1 September – 4 October – Creation time Starting on the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation on 1^st September, Pope Francis has asked us to mark this period of Creation time with prayer, reflection and action in relation to the Earth and our place upon it.    To help your parish respond, the Liverpool Archdiocesan Justice and Peace Commission have produced a new downloadable resource called Reflections During Creation Time: Praying with the Gospels, stories from our time and Laudato Si’.   This season is also a good opportunity to use CAFOD’s Power to be liturgy or to consider becoming a livesimply award parish.

Mon 4-11 Sept – Stop the Arms Fair Week of Action: London. At the ExCeL Exhibition Centre, Royal Victoria Dock, 1 Western Gateway, London, E16 1XL.  For four days in September 2017, the international weapons industry plans to set up shop in London at a huge arms fair: DSEI. The weapons sold here fuel the death, destruction and injustice perpetrated by militaries, police forces and at borders around the world.  This year the week of action has multiple actions planned on each day.      www.stopthearmsfair.org.uk/events/

• Thurs 7^th Solidarity Without Borders: The arms and security industry profits from a cycle of repression and violence which marks all our lives, from fuelling conflicts and state oppression with weapons to policing national borders and criminalising migrants and other vulnerable communities. But our resistance is powerful. Join us as we make links between the issues to build solidarity without their borders.
• Fri 8th   Conference at the Gates: The military and the arms trade plan in increasingly significant role in universities and schools. As government funding is drained from universities, the arms trade and the military are moving in. On the Friday, academics, students and other will come together for a day of workshops and panel discussions exploring the militarisation of our education; and this will take place at the gates of one of the world’s largest arms fairs.
• Sat 9th Big Day of Action: The week of action will culminate in the Big Day of Action on Saturday, a colourful and powerful carnival of resistance, with music, art, drama and creative action to celebrate our movement. But we need you to make it as big as it can be. Come and celebrate a successful week of action, and help cause havoc for the arms fair’s organisers.
• Sun 10th War Resisters International: War Resisters International will hold a public event on international militarism and the arms trad e, bringing activists from countries affected by the arms trade into dialogue with activists from exporting countries.

Sat 9^th Sept – Votive Mass of the Sacred Heart  will be celebrated at Tower Hill at 1pm during which Fr Oliver Barry OMI will bless an image of Venerable Mother Magdalen Taylor and have it installed in the Sacred Heart Chapel, English Martyrs Church, Tower Hill, E1 8BB.  Remember to check the tubes and buses in advance of your travel.  Kindly invite any of your family and friends to join us for this celebration of a future saint in the diocese of Westminster.

Sat 16^th Sept – Romero, El Salvador and Harvest Fast Day Briefing (6^th October)  10am – 12 noon: a talk by Clare Dixon from our Latin America team. Clare has been playing a major part in CAFOD’s work to keep up work begun in Blessed Oscar Romero’s time to ensure that the voice of the poor and persecuted is not silenced in El Salvador.  This year is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Blessed Oscar who was martyred in March 1980, while he was Archbishop of El Salvador and Clare will talk about his legacy and present work there.  Harvest Fast Day will focus on Blessed Oscar and our current work in El Salvador.   Please join us for this volunteer meeting, which will be held at CAFOD Westminster Volunteer Centre, First Floor, Church of Christ the King, 29 Bramley Road, Oakwood, N14 4HE.  Book via Eventbrite here or contact CAFOD Westminster by e-mail westminster@cafod.org.uk or 0208 449 6970.

Thurs 19^th Sept – Human Trafficking- Responding Locally, by Caritas Westminster and the Santa Marta Group  18:30 – 20:30. .  Based in Camden, Islington or Brent? Want to learn more about Human Trafficking?  Join us to hear about what you can do locally to help combat human trafficking and modern slavery. Caritas Westminster and Santa Marta Group in conjunction with Local and Met Police will explain why human trafficking is an issue, the extent of the problem in London, and talk about practical actions you can take. Hear from experts in the field of human trafficking and modern slavery. Speakers include:  Bishop Nicholas Hudson, Mick Duthie- Deputy Director of the Santa Marta Group, Detective Superintendent Treena Fleming of the Camden and Islington Police, Met Police, Caritas Westminster.  Refreshments Provided. Immaculate Heart of Mary RC Church Parish Hall, 1 Stafford Road, NW6 5RS

Sat 23 Sept – Romero Day, London  With activities and events to mark the Romero Centenary, culminating in 3pm Evensong at Westminster Abbey; preacher – Lord Rowan Williams including the debut of a new piece by James MacMillan, commissioned for the occasion.  For further information contact romerotrust@gmail.com

Sat 23 Sept – NJPN Open Networking Day,  10.30 – 1.00  CAFOD  Romero House, 55 Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7JB  Speaker: Mike Duthie, Deputy Director of the Santa Marta Group on Church and Police Combatting Modern Slavery, Plus: opportunities to network and get updates from justice and peace activists and national agencies For more information see www.justice-and-peace.org.uk/njpn-meetings or
contact Ann at admin@justice-and-peace.org.uk, 020 7901 4864
Followed by Evensong to commemorate Bl Oscar Romero, at Westminster Abbey (see above),

Mon 2^nd Oct – Non-Violence Works!  London event 2:30 pm – 5:00 pm  Amigo Hall, St George’s Cathedral, Westminster Bridge Rd, London SE1 7HY.   An opportunity for the Christian community to engage in creative  peacemaking.  With speakers Marie Dennis, co-president of Pax Christi international who has played a leading role in the joint Vatican-Pax Christi International initiative on Non-violence, and Maria Stephen, senior policy fellow at the US Institute of Peace.  Open event but RSVP Pax Christi info@paxchristi.org.uk