This nation, the greater Toledo area, and the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania, Ohio, have a long history of welcoming immigrants and supporting refugees. In the early twentieth century, the Sisters of St. Francis arrived in Toledo, where they were called to serve as teachers for the Polish immigrants in the Diocese of Toledo. Most of us trace our roots to immigrant families, and throughout the years, while we have adapted our ministries in response to God’s call to serve the ever-changing needs of the human family in education, health care, pastoral work, social work, and numerous other ministries, we have continued to serve immigrant and refugee communities.
Today, the Sisters of St. Francis (SOSF) of Sylvania, Ohio, remain committed to actively welcoming refugees who come to this country after passing through the U.S. government’s already rigorous screening processes. In support of their commitment, the Sisters formed a Refugee Action Committee and adopted a guiding purpose statement:
The Sisters of St. Francis, in a desire to welcome refugee families, offer the use of Welcome House for a period of up to one year and to provide information and support services to other newcomers and their sponsors. The arrangement will be one of mutual exchange where we learn from one another. Our desire is to encourage, as a friend would, not provide oversight. The congregation may assist with food, transportation, furnishing and health/emotional/educational support, but will not be the sole provider of these services. We will work as a bridge to local resources with an aim of the refugees achieving independence through jobs and their own residence.
With this purpose statement in mind, the Sisters have welcomed families from Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Syria to Sylvania and the greater Toledo area. We have provided shelter and support services and have served as a link to local agencies, resources and information. We have helped family members find jobs and affordable housing so they can achieve independence.
As Pope Francis so eloquently said in his “Address to Participants in the Plenary of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People” (24 May 2013): “Dear friends, let us not forget the flesh of Christ which is in the flesh of refugees; their flesh is the flesh of Christ.”
The Sisters of St. Francis’s Welcome House for Refugee Families
In keeping with its 100-year history of support for immigrants, the Sisters accepted a proposal at Chapter 2016 to research and act on supporting refugees. A committee was formed to research what was needed and to support US Together, a local organization that provides refugee support services. The Justice and Peace Committee then initiated a Corporate Stance, which was accepted by a vote of the entire Congregation in 2021. It reads:
We, the Sisters and Associates of St. Francis of Sylvania, Ohio, in keeping with our position of respecting the inherent human dignity of each person, act in support of refugees and asylum seekers whose lives have been violated, forcing them to leave their country where they are living to seek safety in another country.
Given this Corporate Stance, the Sisters decided that a nearby residence they own but no longer need as a residence for themselves should be used to provide housing for refugees. Since 2021, the Welcome House, as it is now known, has provided housing for three different families. The Sisters, along with lay volunteers and community partners, have provided support services, including transportation, English practice, driving practice, school registration, access to community services, and job searches to help the families adjust to life in this country and become independent.
If you’re interested in volunteering to help our refugee families, please contact Sr. Nancy Surma at 419-824-3914 or nsurma@sistersosf.org.
Our Refugee Families, 2021 – 2023
At the end of 2021, a three-generational family that was evacuated from Kabul when the U.S. left Afghanistan came to live in the Welcome House. The Sisters and other volunteers supported the family in adjusting to life in America and learning English. By the end of 2022, the family located housing in the area and moved out of the Welcome House, grateful for all the help they had received.
Members of the family have repeatedly expressed their gratitude to the Sisters for giving them a home to stay in as they became used to American culture and became independent. Sisters and the other volunteers who helped the family during their stay at the Welcome House cherish the time they spent with family members and remain in contact with them.
In early January, 2023, the Refugee Action Committee was approached by the co-founder of Toledo Helps Ukraine about hosting two families coming from Ukraine who had been living in unbearable conditions due to bombings and the lack of electricity, heat and water. It was a stretch to take on two families, but after prayer and consideration, the committee decided that our Gospel commitment called us to accept.
The first family of six arrived on February 3 after an exhausting flight from Poland through Paris to Detroit. The father, mother and their four children, ages 10 – 13, moved into the Welcome House. The parents attended ESL class, and the children attended Sylvania Public Schools. The second family of four arrived on February 11, after a grueling trip by train from their home to Warsaw, a flight from Warsaw to Washington, D.C., and finally, a flight to Detroit. The father, mother and their two children, ages 10 and 12, moved into a rented duplex in the Washington Local School District.
With help from Toledo Helps Ukraine, Water for Ishmael, Ukrainians living in the area, and other local families, the Sisters of St. Francis wrapped the two families in love and security as they settled into life in this country with grace and determination. Those of us who have close contact with them often hear their expressions of gratitude for all the Sisters have done for them. While the Ukrainian families no longer live in the housing we provide, they have become our friends and part of our extended family.
The Refugee Action Committee has also reached out to others who are sponsoring Ukrainian families here on humanitarian parole by hosting three networking sessions. These events have given sponsors an opportunity to share experiences and learn from each other and from committee members, including an immigration lawyer and a retired director from Ohio Jobs & Family Services. The sessions have also featured speakers representing local agencies and institutions, who have shared important information on legal issues and support services available for the families.
The Sisters of St. Francis Welcome New Refugee Family in 2024
In 2024, the Refugee Action Committee decided to work with the Greater Toledo Newcomer Center (GTNC), a new refugee resettlement agency in the area, to identify our next refugee family and help us support them when they arrive. The GTNC brought a refugee family from Syria to the Welcome House and helped them get settled during their first 90 days in this country. The family of eight (mother, father and six children) had been living in Jordan since 2011, where they had fled when civil war broke out in their home country. They have relatives who have been living near Sylvania for several years, and they connected with them right away.
After the initial 90-day period during which GTNC provided the main support for the family, the Refugee Action Committee and other volunteers began providing more direct service, including driving family members to and from ESL classes at the GTNC office, taking them to doctor and dentist appointments, helping them practice English, and helping the father find a job.
The Sisters of St. Francis have also made Marion House, another house they own near the Motherhouse, available rent free to GTNC as an initial shelter for refugee families that are settling in the area. The first family to reside in the house is from Afghanistan. The congregation is providing the house, necessary maintenance, and lawncare, while the GTNC is handling all support for the family, as well as the cost of utilities.
The Refugee Action Committee and Community Partners
The Refugee Action Committee was formed in 2021 in response to the Sisters of St. Francis’s corporate stance in support of refugees and asylum seekers. Committee members include five Sisters, the Sisters’ Chief People and Culture Officer, and four lay volunteers, two of whom are Associates. The committee meets monthly to discuss issues involved in supporting the refugee family living in the Welcome House, the Marion House arrangement, and continuing our relationship with the families we have supported in the past. In addition, committee members examine ways to sustain the Welcome House and the Sisters’ legacy of support for refugees in the future.
Since 2021, the Refugee Action Committee has worked with community organizations and agencies to help meet the various needs of our refugee families:
- Water for Ishmael, a local organization which offers English classes and job training to new community members from foreign lands, has been very supportive as we work to give family members the foundational skills that can change their lives.
- Members of the Bavarian Sports Club of Toledo and Toledo Helps Ukraine have been very helpful in preparation and welcoming efforts for the families from Ukraine.
- The Greater Toledo Newcomer Center provided critical resettlement support and social services for our newly arrived refugee family. The agency assumed responsibility for helping the family get settled during their first 90 days in Sylvania and provided training for Refugee Action Committee members on procedures for helping new refugees successfully move toward independence. GTNC also provides English classes and funding for the family housed at Marion House.
- A wonderful group of volunteers have helped make our refugee outreach initiative successful. They have donated and transported furniture and household items; provided transportation to stores, places of worship, doctors, and English classes; helped family members practice English, practice driving, and complete official paperwork; and prepared the Welcome House for the new family’s arrival.
Sylvania Franciscans Work for Refugees, Migrant and Immigration Reform
In addition to hosting refugee families and helping them adjust to life in this country and achieve independence, Sylvania Franciscans work for refugees, migrants and immigration by:
- Writing to Congress
- Supporting local boycotts
- Standing up for the migrants in our area
- Sharing information about immigration, migrant workers, and refugees
- Providing support for community organizations and agencies that help immigrants and refugees such as NW Ohio Immigrant Rights Network and Welcome Toledo-Lucas County
- Taking stands on Immigration and refugees
- Praying for our government leaders that they make wise decisions regarding the immigrant population to preserve the rights of immigrant workers and to ensure family unity
- Support other agencies and organizations in the area with grants from the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania Foundation Donor Advised Fund of the Greater Toledo Community Foundation, which has a focused grant area for immigrants and refugees among four areas
If you are interested in finding out more about the Sisters’ Refugee Outreach Ministry or volunteering to help with our refugee families, please contact Sr. Nancy Surma at 419-824-3914 or nsurma@sistersosf.org.
Sisters' Stories
Sister Joan Jurski
