Canterbury Cathedral
Refugee Week 2026
Courage
Monday 15 - Sunday 21 June
For refugees around the world, courage is often a daily necessity. It is the courage to face unknown journeys, learn new languages, navigate unfamiliar systems, or simply to wake up each morning and step into an uncertain world.
At a time when some seek to divide and blame, Refugee Week 2026 calls us to come together and share the courage to welcome, to stand for what we believe in, and to celebrate culture and community - to be joyful, imagine new possibilities, dream, heal, and connect.
Refugee Week 2026 marks 75 years since the Refugee Convention – a landmark agreement affirming that those forced to flee deserve protection, dignity, and hope.
At Canterbury Cathedral, we will be marking this Week with hourly prayers for refugees, a designated Chapel in the Cathedral, and two special services of Eucharist.
Organised by Canterbury Cathedral, The Social Justice Network and the Kent Refugee Action Network (KRAN).
See all special services and events Register for the Sanctuary & Racial Justice Conference
Special Services and Events
Eucharist of Sanctuary and Hope
Wednesday 16 June, 12:30
Eucharist to Mark World Refugee Day †
with special preacher and prayers
Sunday 21 June, 11:00
† Livestreamed on our YouTube Channel.
Courageous Communities: Sanctuary & Racial Justice Conference
Friday 19 June, 10:00-16:00
Organised by Canterbury Cathedral, the Social Justice Network & KRAN, Courageous Communities: Sanctuary & Racial Justice Conference, has a Christian character and is open to all, churches, organisations, and to those wishing to engage with refugee inclusion and racial justice.
Hear stories of sanctuary, explore the Afghan Welcome Project, experience the reflective installation Seats of Passage, and join the Sanctuary & Racial Justice launch. Leave with next steps and deeper understanding and resources to own.
*REGISTRATION OPEN NOW*
Free to attend, but ticket essential.
Refugee Week Events at the Huguenot Chapel
Between Monday 15 - Sunday 21 June
All are welcome to visit the Huguenot Chapel (French Protestant Church of Canterbury), for a series of special events in Refugee Week.
The entrance to the Huguenot Chapel is signposted on the lawn 10 yards from the door on the south side of the Cathedral, opposite the Cathedral Lodge hotel; with wheelchair access through the North door of the Crypt.
Refugee Week Events at the Huguenot Chapel
CHAPEL OPEN DAILY Monday 15 - Sunday 21 June
All are welcome to visit the Huguenot Chapel (French Protestant Church of Canterbury), for a series of special events in Refugee Week.
On Sunday 21 June, the 15:00 service will be entitled: Petit bateau Plus Grand mer. Avec Communion en Commun. (Small boat, Great big seas. With communion in Common.)
The entrance to the Huguenot Chapel is signposted on the lawn 10 yards from the door on the south side of the Cathedral, opposite the Cathedral Lodge hotel; with wheelchair access through the North door of the Crypt.
All donations gratefully accepted to support local refugee charities.
Note: Cathedral admission charges apply to daytime events.
The Huguenots: Refugees saving Canterbury from economic decline – An illustrated talk
DAILY 11:15-12:00
Free event; with donations gratefully accepted to support local refugee charities.
Small boat, Great big seas. Walloons and Huguenots, 16th Century Refugees
DAILY 20-minute presentation - Two showings per hour, between 13:00 -16.00
Free event; with donations gratefully accepted to support local refugee charities.
A Refugee-themed Audiovisual Evening
Thursday 18 June, 19:30
Experience an evening of music and song, featuring locally-based artists, including the Marsh family, who have performed at the Cathedral in previous years.
Tickets: £5.00 - Available to buy on the door
Courageous Communities: Sanctuary & Racial Justice Conference
Friday 19 June, 10:00-16:00
Organised by Canterbury Cathedral, the Social Justice Network & KRAN, Courageous Communities: Sanctuary & Racial Justice Conference, has a Christian character and is open to all, churches, organisations, and to those wishing to engage with refugee inclusion and racial justice.
Hear stories of sanctuary, explore the Afghan Welcome Project, experience the reflective installation Seats of Passage, and join the Sanctuary & Racial Justice launch. Leave with next steps and deeper understanding and resources to own.
Free to attend, but ticket essential.
Just some of the many conference speakers are listed below.
Iain Wilkinson
Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor, University of Kent
In his role Iain Wilkinson leads the University of Kent’s flagship civic missions on the Right of Food and Sanctuary at Kent. He also oversees some of the University of Kent’s teach-out operations.
He is also a Professor of Sociology, and in this capacity is perhaps best known for his contributions to studies of social suffering and his explorations of the interrelationship between the acquisition of social understanding and practices of humanitarian social care.
James Lynch
CEO of Welcome Churches
James is a former project manager, with a background in Utilities and Business Development. He is passionate about inclusion and social justice and have worked for the past 21 years in community bridge-building and working collaboratively with local churches and community groups to tackle poverty among the marginalised in urban, multicultural and often impoverished communities.
Welcome Churches exists to support churches and other partners in providing a welcome to refugees and people seeking asylum. They provide training, resources and a referral network of over 1,400 churches across the UK.
James said: “I’ve been with Welcome Churches for just over 1 year, but I have always been deeply impressed by the vision and ministry of Welcome Churches, having followed developments since the story began with the ‘Welcome Boxes’ initiative. The mission of Welcome Churches to see ‘Every Refugee Welcomed by the local Church’ closely mirrors my own Christian calling and purpose, and I am delighted to be able to play a part in the current chapter of Welcome Churches, helping to shape and develop the charity to have an even greater impact in the future.”
The Revd Canon Guy Hewitt
Inaugural Director of Racial Justice in the Church of England
Ordained over twenty years ago, Guy served primarily as a self-supporting minister alongside his public service career which included charity, NGO, academic, intergovernmental, and diplomatic roles.
A former ambassador in the UK, he is a Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, the Westminster Abbey Institute, and the Newbigin Institute for Faith, Peace, and Justice. With African, Caribbean, and Asian heritages, he has served as a priest in the Dioceses of Southwark, London, Southeast Florida, and Barbados.
Dr David W Chadwick
St Mary’s Church Chartham
David Chadwick was Professor of Information Systems Security at the University of Kent prior to his retirement at the start of COVID.
Since then, he has concentrated on charitable works, hosting a Ukrainian family, setting up the St Mary's group for Afghan resettlement, being a member of the PCC of St Mary's and the diocesan rep, and helping to organise the Big Ride for Palestine in Kent this July.
He is a keen cyclist and rode from London to Brighton last summer for charity, Kent churches Ride and Stride the year before, and in Belgium this year for the Amos Trust.
Delvyn Case and John Pfumojena
Deus Ex Musica
Delvyn is the founder of Deus Ex Musica - an international organization that promotes the use of sacred music as a resource for spiritual formation, ecumenism, and interfaith dialogue. A graduate of Yale and the University of Pennsylvania, he currently serves as Professor Music at Wheaton College in Massachusetts.
John (known on stage as ‘John Falsetto’) is a Zimbabwean Composer, Musical Director, Mbira & Marimba Master, and Vocalist published by Warner Chappell Music (Warner Music Group); a distinguished Actor and Theatre Practitioner, and Associate Director of Tangle Theatre Company.
Janine Hodges
Resettlement Manager/Safeguarding Lead at Canterbury City Council
Janine is Resettlement Manager at Canterbury City Council, where she leads a skilled and experienced team supporting families arriving through UK and Afghan resettlement routes. She began her career in the charity sector, working in the homelessness field.
Since joining the council, Janine has held roles across housing, community development, youth work, and has managed a children’s centre. This breadth of experience underpins her holistic approach to supporting communities.
A passionate advocate for those seeking sanctuary, Janine is proud to be leading the district’s work towards District of Sanctuary accreditation.
Seats of Passage
This Refugee Week, Canterbury Cathedral will host Seats of Passage, a powerful and reflective installation inviting visitors to pause and consider the journeys of people seeking refuge.
The installation will be on display as part of the Courageous Communities: Sanctuary & Racial Justice Conference on Friday 19 June, 10:00-16:00 for all conference participants to view - Registration required.
Created in collaboration with Kent Refugee Action Network (KRAN) and artist facilitator Maya Bullen, the installation reimagines the familiar seaside deckchair. Each chair is crafted from decommissioned lifejackets, transforming a symbol of leisure into a quiet reminder of the dangerous small‑boat crossings undertaken by asylum seekers arriving on the Kent coast.
Visitors are invited to sit, take a moment of stillness, and listen through headphones to the anonymous voices of young people from KRAN. Their reflections on hope, belonging, family, and the future offer an intimate glimpse into the lives behind the headlines.
One participant shares:
“A good life is to live with my family, in a place where we feel safe, we feel like we belong and have no worries or fear of what’s going to happen tomorrow. Because if there is peace you will have hopes for tomorrow.”
Originally displayed on Margate Main Sands, the installation opened space for empathy, contemplation, and shared humanity among passers by. Its placement within the Cathedral invites visitors into an even deeper moment of reflection, aligning with Refugee Week’s national theme of Courage, honouring the resilience and bravery of those seeking sanctuary.
About KRAN
Kent Refugee Action Network (KRAN) supports unaccompanied asylum‑seeking children and young people across Kent. Through education, mentoring, advocacy and community programmes, KRAN helps young refugees build safe, confident and fulfilling futures.
Instagram - kentrefugee_kran
Facebook - Kent Refugee Action Network (KRAN)
