NEW YORK--One of the most famous Christmas masses held in the world is at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York, took time during his sermon to welcome refugees to his service.
Dolan described how Jesus' story tells about a time when his family too needed to flee for safety, and that we should be welcoming to all.
There are two families that I've especially like to welcome this evening. And their presence here, I think you will agree with me, is very Christmasy.
I'm not going to ask them to stand. I'm not going to point them out. I'm not even going to say their names, because I respect their privacy. But they're actually two refugee families. Both of whom have been enjoying American hospitality and are being resettled here, thanks to Catholic Charities Of The Archdiocese Of New York.
One who fled who fled terror and the threat of retribution in El Salvador. And another, a Muslim family, a refugee family who fled from the Ivory Coast in West Africa.
Once again, I'm not going to ask them to stand or say their names but I think you would unite with me as we celebrate this night when Jesus was born away from home into a family that would soon flee as refugees into safety from an oppressive king into Egypt. I think you would join me in welcoming those two families.