Quebec City, Canada, Mar 6, 2006 / 22:00 pm
One of Canada's cardinals has launched a foundation to assist immigrants and refugees. Cardinal Marc Ouellet, archbishop of Quebec, began the foundation with a $20,000 personal donation and a matching donation from his archdiocese.
The Cardinal Marc Ouellet Foundation is the first in the province to provide funds exclusively to groups that work with immigrants and refugees. The foundation wants to help facilitate integration of immigrants and refugees into Quebec society.
In the last decade, most of the new arrivals have come from Colombia, Afghanistan and different African countries.
Many of the Colombian families and other immigrants from South America are practicing Catholics, infusing some local parishes with new life.
There are about 2,000 Colombian families in the Quebec City region and a few parishes have already begun responding to their needs by offering mass in Spanish. A Colombian priest recently arrived to minister to the needs of this new wave of immigrants.
The foundation is currently accepting donations to build up its endowment fund. It expects to start distributing grants next year.