Refugee Committee

March 2018 - Welcome Alaa and Manal!

Alaa and Manal arrived in Ottawa on March 7th.  To greet them at the airport were members of our Refugee Committee and their friends Hisham and Nour with baby Anna.



January 2018

On December 15th, Hisham, his wife Nour and their baby Anna arrived in Canada! Since their arrival, Ottawa has gone through some of the coldest weather in recent memory; as a result, they struggled with a bout of illness almost immediately after their arrival. Nevertheless, Anna is in good health and Hisham and Nour are thriving. Hisham is already enrolled in Algonquin to study advanced English and his wife Nour is on track as well. They are very grateful for the help Saint Patrick parishioners have offered, and they send their love and appreciation to the community for all the generous donations to help establish their new life here in Canada. Our second family, Alaa and Manal, have recently received word that their application is approved and completed, all that remains is to process their departure from Lebanon and they will be joining us in the near future.


Welcome to Hisham Abu Saif and his wife Nour Alshid and their daughter Anna.  They are the family on the right. On the left are their old friends, Zina and Sameer, with whom they were reunited upon their arrival to Canada.

November 2017

We have learned that, at least one, if not both of our Syrian families will be arriving in mid-December 2017.  For a list  (updated December 12th) of household items required to welcome them, please click here to open the list in PDF.

If you are able to assist, please contact the Committee Chair,  Joseph Lo Mascolo - joelomascolo@gmail.com.

July 2017

Currently our Parish is sponsoring two young Syrian refugee couples, one of whom has a new baby. They are in Beirut, Lebanon, awaiting clearance to come to Canada.

Fortunately, we have the necessary funds to cover both couples and the new baby. In preparation for their arrival, the Committee is working to find their accommodations, as well as ensuring they have all that they need to settle into their new homes. If you are interested in donating additional funds or household items, or volunteering with the committee, please do not hesitate to contact the Parish Office or Joseph Lo Mascolo, the Committee Chair.

The Saint Patrick Basilica Refugee Committee was formed in 2012 in response to the dire needs and situation of Syrian refugees due to the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. Thanks to the generous support of parishioners at Saint Patrick Basilica Parish, the Committee has already successfully sponsored three Syrian refugee families. In the coming future, we hope to also sponsor Eritreans through the continued supposed of the Parish community.

For further information, contact the Chair, Joseph Lo Mascolo - joelomascolo@gmail.com