The Diocese of Metuchen estimates 12 to 15 families will be brought to the area.
METUCHEN -- The Diocese of Metuchen announced last week that it will join a broader effort among Catholics to welcome refugees to Central Jersey.
Several parishes in the diocese, which includes Roman Catholic churches in Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren counties, have signed up for the effort, the diocese said in a news release.
Diocesan officials are expecting to bring 12 to 15 families, no more than 40 people, beginning in October, the diocese said. The Metuchen Diocese would become the second in New Jersey to sign up for the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops' refugee drive, after Camden.
The announcement in Metuchen comes just a few days before an upcoming message from Pope Francis.
"Biblical revelation urges us to welcome the stranger; it tells us that in so doing, we open our doors to God, and that in the faces of others we see the face of Christ himself," Francis said in his message.
War, famine and poverty in North Africa and the Middle East are fueling one of the largest waves of mass migration in history. Millions have fled war in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. But the migrant crisis has brought with it security fears, particularly after the November terrorist attacks Paris, in which some attackers may have slipped in to Europe via the migrant trail.
Gov. Chris Christie, for example, said that the state should reject Syrian refugees, even kids younger than 5 years old. The governor, as a state official, had little sway to influence national policy.
And Catholic leaders say there is little to fear, given extensive security precautions.
"It can take up to two years for a refugee to pass through the whole vetting process," Bishop Eusebio Elizondo, the chairman of the bishop conference's Committee on Migration, said in an news release. "We can look at strengthening the already stringent screening program, but we should continue to welcome those in desperate need."
It's likely that some refugees will be from Syria, although they could also come from other counties, like Afghanistan and Burundi, spokeswoman Erin Friedlander said in an email.
The diocese did not say which parishes would take part in the effort, but officials said they are recruiting for a broad coalition of parishes. The diocese has already hired four social workers to help with case management.
Bishop Paul G. Bootkoski named Chancellor Lori Albanese to oversee the resettlement program.
The diocese still needs final State Department approval to resettle the refugees, who would come through State's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration.
"Today's refugee crisis calls for a humanitarian response, not fear," Bootkoski said in a written statement. "Therefore, the Diocese of Metuchen will do its best to welcome the stranger, with compassion and mercy, in unity with the call of our Holy Father and the US Bishops."
Brian Amaral may be reached at bamaral@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @bamaral44. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
