{"id":224050,"date":"2026-06-20T19:45:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T19:45:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/224050\/"},"modified":"2026-06-20T19:45:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T19:45:08","slug":"world-refugee-day-celebrated-in-scranton-scranton-times-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/224050\/","title":{"rendered":"World Refugee Day celebrated in Scranton \u2013 Scranton Times-Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"

SCRANTON \u2013 At Saturday\u2019s annual World Refugee Day celebration, a serious topic brought area residents together for a day filled with fun, fellowship, and information.<\/p>\n

Volunteer Channel Kearse said the event was all about getting to know your neighbors.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt brings us all together, those who came from across the country or across the world,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"Reverend<\/p>\n

Reverend Gerald W. Shantillo of the Scranton Diocese makes his way through Scranton\u2019s World Refugee Day on Saturday, June 20, 2026. (GERI GIBBONS\/STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"Channel<\/p>\n

Channel Kearse and Gulnar Siddiqi pose for a photo at Scranton\u2019s World Refugee Day, Saturday, June 20, 2026. (GERI GIBBONS\/STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"Scranton<\/p>\n

Scranton celebrated World Refugee Day Saturday, as an opportunity for the community to come together and get to know their neighbors. (GERI GIBBONS\/STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 3<\/p>\n

Reverend Gerald W. Shantillo of the Scranton Diocese makes his way through Scranton\u2019s World Refugee Day on Saturday, June 20, 2026. (GERI GIBBONS\/STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

Julie Schumacher Cohen, co-chairman of the event, said the event celebrated diversity while acknowledging the courage and resilience of refugees who came to the United States in the face of many challenges.<\/p>\n

Schumacher Cohen said attendees especially liked the food and music of other cultures, as well as information about resources to make their lives better.<\/p>\n

Sharing simple things, she said, is a way to break down barriers and get to know others.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important for us to come together at this time,\u201d she said. \u201cWe want to truly be a welcoming city.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018A World Where Refugees are Always Welcomed\u2019<\/p>\n

The theme of the 2026 World Refugee Day Celebration in Scranton is \u201cA World Where Refugees Are Always Welcomed.\u201d The theme remains critical because it is a call to action, urging us all to embrace refugees as neighbors, friends, and contributors to our shared future.<\/p>\n

World Refugee Day is an annual commemoration established by the United Nations to honor the strength and resilience of refugees and displaced persons who have been forced to flee their homes due to conflict, persecution, and violence.<\/p>\n

It is also a chance for the community to support and welcome displaced individuals seeking safety and a new beginning.<\/p>\n

To Joe Mahoney, executive director of Catholic Social Services, the day was simply a great deal of fun.<\/p>\n

Mahoney said he encouraged families to simply come out and enjoy an afternoon with others.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a chance for new experiences,\u201d he said. \u201cIncluding a lot of things to eat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mahoney said the event, in its tenth year, has become a tradition for many.<\/p>\n

For the first time, this year\u2019s event was held at the Diocese of Scranton Pastoral Center on Wyoming Avenue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SCRANTON \u2013 At Saturday\u2019s annual World Refugee Day celebration, a serious topic brought area residents together for a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":224051,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[182,139,178,180,179,181],"class_list":["post-224050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-scranton","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-scranton","tag-scranton-headlines","tag-scranton-news","tag-top-stories-stt"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224050","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=224050"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224050\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/224051"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=224050"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=224050"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=224050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}