By Monsignor Daniel McHugh, Co-ordinator for Ethnic Chaplaincies in the Archdiocese of Birmingham

The Annual Conference of Ethnic Chaplains and Priests from Eastern Catholic Churches took place on Tuesday 17 February and was hosted by Archbishop Bernard Longley at St Columban’s, Knowle. 

The theme was a most engrossing one: Migrants, Missionaries of Hope. 

In recent times our focus politically on illegal immigration in the UK has led to many incidents of animosity and even hatred of people of different colours and cultures. So, it was a very different perspective that was presented in Rome in the Jubilee Year Pilgrimage: Migrants, Missionaries of Hope.

A delegation went from the Archdiocese to the Jubilee Pilgrimage in October 2025: Mgr Daniel McHugh, Fr Yen Vu (Vietnamese Chaplain), Fr Solomon Tesfamichael (Eritrean Catholic Church) and Fr Ugo Ikwuka (Provincial Superior of the Spiritans) and came back with a desire to disseminate a very different view of Migrants: i.e. the lived hope that they bring to the Church and the wider community.

A paper was prepared and presented at the Conference containing the main themes of Church teaching in this area of Mission as enunciated by Pope Leo XIV at the Jubilee. As an outcome of the Conference, it was agreed that the Ethnic Chaplains and Priests from the Eastern Catholic Churches collaborate with the Diocesan process of synodal consultation leading to a common focus on Evangelisation.

Fr Dr Taras Khomych, who is the Priest for the Ukrainian Eparchy caring for Ukrainian Catholics in Stoke-on-Trent gave a challenging address with the title “Diversities and Evangelisation: An Eastern Christian Perspective”.

He introduced it with these words: “From its very beginnings, Christianity has flourished across a rich diversity of places, cultures and languages …. This presentation explores how those diverse early Christian contexts gave rise to different traditions, and how their rich heritage continues to shape the Church today. In particular it focusses on iconography - not merely as a form of religious art but as an important meeting point of theology, liturgy, spirituality and ecclesial life, a powerful medium for evangelization.” 

We look forward to exploring those concepts further in our quest to work together in the evangelizing mission of the Church.

Archbishop Longley in his overview at the end of the Conference said: “By fostering a strong sense of community in which everyone feels valued regardless of culture or ethnic background… the Church is truly a universal family, where the diversity of its members strengthens its mission.”

At the same time, he thanked the migrant communities for their dedication and involvement in the life of the Church, noting that the local parishes were deeply enriched by their presence, involvement and diverse presence. He concluded by reiterating that the Church’s evangelization efforts must be rooted in both solidarity with migrants and the recognition of their vital contribution to the broader ecclesial community.

Other contributions to the Day Conference included a most interesting presentation by Fr Andrzej Halemba “Our Way to God” a handbook of adult catechesis in different languages. It comprises 33 short lessons - one for each year of Jesus' life. The lessons are short, conversational, and simple… it is presented as a model for effective and accessible evangelization.

Personally, I consider this book is a wonderful free resource (funded by Aid to the Church in Need) for migrants wishing to learn more about the Catholic Church. It is also written by people, like Fr Halemba, who are experienced missionaries and respectful of different cultures.

Other topics for discussion at the Day Conference included: Priestly Vocations; Pilgrimage; and Catechesis. It was a day full of hope and encouragement for all involved.

Ethnic Chaplaincies in our Archdiocese

Photo Gallery by Con McHugh