One of the highlights of the Grace Sicily trip will be walking through the city streets of the century old Catania. It takes only a matter of a few hours to experience the historical footprints of the Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Norman cultures that helped shape the city.

It is on these interesting streets that we find a new influence on this ancient city: African men, women and children.

With the dramatic influx of hundreds of thousands of African refugees flooding its shores, the isle of Sicily is having to deal with a few major challenges. Where do you put these travelers? How do you care for them over the long haul? What resources do we direct toward these men, women, and children. And perhaps the biggest question of all, what is next?

As the Italian government tries to grapple with these questions and many more, and as they seek some sort of partnership with their European allies, our desire is to bring a sense of normalcy to those immigrants who find themselves in a foreign land, depending on the kindness of strangers.

May we be kind. May we listen well. May we offer peace in this newest cultural modification on this island of refuge and history.