Story of Abraham as migrant provides lessons for modern world

St. Thomas More College welcomed back an old friend for the Leslie and Irene Dubé Chair for Catholic Studies Lecture Series recently.

Fr. Sami Helewa, SJ, Associate Professor of Religious Studies and past President of Campion College, returned from his new home in Ottawa, where he has been working on a sabbatical project related to the evening’s lecture titled Abraham, The Migrant: Search for Belonging.

Helewa told the audience that ideas of migration and belonging have been percolating in his mind for a long time, largely due to the news coverage of events around the world, as well as his own personal experiences.

He said we are all affected by migration, whether in our past or present.

“For me, migration and belonging are so interlinked with human development of both the personal and community levels. The question is: Where do we belong? It is embedded in the narrative of many migrants.”

His talk, held in the Fr. O’Donnell Auditorium at STM College on Oct. 9, focused on the Book of Genesis and Abraham's role as “father of many nations” which made him a frequent migrant and addressed the spiritual complexity of migration in the making of a leader.

The topics of migration and belonging are very close to Fr. Helewa’s heart. He was born stateless, coming from a refugee family of Palestinian origin. That situation heavily influenced the  first 24 years of his life, which he says are key, formative years for any human being.   

“Belonging, naturally, became a persistent personal issue,” he said.

“We are meant to co-exist as a blessing to one another,” he said. “And I think Abraham’s story is very strong on that. And we need to look at it not just for our personal lives, but also for our institutions.”

Fr. Helewa was introduced to the audience by Dr. Sarah Powrie, who teaches Catholic Studies, and was thanked for his presentation by Dr. Cynthia Wallace, Director of the Irene and Doug Schmeiser Centre for Faith, Reason, Peace, and Justice.

Fr. Helewa’s speech will be posted on YouTube at later date. Please check back at:

https://www.youtube.com/@stm1936

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The Leslie and Irene Dubé Chair for Catholic Studies was established in fall 2012 to provide intellectual leadership for STM and the broader Catholic community through the discipline of Catholic Studies.

The Chair, made possible by Leslie and Irene Dubé’s $1 Million endowment to the College, supports scholarship and research related to Catholic teaching and tradition, fosters Catholic education, and promotes ecumenical dialogue and awareness of other faith traditions.

The Leslie and Irene Dubé Chair for Catholic Studies also sponsors an annual lecture in Catholic Studies exploring topics related to faith and the intellectual life, ecumenical and interfaith dialogue, and Catholic reflections on current issues. Through this lecture series, distinguished scholars engage with key issues of our time and bring the Catholic tradition into dialogue with contemporary culture.