World Aids Day Mass will take place in London on Friday 1 December, 6pm, at Farm Street Jesuit Church, Mayfair, in the presence of the City of Westminster Deputy Lord Mayor, the Hon Alderman Cllr Guthrie McKie.
The chief celebrant and preacher will be Fr Kieran Fitzsimmons OFM.
(For those joining the Music Group for this Mass, there will be a practice at 5.30 prompt.)
A display on HIV/AIDS pastoral support has been mounted in a side chapel – available to visit from now until 4 December.
Date: Thursday 23rd November 2023 Time: 7.15 – 8.15pm Venue: Farm Street Church, 114 Mount Street, London, W1K 3AH
Join us for an unforgettable evening of prayer, where we will come together to pray for those attending COP28, including Pope Francis in his address.
The evening will consist of time to interact with different prayer stations, Ignatian meditation, experience the power of prayer through music, intercede for our world, listen to the word and adore The Blessed Sacrament.
Praying in communion for wisdom and guidance for ourselves and those meeting at COP28, working towards a better future for all.
Through our collective prayers, we can support and contribute to positive change on a global scale.
Following the prayer session, there will be a time to enjoy refreshments and engage in meaningful conversations with other like-minded young people.
Reserve your spot now and be part of this impactful prayer event that seeks to uplift and empower those striving for a more inclusive and sustainable world.
Contact Beata Rozycka, CAFOD CPC Westminster, on 07789876913 or email brozycka@cafod.org.uk if you have an queries.
Venue: St George’s Cathedral, Lambeth Rd, London SE1 6HR
Join Aid to the Church in Need at St George’s Cathedral for a special mass and evening to mark #RedWednesday. Celebrated by His Excellency Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendia, Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain. Concelebrating will be Archbishop John Wilson, Southwark.
See the Cathedral lit red, hear the beautiful voices of the choir, a testimony from ACN’s guest, followed by refreshments with the team.
All are welcome. Please spread the word in your community. The event will also be livestreamed.
5:30pm: Gathering in Courtyard Be part of the #RW show reel filming. Ahead of group photograph at 5.45pm.
6:00pm: Holy Mass at the Cathedral Remember our persecuted brothers and sisters in prayer, please join us for sung Holy Mass. Celebrated by His Excellency Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendia, Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain. Concelebrating will be Archbishop John Wilson, Southwark.
7:15pm: #RW Award Presentation The Nuncio will present ACN’s first #RedWednesday Award. Followed by a short update on ACN’s ‘Africa Update’ report and how you can help.
7:45pm: Reception Enjoy refreshments and conversation with ACN staff and fellow benefactors.
9:00pm: Reception Ends We look forward to marking #RedWednesday with you.
The Catholic Union’s 2023 Craigmyle Lecture will be given by Dame Rachel de Souza DBE, the Children’s Commissioner for England.
Dame Rachel will use her lecture to talk about creating a society where children can flourish. The lecture will be followed by a drinks reception to continue the conversation.
The lecture will be taking place on Wednesday 13 September, 6-8.30pm at the University of Notre Dame London campus, near Trafalgar Square in London. The event will also be live-streamed. Further details can be found on the Catholic Union’s website.
The office of Children’s Commissioner was established under the Children Act 2004 to “represent the views and interests of children”. Dame Rachel has served as Commissioner since March 2021.
The Craigmyle Lecture is the Catholic Union’s annual flagship lecture, giving a platform to a prominent public figure to talk about a matter of importance to Christians and wider society in this country. The previous three speakers have been Baroness Hollins, Lord Bird, and Sir James MacMillan.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Donald, Lord Craigmyle, a former President of the Catholic Union, after whom the Lecture series is named.
Dame Rachel de Souza commented: “I’m delighted to be giving this year’s lecture, especially in the centenary year of Lord Craigmyle’s birth. Since taking on the role of Commissioner, I’ve become even more convinced of the need for us as a nation to prioritise children’s welfare. We all have a role to play to support children in schools, in families, and when it comes to broader issues like online safety and migration policy. I am very glad to see that the Catholic Church is part of this work to improve the lives of children. I’m looking forward to setting out how we can create a society where children can flourish. It is one of the most important questions for every generation as our children are the future.”
Catholic Union Director, Nigel Parker, said: “We’re extremely grateful to Dame Rachel for agreeing to give this year’s lecture. Since the Craigmyle Lecture was established more than 20 years ago, it has given a Catholic angle to some of the most pressing issues of the day. How we create a society conducive to children and family life is surely one of the most important questions we face. We are all very much looking forward to Dame Rachel’s talk. Our sincere thanks to the Universe Catholic Weekly for sponsoring this event. Having a thriving Catholic press and a weekly Catholic newspaper in this country is so important. Now that the Universe is back in print, I strongly encourage people to subscribe and get a copy of the paper each week.”
Join Westminster Justice & Peace, the Jesuits in Britain, Jesuit Missions and others at a silent demonstration, prayers and petition outside the High Commission of India to clear the name of Indian Jesuit, Fr Stan Swamy SJ on Tuesday, 20th June 2023.
Fr Stan was a Jesuit priest who was unjustly imprisoned for his human rights activism in October 2020. He died, a prisoner, still seeking justice in July 2021.
Schedule
8 – 8.30am Parish Mass – Church of the Immaculate Conception. Celebrant Fr Dominic Robinson SJ, Parish Priest
8.30 – 9am Coffee – Arrupe Hall, London Jesuit Centre (location tbc). Welcome by Paul Chitnis, Director, Jesuit Missions
9 – 9.15am Gather in courtyard outside London Jesuit Centre
Collect placards
9.15 – 10am Walk to High Commission of India
10 – 10.25am Silent Vigil outside the High Commission of India
10.25- 10.30am Remarks by Fr Damian Howard SJ, Provincial, Jesuits in Britain
Presentation of Petition at High Commission of India.
Together we join in saying the Our Father to close.
Route
Meet: London Jesuit Centre,114 Mount St, Mayfair, London W1K 3AH
Walk north-east on Farm St towards Hill St turn right onto Mount Street. Turn left onto Berkeley Square Continue onto Berkeley Street. Turn left onto Piccadilly. Continue to follow Piccadilly taking a slight right onto Coventry Street. Continue to follow Coventry Street to Swiss Court. Turn right towards Leicester Square. Turn left onto Irving Street. Turn right onto Charing Cross Road. Then, go slightly left to stay on Charing Cross Road. Turn left onto St Martin’s Place. Continue onto William IV Street. Turn right at Agar Street, and then left onto Strand High, leading to Aldwych.
High Commission of India – India House, Aldwych, London WC2B 4NA.
Because of the hot weather, please bring water and, if you choose a hat and sunscreen.
If you are planning on attending could you please email Lynn McWilliams Lynn@jesuitmissions.org.uk
Following the conviction and jailing of Carla Foster, on 12th June, for inducing abortion outside the legal limit using pills at home, Bishop John Sherrington, on behalf of the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales, called the circumstances ‘deeply distressing’ and offered prayers for all concerned.
In his statement, the Lead Bishop for Life Issues said:
‘Abortion is always a tragedy, both for the mother and for the child who is killed. The consistent teaching of the Catholic Church has always been that both must be protected.
‘The recent case of the mother who aborted her child outside the parameters of the law is deeply distressing for all concerned, especially her other children. However, it is the responsibility of the judiciary to decide how the law should be applied, including the consideration of mitigating circumstances and sentencing.
‘I offer prayers for all concerned.’
Day for Life, a day the Church dedicates to praying for and raising awareness about the meaning and value of human life, is on Sunday 18thJune this year. Read more about the Day for Life here.
Submitting the petition at No. 10 (from left to right): Father Dominic Robinson SJ, Father Matthew Madewa, Fiona Bruce MP, Baroness Caroline Cox, Caroline Hull, John Pontifex and Mike Watts.
A year to the day following the Pentecost Sunday church massacre in Nigeria, a petition calling for justice was handed in at 10 Downing Street. Fiona Bruce MP, the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, received the petition organised by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN-UK).
On 5th June 2022, 41 people were killed and more than 80 were injured when terrorists opened fire and detonated explosives during Mass at St Francis Xavier’s Church, Owo, south-west Nigeria. Nobody has been charged in connection with the atrocity which took place in broad daylight in a church packed with witnesses.
Human rights champions and Nigeria experts Baroness Caroline Cox and Lord David Alton of Liverpool yesterday joined ACN National Director Caroline Hull and Head of Press & Public Affairs John Pontifex to hand in the petition.
Lord Alton told ACN: “I was shocked to hear about these cruel and barbaric attacks in the parish of St Francis Xavier in Owo. Things only get worse when the perpetrators are not brought to justice. It is important that we lose no opportunity to keep reminding the world about the price that people are paying for their faith.”
Also present at No 10 were Father Matthew Madewa from Ondo Diocese where Owo is located, ACN (UK) National Ecclesiastical Assistant, Father Dominic Robinson SJ, from the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street, London and Mike Watts, a teacher from St Benedict’s School, Ealing with Gabrielle, a Year 8 pupil.
Father Madewa told ACN: “We believe something positive will come out of the petition. It is important to raise awareness. The more awareness we can generate, the more likely a positive outcome is. We are hopeful that the new president of Nigeria [Bola Tinubu, sworn in on 29th May] will do more to serve justice and provide security.”
Survivors of the Owo attack told ACN that they will continue to feel unsafe until those responsible are bought to justice.
Father Michael Abugan, the parish priest at St Francis Xavier’s, said that his congregation remembered the victims at a candlelight procession and memorial Mass on the anniversary. He said, on behalf of the survivors: “I am hoping that the new government will be entirely different from the past administration in its response to security matters. We also believe that the new president will do his best to bring different ethnic groups and religions together.”
Fr Dominic Robinson SJ (pictured above) is Chair of the Westminster Justice & Peace Commission, in addition to his duties as the National Ecclesiastical Adviser for ACN.
HM King Charles III met witnesses of Christian persecution yesterday (Thursday, 8th December) at an Advent event in London where Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) took part.
The King listened as Father Alfred Ebalu, a survivor of abduction, death threats and violence in Nigeria, highlighted growing persecution of Christians and others in Africa’s most populous country.
Father Ebalu’s testimony was followed by an overview of heightened persecution in other parts of Africa, where it is requested that details go unreported for fear of endangering the faithful there.
Leading the delegation was ACN (UK) National Director Dr Caroline Hull, alongside Father Dominic Robinson SJ, the charity’s UK National Ecclesiastical Assistant (chaplain) and John Pontifex, ACN (UK) Head of Press and Information, who introduced the witnesses.
The King was given an introduction to ACN’s Persecuted and Forgotten? A Report on Christians oppressed for their Faith 2020-22, launched ahead of last month’s #RedWednesday, the charity’s campaign on behalf of the suffering Church.
The meeting took place at King’s House, a centre of worship, community outreach and mission run by King’s Cross Church, where representatives of social action and welfare groups gathered alongside Christian charities to meet the King.
Other VIPs included the Most Rev Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who also met the ACN group, and Dame Sarah Mullally, the Bishop of London.
After the event, people packed into the nearby Ethiopian Christian Fellowship Church UK for an Advent service with Christmas music, prayers and blessings with input from King’s Cross Church, Archbishop Welby and Coptic Orthodox Archbishop Angaelos of London.
Friends and supporters of ACN were present at the service and the reception that followed.
After the event, Dr Hull said: “We are so grateful to the King for giving us the opportunity to introduce him to witnesses of Christian persecution. It’s so important that their stories be heard and our thanks go out to King’s House and all those who made the event such an important testimony to the vital role faith plays in our world today.”
You are warmly invited to the beautiful surroundings of The Church of the Immaculate Conception – Farm Street Church – in Mayfair, London, for the Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) 2022 Carol Service.
This very special event will take place at 7pm on Tuesday 6th December 2022.
Bishop Richard Moth will be presiding at the service. He is the Liaison Bishop for Prisons at the Catholic Bishops Conference of England & Wales.
Uplifting music will be provided by the Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School Sixth Form Choir, directed by Scott Price.
Diocese of Westminster Justice and Peace Commission 