São Paulo, November 7, 2023 – On Sunday, November 5, 2023, 49 years of activities were celebrated at the Casa do Migrante, located in the Parroquia Nossa Senhora da Paz, in São Paulo.
La Casa del Migrante is the refuge of the Missão Paz, work of the Misioneros Scalabrinianos, which allows stateless people, immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees to lodge according to their individual needs.
Since 2011, the director of the work has been Father Antenor João Dalla Vecchia, CS, who affirms that this moment of celebration for the 50 years is very important for missionary life as a whole and, in particular, for the Casa do Migrante, which Over time it has been challenging to maintain and be a space where we receive and support people from all over the world.
“This has to be a place where people can rebuild, that is, the Migrant House is an extension, let’s say, of the house that was left, because in the house that was left, there are also relatives, there are people eager to find a way for the family, perhaps to rebuild life through the unification of the family,” highlights Father Antenor.
When we talk about challenges, the director affirms that they are constant and permanent. According to him, surprises happen every day, since there are different cultures, languages, origins and histories of different countries. “Despite the challenges, what motivates me most about this work is precisely being in tune with this migratory reality, which is a reality that is always in motion and that requires attitudes that propel us forward, make us walk and put them in confrontation with realities, with cultures, with different ways of being as such,” he says.
According to Father Antenor, what they really want is to mix the public and hold a meeting of nations, which can bring several benefits, because in addition to being a welcoming place, people need to live with other nationalities and exercise diversity, so Therefore, the house welcomes people from all over the world: “We prefer to call this space home because home is the place that gives the dignity to rebuild and reconstitute oneself as a person, home is a space of rest, home is where one feels welcome”, he concludes.
La Casa del Migrante is making several improvements to meet demand. The director highlights that this is the process that, together with employees, collaborators and all the people who directly or indirectly help, he has carried out during these almost 13 years on the job.