YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Members of the public are being invited to learn more about a plan to welcome refugees from around the world to settle in Youngstown.

Mayor John McNally will welcome speakers Wednesday night as they explain an initiative by the Youngstown Diocese to bring between ten and fifteen refugee families here.

Under the initiative, the Diocese would welcome fifty refugees in the first year.

The Catholic Church has already resettled 30 percent of the refugees around the world.

The Obama administration plans to increase the number of refugees allowed into the U-S from 85,000 to 110,000 by next year.

The neediest are from the Congo and Syrians who are caught up in the mayhem of a five year civil war.

While the majority of Syrian refugees are Muslim, one-third are Christians, according to Father David Bergner, Vicar of Social Concerns for the Diocese of Youngstown.

The U.S. State Department decides who moves here. “They could be from anywhere in the world,” said Father Bergner.

One possible location where they may settle is around the Canfield Road area in Youngstown. The state department will fund the first 90 days of their stay. “Almost all of our refugees are in fact gainfully employed in the first ninety days,” said Father Bergner.

As for concerns that some immigrants or their children may become radicalized, Father Bergner says they will be taught that they must adhere to federal and state laws. “That will be part of their curriculum,” said Father Bergner.

Noting that the city's population has declined, Mayor McNally said, “We want to bring people who can contribute to our community. I think we owe it to ourselves to look at the refugee population.”

Members of the community are invited to the educational forum on the refugee crisis on Wednesday, October 19, 2016 from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. at St. Columba Hall, Youngstown. The event is free and open to the public.

Presentations are planned by Father Bergner; Thomas Mrosko, Director of Migration and Refugee Services, Catholic Diocese of Cleveland; and a senior official from the U. S. Department of State.

A refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Makorobondo Salukombo Dee will reflect on his life as a refugee in Uganda before resettling in Cleveland. "Dee" is a graduate of Denison University who now works for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Cleveland. This past summer, Dee participated in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro representing Congo.