Much of today's work of resettling refugees grew out of work in the 1940s, after World War II, which left behind12.5 million displaced persons. In response to the many requests from bishops to help these refugees, Catholic Relief Services decided to become active in the United States. In 1946, Fr. Aloysius Wycislo (later Bishop of Green Bay) was appointed director of CRS, stationed in New York. He worked with dioceses across the country to resettle displaced persons. Each diocese was asked to hire a resettlement director. (The first director in Green Bay, in 1949, was Fr. Thaddeus Koszarek.)

"Our department (CRS), along with the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, began to look at ways to move the refugees," Bp. Wycislo said. "We began to seek legislation to bring many of these refugees to this country."

Initial efforts included the Displaced Persons Act (written with help of CRS), which made exceptions for people with special talents or trades to enter the U.S. "We began to accumulate mountains of affidavits to support the movement of people," said Bp. Wycislo. "These affidavits were required by the government to show that the refugees would not be a burden on the United States. We had to make sure they had jobs and a place to live."

Shortly thereafter, on July 28, 1951, 26 countries signed the Geneva Convention, the first international agreement spelling out basic human rights. It also recognized the international scope of refugee crises and the necessity of international cooperation.

"The convention explained that there are certain standards for how refugees should be treated," said Barbara Biebel, Director of Catholic Charities' Resettlement and Immigration Services. She added that one cornerstone of protection is ensuring escape for people facing imprisonment, torture and execution, for reasons such as political or religious beliefs or membership in a particular ethnic or social group. The Geneva Convention has enabled an estimated 50 million people to restart their lives.

This year, 75,000 of the 5 million refugees worldwide will come to the United States. After intensive interviews and background checks, they will be cleared to enter the country. Stateside, our government contracts with 12 Voluntary Agencies (VOLAGS), typically religiously affiliated, to settle these refugees. The largest is the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), which works with local dioceses.

The Green Bay Diocese"s Resettlement Program is designed to sponsor refugee families along with parishes, congregations, groups or individuals. Sponsorship includes finding housing, employment, language tutoring and transportation. A major feature of the plan is to remove barriers to employment and provide services leading to early economic independence.

"Refugees have known terror; most came to America in search of a new life, and some for life itself," said Biebel. "Many of these newcomers to northeastern Wisconsin tell of fleeing before an enemy who were sometimes formerly neighbors, leaving behind homes, jobs, careers or farms, family members and friends," she explained. "They hoped to return, but circumstances didn't allow it. Some refugees have been shot," she added. "Two recent arrivals from Bosnia visibly wear the evidence of their wounds. Members of one extended Bosnian family lost husbands, a son and several other relatives in an attack on their village. The men were rounded up and disappeared. Later, their bodies were discovered in a mass grave."

Biebel appreciates the "kindness and generosity of the thousands of people in northeastern Wisconsin who have played a role in welcoming the strangers." And, she cautions that this welcoming effort is especially important in light recent events.

Mark Franken, Executive Director for Migration and Refugee Services in Washington D.C., believes that the recent terrorist attacks will bring about many new refugees. "In the case of Afghan refugees, many of whom are women and children, they are fleeing the Taliban regime and Afghanistan for their lives," Franks said.

Many of these fleeing Afghans are Muslims. If some come to Wisconsin, they will join fellow Muslim refugees already settled in Diocese of Green Bay.

Among those refugee families already resettled here is the family of Mohamed Hashi, a part-time case worker for Catholic Charities' Resettlement & Immigration Services who has been in the U.S. since 1999, when he fled his native Somalia. Although he says that life here is good for him, his wife and baby daughter, he knows that the Muslim families in the Green Bay and Fox Cities area are all afraid right now. "They're scared to go out in public because of the reaction of people. One woman who lives in Appleton went to the grocery store where she is normally welcomed with a smile and a kind word, but last week she was met with no smiles and blank stares. Muslim families have decided to keep their children home because they are scared of the reaction of people," he said. Hashi hopes people will understand that terrorist acts are not consistent with the faith of Islam. "The Muslim religion says that if you kill one life, it's like you killed all the people," he said. "Like any other religion, it is a sin."