September 21 – 27

National Migration Week/World Day of Migrants
and Refugees 2026

The World Day of Migrants and Refugees (WDMR) is an opportunity for global churches and the Catholic faithful to engage in prayer, reflection, and action on behalf of our brothers and sisters who are forced to flee their homes. The primary theme for this year’s WDMR is “Even just one of these children,” which is a reference to Matthew 18:5: “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” In a statement released by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, it notes that the theme ““With this choice, the Holy Father intends to express the Church’s concern for minors directly involved in migration, recalling the duty to welcome each one of them as the Gospel teaches us.”

National Migration Week is a uniquely U.S. observance that builds upon the themes and priorities of the World Day of Migrants and Refugees (WDMR) while addressing the particular realities and challenges facing immigrant communities in the United States. This year, National Migration Week will be celebrated September 21 – 27, culminating in the observance of the World Day of Migrants and Refugees on September 27.

Pope Leo XIV states, “Even just one of these children calls each one of us, in our personal lives, to open our eye: and heart to a profound listening to his or her story, fears and dreams, overcoming that detachment which reduces the human person to a statistic that does not directly concern us. It is an invitation to recognize the dignity of each child, even before considering the condition of being a "migrant," and to safeguard his or her fundamental rights: the right to life, education and a standard of living that enables full physical, mental, spiritual, moral and social development.”

Learn more here