“Migrants and refugees remind the Church of her pilgrim dimension, perpetually journeying towards her final homeland, sustained by a hope that is a theological virtue.”
— Pope Leo XIV, July 26, 2025
CHARLOTTE — The 2025 World Day of Migrants and Refugees will be celebrated Oct. 4-5, coinciding with the Jubilee of Migrants. The Holy See’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development announced the theme, “Migrants, missionaries of hope,” chosen by Pope Francis to highlight the courage of migrants and refugees who carry hope for the future despite their hardships. This is the 111th celebration.
While typically falling every year on the last Sunday of September, in 2025 the World Day of Migrants and Refugees celebration date has been moved to align with the Jubilee of Migrants.
The 2025 U.S. bishops’ celebration of National Migration Week will take place Sept. 22-28, preceding the Vatican’s celebration.
For more than 40 years, the U.S. Catholic Church has celebrated National Migration Week. Consider taking a moment to recite a Prayer for Migrants and Refugees found on the USCCB website at www.usccb.org/prayers/prayer-migrants-and-refugees.
Read the 2025 World Day of Migrants and Refugees message from Pope Leo XIV, and learn more about National Migration Week and the Jubilee of Migrants by visiting the U.S. bishops’ special webpage at www.usccb.org/nmw.
— Joseph T. Purello, Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte