As we celebrate the Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, an African proverb comes to mind: “The Stranger is a bridge, not a burden.”
This saying highlights that hospitality extends beyond mere generosity; it affirms our common humanity.
Welcoming strangers benefits both host and guest, emphasising that every meeting has the power to change lives. As we honour this feast of St Ignatius, this African wisdom urges us to consider what it truly means to be pilgrims of hope in a world increasingly shaped by displacement, war, division, and fear, and perhaps by a growing lack of interest in human suffering.
Hope in Nyarugusu
Earlier this year, I visited western Tanzania and the Nyarugusu refugee camp to study how community radio (Radio Kwizera), established by the Jesuit Refugee Service in 1995, amplifies refugee voices in one of East Africa’s largest refugee settlements.
Although the trip was intended to assess the feasibility of my research, it soon became a profound pilgrimage, highlighting hope, resilience, and the subtle strength of support. ‘Kwizera’ means ‘hope’ in Kirundi.
I arrived during a challenging period in the refugee camp. The region was still feeling the impact of the recent ‘voluntary’ repatriation of Burundian refugees. Humanitarian groups reported rising tensions, refugee communities were uncertain, and access to the camps was increasingly limited. Behind these policies were families whose lives had been disrupted once more.
Yet what stayed with me was not the politics of displacement but the resilience of the people. I witnessed refugees gathering happily for the Sunday Eucharist. I met young individuals determined to pursue their education despite uncertain futures. I also encountered humanitarian workers diligently supporting those facing loss and uncertainty. At Radio Kwizera, I met journalists dedicated to giving refugees and the host community the chance to share their own stories, rather than just being talked about.
Those encounters reminded me that hope is rarely dramatic. More often, it is found in ordinary acts of fidelity: a shared meal, a listening ear, a donation, a smile, a hug, a welcoming community, or a voice carried across the airwaves that reminds someone they have not been forgotten.
Finding God in all things
This is precisely the spirituality that St. Ignatius of Loyola invites us to embrace. St. Ignatius of Loyola teaches us to “find God in all things,” especially where human suffering and dignity meet. His Spiritual Exercises motivate us to be contemplatives in action, searching for God’s presence not by avoiding the world but by engaging with it more fully. This process of discernment involves attentive listening and responding to the loving God in our lives. Therefore, amidst our current struggles, frustrations, and despair, Ignatius urges us to recognise where God is already at work.
Within refugee communities both in London and Tanzania, I found God’s presence not only through humanitarian efforts but also in acts of courage, laughter, prayer, friendship, and resilience. These moments remind us that refugees are more than just aid recipients; they are also mothers and fathers, teachers and farmers, musicians and journalists, neighbours and friends. Most importantly, they are individuals created in God’s image.
Pope Francis’s core message in “Fratelli Tutti” emphasises that all humans have an inherent dignity that goes beyond nationality, ethnicity, religion, or legal status. He urges us to reject a “throwaway culture” and foster a culture of encounter, welcoming strangers with fraternity rather than suspicion. For him, true humanity is demonstrated not by our treatment of the powerful but by how we support those whose voices are often overlooked.
Encountering God through others: accompaniment at JRS
This invitation strongly echoes the Ignatian tradition. Ignatius understood the significance of leaving familiar surroundings, embarking on a pilgrimage, and encountering God through interactions with others. The Society of Jesus, through the Jesuit Refugee Service, has upheld this tradition by supporting migrants and refugees globally. Accompaniment goes beyond merely offering services; it involves walking with people, listening intently, and letting their experiences challenge our perspectives.
My recent journey reminded me that those who accompany also undergo transformation. I travelled to Tanzania to enhance academic research but ended up gaining a deeper appreciation of the resilience of refugee communities. I also reaffirmed that research must start with listening. Refugee voices are not valuable simply because researchers choose to include them; instead, they are valuable because they uncover aspects of human experience that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Perhaps this might be one of the most important lessons St. Ignatius imparts to us today. Hope isn’t about waiting until all problems are resolved; it’s about choosing to encounter rather than be indifferent, solidarity rather than isolation, and listening rather than speaking. Each act of hospitality serves as a small but meaningful demonstration that a different way of living together is achievable.
As the world continues to witness unprecedented levels of displacement, the temptation is to become overwhelmed or indifferent. Ignatian spirituality offers another path: to discern, to accompany, and to act with generous hearts. It reminds us that Christ is already present among migrants and refugees, inviting us to recognise in them not strangers to be feared but companions on the journey.
On this Feast of St. Ignatius, let us pray for the grace to become pilgrims driven by hope. Let us find the courage to break boundaries, the humility to listen before speaking, and the generosity to foster communities where everyone is received with dignity. Through these actions, we see that hospitality is more than kindness; it is a way to meet Christ, who still encounters us in the faces of those seeking a home.
