education their children are receiving at Albany High School. Their son loves math and soccer, while their soft-spoken daughter dreams of becoming a nurse who can care for the elderly.

Resettlement effort
According to Ms. Comfort, the Diocese has resettled about 70 refugees during 2009 and expects 75 more in 2010. The majority have come from Iraq, with others from Burma (now known as Myanmar), Eritrea (formerly governed by Ethopia) and Congo.

"We expect the same mix in 2010," Ms. Comfort stated.

Diocesan Catholic Charities is one of more than 100 sites across the country that is resettling refugees.

"We are placing refugees in Albany, Schenectady and Troy, trying to find apartments in the same communities as the volunteer group assisting the family," said Ms. Comfort.

Groups of many faiths are now coordinating their efforts, including Unitarian, Methodist, Reformed, Catholic and Budd-hist groups. "We also have two mosques and three Catholic parishes preparing for refugees expected to come in early 2010," Ms. Comfort added. "It's an incredible interfaith effort."

The outreach ministry provided a combined Thanksgiving and Eid (a Muslim holiday) celebration in December at the Islamic Center of the Capital District in Colonie for refugees and volunteers.

"It was so wonderful to see such diversity in the room," Ms. Comfort noted. "It speaks volumes to the refugees about life in the U.S. when people can work together and socialize together in this way, especially when so many of them come from countries where religion is a source of conflict and in many cases actually was a cause for them having to flee."

01/01/10 [[In-content Ad]]

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