On May 31, 2025, we held our first fundraising event. It was the result of our collaboration with the community of Child Jesus (CEJ), a Christian community in Montreal, and the hard work of our many volunteers.

When thinking about this event, the Jesuit Refugee Service wanted to showcase a community that the Jesuits had sponsored.

“What better way to start than with the first community they had sponsored, the Vietnamese community, in the early ’80s?” said JRS Canada National Director Norbert Piché in his word of welcome for the evening.

The room was alive with the vibrant colours of Vietnam, traditional attire, music, and food. Attendees were able to take part in the raffle and enjoy watching the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception dance freely in front of the stage.

“I don’t think the word ‘fundraising event’ is enough to describe this event… When you think about the history of boat people in Montreal, they play a big part in this society. They arrived here as refugees, and thanks to them, we have our sponsorship program, which started after 1975. I am grateful to them for supporting refugees who came after them. I hope we will create meaningful relationships and continue to work together,” shared Tevfik Karatop, Project Manager at JRS Canada.

Minh Lê, a volunteer with JRS Canada, is one of the Vietnamese “boat people”.

The evening was particularly symbolic for her and her mother, who arrived in Canada in 1980. They fled Vietnam’s totalitarian communist regime by boat in the second wave of emigration.

During the evening, Minh was able to reunite with old friends she had known in this context. Grateful for the event, she spoke to us about the dynamic in the relationship between the Jesuits and her community that the evening had re-established.

“The Vietnamese who received from the Jesuits were able to give back today… Tonight’s celebration is very meaningful; it shows a certain maturity,” said Minh in an interview with JRS Canada when speaking of the community.

Mai Chi Nguyen also received a lot of help from Jesuit priest Father Dominici when she was in the refugee camps in 1979.

Mai Chi, who belongs to the Catholic group called CEJ, describes herself as a “friend of the Jesuits.” CEJ members are accompanied spiritually by Jesuits of Montreal. The group prepared food for the evening and helped us collect winter coats for refugee families in January 2025.

In an interview with JRS Canada, Mai Chi said she really appreciated “the spirit of solidarity shown by the volunteers.” She also added that “the Vietnamese community seems to have really appreciated the initiative, which highlights, among other things, our appreciation of Quebecers’ affection for the Vietnamese people.”

The evening ended with the distribution of gifts for the raffle, which included a hockey jersey, two spiritual retreats at the Ignatian Spirituality Centre of Montreal, tickets to the Beaubien cinema, tickets to Tami and Pho Viet Nam restaurants, and more.

With over 200 participants, JRS Canada is already looking forward to next year’s event!

Will you be joining us?