All are warmly invited to join Westminster Justice and Peace to pray for peace in the Holy Land and other war-torn countries on the eve of Pentecost, Saturday 18th May 2024 at 8.00pm.
The Chaplet of the Holy Spirit was composed in 1892 by a Franciscan Capuchin missionary of the English province in order to give the faithful a means of honouring the third person of the Trinity. It was approved by Pope Leo XIII in 1902.
This Rosary consists of five groups of seven beads each. In each group, the ‘Glory be to the Father’ is said on the seven small beads and an Our Father and a Hail Mary on the two large beads. There are three beads at the beginning for the Sign of the Cross, an Act of Contrition and the hymn ‘Come Holy Ghost’.
There is a mystery for each of the five groups, commemorating the Five Wounds of Jesus , which are the fountains of grace which the Holy Spirit imparts to all.
Mary Pierre-Harvey from St Michael and St Martin Parish, Hounslow, will lead us through the Chaplet.
To join us, please register with Eventbrite or contact the Justice and Peace Co-ordinator, Colette Joyce, on colettejoyce@rcdow.org.uk
Bishop John Sherrington, Lead Bishop for Life Issues for the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, has released a statement on the Criminal Justice Bill expressing his deep concern about two tabled amendments that seek to liberalise abortion laws. They are set to be debated next week.
Bishop Sherrington also voiced his support for two other tabled amendments, one of which would reduce the abortion time limit and the other that would not allow babies with Down syndrome to be aborted up to birth.
Bishop Sherrington’s full statement is below:
Four amendments have been submitted to the Criminal Justice Bill which relate to the protection of unborn babies and will be debated on 15 May.
I support the amendment from Caroline Ansell MP (New Clause 15) that would reduce the abortion time limit to 22 weeks. As a result of advances in medical practices many babies can now survive if born at 22 or 23 weeks’ gestation. I hope that parliamentarians will support this amendment.
Likewise, I call on parliamentarians to support the amendment tabled by Sir Liam Fox MP (New Clause 41), which will bring an end to the situation whereby babies diagnosed with Down syndrome can be aborted up to birth. This would be a step towards ending the discrimination against babies diagnosed with a disability in our current abortion law.
However, I am deeply alarmed by two amendments to the same Bill, one of which is proposed by Dame Diana Johnson MP (New Clause 1). This amendment, if passed, will remove any legal protection for unborn babies when a woman seeks to bring about her own abortion at any stage of pregnancy. A further danger presented by this amendment is that women could abort their own pregnancies at home through the use of abortion pills at any point in the pregnancy, which could seriously endanger a woman’s health and life. Moreover, the risks of coerced or forced abortion would only increase as the legal safeguards around abortion decrease.
The second amendment by Stella Creasy MP (New Clause 40) includes proposals to decriminalise abortion up to the 24th week for any party involved and carries similar threats to pregnant women and their unborn babies.
The Church recognises the struggle and trauma which may lead some pregnant women to consider an abortion. Such difficult situations require pastoral and medical care for vulnerable women in their time of need. When cases of illegal abortions are prosecuted, it is for the judge to decide the appropriate balance of justice and mercy for all involved.
Our current legislation provides some level of protection for pregnant mothers and unborn babies by keeping abortion within the criminal law. Relaxing abortion legislation further would be a tragic mistake for both mother and child.
As Pope Francis has said: “It is troubling to see how simple and convenient it has become for some to deny the existence of a human life as a solution to problems that can and must be solved for both the mother and her unborn child”. In England and Wales, both unborn child and pregnant mother deserve full protection under our laws, as some of the most vulnerable in our society.
I encourage people to contact their MPs to make their views clear on these amendments.
Bishop John Sherrington
Lead Bishop for Life Issues and Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster
Quakers in Britain, CAFOD, SCIAF and Christian Aid have joined around 30 other charities calling on the UK government to take meaningful action to stop any further attacks on Rafah in Southern Gaza by the Israeli military.
On Monday, the Israeli military issued relocation orders to people sheltering in parts of Rafah. Israeli tanks have entered the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, blocking completely the passage for people and humanitarian aid.
Text of Statement
London, 7 May 2024.
The UK Government has repeatedly asked Israel not to unleash a slaughter in Rafah, Gaza.
Foreign Secretary, Lord Cameron is “very concerned about what is happening in Rafah” and knows “it is impossible to fight a war amongst all these people. There is nowhere for them to go.”
Deputy Foreign Secretary, Andrew Mitchell thinks that, “an Israeli incursion will struggle to be compliant with international law.”
Middle East Minister, Lord Ahmad said that, “the fighting must stop now, in order to get the hostages home.”
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister acknowledges that, “too many innocent civilians have died in Gaza.”
David Cameron also asked Israel for a ‘Plan B’ for Rafah to ensure, “people can achieve safety, get food, medicine and water, and that people are kept safe.”
They have been ignored by Israel.
Yesterday, the Israeli military issued relocation orders to people sheltering in parts of Rafah, the first step towards a full-scale invasion that will most likely kill thousands of civilians. The area people are being directed to is already overstretched and lacks the capacity and resources to accommodate the number of people seeking refuge. The relocation orders lack guarantees of safety and the right to return, which risk violating International law.
In the last 12 hours, Israel has intensely bombed Rafah, including civilian homes and areas marked as safe. This morning, Israeli tanks entered the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, blocking completely the passage for people and humanitarian aid.
There are no safe spaces in Gaza. Israel has repeatedly attacked so-called ‘safe zones’, killing displaced people. Any claims from Israel that civilians can be safely relocated have no credibility.
The failure of our leaders to back words with meaningful action is glaring. As the 1.4 million people in Rafah face attacks that our leaders know would be catastrophic, they must finally act to stop the slaughter.
The UK must work urgently to stop any further assault on Rafah from going ahead, demand an immediate lasting ceasefire, resume funding to UNRWA, and suspend arms sales to Israel for as long as there is a risk they may be used to violate international law.
A ceasefire is the only way to stop the death and destruction, get more aid to those who desperately need it, and safely release the hostages.
There is no Plan B for the people in Rafah.
Signed:
1. Action For Humanity
2. ActionAid UK
3. Amos Trust
4. Bond
5. CAFOD
6. Care International UK
7. Christian Aid
8. Council for Arab-British Understanding
9. Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland
British Sign Language (BSL) ‘Our Father’ – Caritas Westminster Deaf Service’
This week is Deaf Awareness Week; a time to focus on the Deaf Community and their presence in our parishes.
Shell Roca, Head of Caritas Westminster Deaf Service, writes, “the community has a great deal to offer our parishes. Our parishes need to be accessible and welcoming to the Deaf Community.”
One such gift is British Sign Language. A seminarian at Allen Hall says, “Learning BSL has helped me to appreciate the beauty of communication. Learning to communicate with those in the Deaf Community in their own language has helped me broaden my theological and philosophical understanding of my faith.”
This year of preparation for the Holy Year in 2025 has been designated a Year of Prayer, with a special focus on the Our Father.
Why not take the time to learn the Our Father in BSL this year, using the video above, and enhance your own prayer?
If you can already pray the Lord’s Prayer in BSL, this might be a good time to teach other people in your parish or church organisation so that more of us can pray it together.
It’s Deaf Awareness Week; a time to focus on the Deaf Community and their presence in our parishes. The Deaf Community have a lot to offer the wider Catholic family. You may well have already seen on TV from Strictly Come Dancing and the Great British Bake Off, that Deaf people can dance and cook; in both cases brilliantly. Deaf people can be Eucharistic Ministers, they can be readers at Mass, part of the team who do the flowers, or prepare the tea and coffee after Mass.
Deaf men can be priests and deacons; the community has a great deal to offer our parishes. Our parishes need to be accessible and welcoming to the Deaf Community.
One group of people who have started on that journey by learning to sign in church are some of the seminarians currently studying at Allen Hall. Representing Hexham and Newcastle, Liverpool, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Southwark and Westminster Dioceses, these are our future “signing priests”.
On the 14th April for the first time that any of us are aware of, a Mass in Word and Sign was celebrated at Allen Hall by Fr Keith Stoakes. The seminarians who have been learning to sign took part, signing a reading, the bidding prayers and signing two hymns.
Deaf people were invited to the Mass and greatly enjoyed the experience. “Mass at Allen Hall, wow, that was special. The seminarians were so good. I was impressed.”
With refreshments afterwards and an opportunity to chat, the Deaf Community were able to share with the seminarians their experiences of being Deaf Catholics, an example of which being the distance some of the group have to travel to access a Mass that is signed, with one attendee coming all the way from Dorset. There are so few opportunities for Deaf people to attend a signed Mass and practice their Catholic faith.
Two of the seminarians reflected on their start of this journey of learning to sign Mass and work with the Deaf Community: “Learning BSL has been a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Being able to have conversations and engage the Deaf Community in the Mass and liturgy has been incredibly useful during parish placements and will be of great use in my future ministry. BSL has been beneficial in helping me to hold basic conversations from fingerspelling, expressing feelings and being able to lead prayers.”
“Learning BSL has helped me to appreciate the beauty of communication. As a man training for the Priesthood being able to communicate the Gospel with a variety of people is vital. Learning to communicate with those in the Deaf Community in their own language has helped me broaden my theological and philosophical understanding of my faith.”
Archbishop John Wilson gave the following homily at today’s London Migrant Workers Mass at St George’s Cathedral, Southwark.
It’s wonderful see everyone here today. And I hope you all feel at home. Maybe you could turn to the person behind you or in front of your or beside you and if you don’t know them just say “I’m glad you’re here.” … I’m glad you’re here… its OK they don’t need your life story – we can do that afterwards..”
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we honour St Joseph with a specific title: St Joseph the Worker. And we know from the Gospels that he was a carpenter.
He was the husband of Our Blessed Lady, and the foster father of the Lord Jesus. And it’s good to remember, and it’s in the Catechism if you want to look it up, that for most of his life before he began his public ministry, the Lord Jesus lived a life like most of us, like most people in history. A daily life kind of hidden. No evidence of greatness at that point. And a life of manual labour. A life of work. Like his foster father Joseph, the Lord Jesus was a worker a carpenter.
He would of course become a miracle worker. And the worker of our salvation.
But it’s right today as we gather, that our celebration focuses on the dignity and the importance of human work.
There’s a story told – and you may have heard it before – but please laugh at the end anyway – whether you’ve heard it or not. During a parish retreat the parish priest invited a group of priests from different religious orders to take part. And in preparation they went in to the church to pray. And as they began to pray – the lights went out.
And so the Benedictines – they prayed from memory. The Jesuits had a discussion about whether if there was no light did they have to pray. The Franciscans composed a song, praising God for the gift of darkness. The Dominicans restarted their debate about how light is sign of the transmission of faith. The Carmelites just became silent. Eventually up gets the parish priest, and goes to the hallway, replaces the fuse and the lights come on.
Now prayer is important. Our spiritual life is vital. But so is work. So is work. And the Catholic social tradition teaches that work is both a duty and a right. It’s through work that we collaborate with God our creator. That we exercise an authentic stewardship over the earth’s resources. That we provide for ourselves and our families and our communities and especially for the weakest and the poorest. It’s through work that we recognise and harness the gifts and the talents given by God to each person. All different. All needed. It’s through work that we grow in virtue. Not least patience and perseverance . It’s through work that we grow in holiness, uniting our work to the great work of salvation in Christ.
St John Paul II said that work helps us to be more human, (I don’t know what you think about that – do you agree?) Work helps us to be more human. And just as we need work we also need rest. We need to recreate, humanly and spiritually, honouring God’s own rest at the end of creation.
Work is part of God’s plan for us. It helps us understand our identity. And fulfil our mission. So many people in the past and today have come here to seek and to provide essential work for our nation.
Recent information shows that foreign-born people make up nearly one fifth of the working population in the United Kingdom. That surprises me. That’s a big number.
Many highly educated migrant workers are over-qualified for the jobs they do here in the United Kingdom. Significant numbers of workers from overseas support the UK in the hospitality sector, in transport, in communications and in information technology.
And here’s a really amazing statistic which is true: almost one fifth of the NHS in England are people of nationalities other that British.
The contribution of migrant workers to the United Kingdom is immense. So much so – that we wonder how could we survive without them. But the decision to leave one’s homeland – which many of you have taken – to leave one’s family sometimes as well and to search for work here – that’s not an easy decision to take. It demands courage and sacrifice.
So how important it is to today to say thank you. To say thank you to everyone here and by extension to say thank you to everyone who had migrated to our country to work here in the United Kingdom. Because that’s you and thank you. Generously sincerely thank you.
It’s important that you know that our life together is better because you’re here. That our life together is better because of the skills and the service and the contribution that you give. That our life together is better because of the diversity of cultures that you bring to our and your communities We are better in our country because you are here.
The Catholic Church in the UK has always been a migrant church long before any of us were born. Members coming from across the world . Our parishes or schools, our chaplaincies, not least across London in our three dioceses, are a beautiful mosaic of people from all nations who find here in the Church a home. We are proud of this as a Church in our country. We are proud that our doors are open and there is a welcome for everyone. We celebrate our diversity of nations with joy. The blessing of our unity in Christ gives witness in the Church to the harmony of humanity and this is a precious sign which we send out to our country – not least to those who would argue otherwise!
Catholic Social teaching upholds the dignity and the rights of workers. It condemns all forms of injustice toward working people whatever their country or origin or status in life. The human person is always more important than the product they produce. The human person is always more important that the service they provide.
Work is for the person. Not the person for work. Employment should never use a person, placing on them intolerable burdens and unacceptable conditions. Rather work its a noble calling to share the life of our Creator.
Work enables the human person to flourish in their families and in society. And while work contributes to our fulfilment we must remember we must never forget that every person is more than their job. First and foremost every person, each of you, is a son or daughter of God. Valuable and respected for who you are. Not for what you achieve or what you do.
Today dear friends the Church points us to St Joseph for encouragement. He’s a model for us who work. A model who provided dedication and protection for his family. Who was faithful to what God asked of him.
And so today we ask the prayers of St Joseph. We ask him to pray with us for the protection of workers and their rights. We ask St Joseph to pray with us for respect for the dignity of human labour. And we ask St Joseph to pray with us for an increased appreciation of the valued role of workers from overseas in our communities. That they, that you, are treated honourable and properly.
Like our Church in this country the history of humanity is a history of migration, of movement, of shifting people across land and sea through time.
The history of our faith is a history of migration from Abraham to the people of Israel, From the Holy Family to the countless asylum seekers, refugees and migrants of our own day.
The experience of being a stranger in a strange land is somehow woven into the fabric of our human existence, therefore we must be people of welcome. We must be people of welcome and in welcoming our we encounter in them the face of Christ. In listening to their story we begin to understand their unique identity. In offering refugee and asylum and the opportunity to work we build a better future together.
My brothers and sisters, the foster child of St Joseph the Worker the carpenter’s son is the Word made Flesh.
The Lord Jesus our brother, our friend, our Saviour, himself learned to work as a carpenter. And that prepared him for the work of salvation on the wood of the Cross.
The Lord Jesus gives us a commandment that has no exceptions. To love God to love our neighbour as we love ourselves.
May the example and the prayers of St Joseph the Worker inspire us to go from here renewed with a mission of welcome of solidarity and of justice. So that the gifts of all may rise in the service of all. Amen
Westminster Justice and Peace are part of the Faith for the Climate network which brings together people of different faiths working on climate issues across the UK.
Faith for the Climate are hosting an interfaith event for Great Big Green Week at St John’s Church, Waterloo , 73 Waterloo Road, London, SE1 8TY, on Sunday 9th June 2024, 1.00pm – 4.00pm.
Everyone is welcome. Do come along and join us!
1.00pm – Interfaith Picnic Communal picnic in the garden of St John’s Church – including children’s activities and faith-based stalls focused on the Great Big Green Week’s theme of ‘swaps’. Please bring your own picnics. The Justice and Peace Co-ordinator for Westminster, Colette Joyce, is planning a treasure hunt!
2.30 pm: Creative Responses to the Climate Crisis Entertainment including poetry and performances.
3.15 pm: Interfaith Responses & Commitment
3.30 pm: Tea
Faith for the Climate exists to encourage, inspire and equip faith communities in their work on the climate crisis. People of faith see our planet as a gift, and believe we have a sacred responsibility to show solidarity and support for those who have done the least to cause climate change but are suffering its worst impacts.
Many of our faiths and belief systems also share a “Golden Rule”: treat others as you wish to be treated. Faith communities have a unique and precious role to play – in our thought, speech, worship and action, alongside and in partnership with secular environmental organisations – enabling people of faith to live out their calling by acting to protect the climate.
The Jesuit Refugee Service UK (JRS UK) has called for supporters to stand in solidarity with refugees, amid reports that the Home Office is launching a major operation to detain people in preparation for their deportation to Rwanda.
Senior Policy Officer Sophie Cartwright said: “Right now, people who came to the UK in search of sanctuary are living in fear of this reckless attack on human rights. As a society we cannot stand by while our obligations towards refugees are abandoned, and people are subjected to the horrors of detention and deportation.”
JRS UK accompanies, serves and advocates for the rights of refugees. As well as providing services to meet people’s immediate needs such as food and accommodation, the charity offers casework and legal support to help people navigate the asylum system. Since its founding JRS UK has accompanied people in detention – providing practical support and shining a light on the shocking conditions in the UK’s Immigration Removal Centres.
Sophie Cartwright added: “We urge anyone who is appalled by what is happening to raise their voice and to help JRS UK’s work supporting those who are put at risk by these inhumane policies. In detention centres, through our services, and through our advocacy we will continue to stand alongside people seeking safety in the UK.”
Westminster Justice and Peace were once again among Christians of all denominations showing solidarity for the people of the Holy Land at the thirteenth national ‘Ceasefire Now!’ rally on Saturday 27th April 2024.
We gathered at St Matthew’s Church, Westminster, for prayers, before heading out to join the national peace rally, calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
One organiser said: “This genocide shows no sign of stopping, and, along with the military slaughter we are seeing intentional starvation – the grossest of human rights abuses and a violation of humanitarian law. Now is not the time to stop making our voices heard.”
Armed with posters and banners the group marched into Trafalgar Square, joining thousands of Jewish, Muslim and secular peace groups and individuals heading for Hyde Park.
As they reached the park gates they stopped for a brief prayer before joining the rally to hear the speakers. These included a Holocaust survivor, politicians, artists and human rights campaigners.
Stephen Kapos, an 87-year-old originally from Budapest, who lost most of his family in the Holocaust, said: “We want to stress our solidarity with the Palestinian people” adding that memories of the Holocaust should never be used as cover for Israel’s actions in Gaza. “The right wing has been claiming that there are no-go areas of London for Jews. We want to prove that’s wrong – we are very welcome here.”
Irish MEP Clare Daly gave a powerful speech demanding an arms embargo against Israel. She further called out Joe Biden, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Rishi Sunak for supporting and enabling Israel, as the genocide in Gaza continues.
Northern Ireland’s first minister, Michelle O’Neill told the crowds: “Ireland stands for and with Palestine. From this platform we demand an immediate and unconditional ceasefire We need to see an end to the genocide, an end to the ethnic cleansing and collective punishment of the people of Gaza. What is happening in Gaza in the gravest human rights violation of our time.
“Six months of occupation has seen Israel indiscriminately slaughter 35,000 Gazans including 15,000 children. We in Ireland have deep empathy with the Palestinian people, born of that shared experience of colonialism and occupation. Sinn Fein has demanded that the Irish government do more to hold Israel to account. Friends, Ireland knows conflict. But we equally know the value of hard won peace. No conflict is intractable. Peace is always possible and peace most now be the shared will of the international community now. World leaders, especially the United States face a choice. Stand by International law, human rights and justice or stand by the savagery of Israel…. So today with one voice we say to Israel: stop the slaughter.
CND Vice-President Jeremy Corbyn, and CND Chair Tom Unterrainer also addressed the crowds.
Actress Juliet Stevenson gave a moving reading of ‘If I die’ the last poem by Palestinian writer Refaat Alareer before he was killed by Israel in Gaza in December.
In his address, Gary Younge, Sociology Professor at University of Manchester and former Guardian journalist spoke powerfully of the historical parallels in the present moment of the Gaza genocide, and why we must keep going – because we will accept nothing less than freedom for Palestine. “You can cut down the flowers but you can’t stop the spring,” he siad.
Rose Haddow from Our Lady Help of Christians church in Kentish Town, north London told ICN: “It was important for me to show solidarity with everyone calling again for an immediate ceasefire in Palestine as we all marched through central London on Saturday. As a Catholic, I felt reassured and proud to be walking with fellow Christians behind a banner proclaiming ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’ for it is only by embracing a truly peaceful and pragmatic stance that a just solution to this horrific situation in Gaza and beyond can be achieved. As a whole, the people on the march were noisy, vibrant, good natured, kind, friendly and full of desire and determination to make a difference and to call upon governments to reject conflict and the weapons of war and work sincerely to make peace a reality. It is without question, time to bring about a ceasefire and alleviate the terrible death, destruction and suffering of the Palestinian people.”
Christians For Palestine UK is a grassroots movement of Christians from all denominations marching and praying together for peace and justice in Palestine.
To find out more about the Westminster Justice and Peace Commission response to the crisis in the Israel and Palestine join us at Our Lady of Victories Church, Kensington on 9th May:Westminster Holy Land Roundtable 9th May 2024
Diocese of Westminster Justice and Peace Commission 