Category: Campaigns

Prayers and Home Office Vigil for Refugee Week 2023 19-25 June, 12noon

Prayers of Intercession for Refugee Week

  1. We pray for Pope Francis and our church leaders that they continue to speak out forcefully against the injustices that force people to flee their homelands to seek sanctuary far away – Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
  2. We pray for the people and the lands from which refugees flee – whether it is due to political oppression, climate change, or conflict.  May there be peace and reconciliation between people and nations.  Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
  3. We pray that refugees and those seeking asylum may find a welcome among us, and we pray for all those who make our laws and administer justice – may the God of justice be our guide. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
  4. We pray for those who minister to refugees that they may show God’s welcoming love; and we pray for ourselves to have the courage to reach out to victims of injustice and poverty.  Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Vigil Outside the Home Office, Monday 19th June 2023, 12.00-1.30pm

The next monthly vigil organised by Westminster Justice & Peace together with London Catholic Worker, will be a special onefor Refugee Week (19-25 June 2023)

Bishop Paul McAleenan, Lead Bishop for Migrants and Refugees in the Bishops Conference will give a reflection and electro-pop band, Ooberfuse, together with Kurdish refugee folk singer Newroz Oremari, will be performing their new song: ‘Show Me Love’ during the Prayer Vigil outside the Home Office on Monday, 19 June from 12.00-1.30pm.

Newroz Oremari has a mesmerising voice and recently made recorded with Ooberfuse in the iconic Abbey Road studios – an incredible change of fortunes for a dissident artist who had faced the death penalty in Iraq for his music which was critical of Saddam Hussein regime.

Email Barbara Kentish barbarakentish11@gmail.com or Br Johannes Maertens johanmaertens@hotmail.com  to receive the prayer sheets, and join in solidarity with our prayers.

Watch the video Show Me Love

Fr Stan Swamy SJ – Clear His Name – 20th June 10am, Vigil outside the High Commission of India

Fr Stan Swamy SJ, 1937-2021

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

Fr Stan Swamy SJ

Bishop John Sherrington Statement About Abortion Case Conviction

Bishop John Sherrington, Lead Bishop for Life Issues

Source: RCDOW

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.

Ooberfuse Refugee Week Concert in Dover, Saturday 24 June, 7pm

Saturday 24 June 2023

Doors open 7.00 pm

St Mary’s Church, Cannon Street, CT16 1BY

Admission Free

Ooberfuse, is a London-based band that is a critically acclaimed favourite on the Indie music scene. It was started by songwriter-vocalist Cherrie Anderson and multi-instrumentalist-producer Hal St John, who have now brought together a number of talented and innovative refugee musicians for this event to celebrate diverse contributions to the Artistic scene in Britain. Individual performers originate from countries such as Syria, Ukraine and Iraq, including the Kurdish exile, Newroz Oremari.

The band has played at many venues worldwide, both large – such as Wembley – and small. Their music has been described as ethereal, East-meets-West electronic pop with heartfelt vocals, often inspired by observations of injustice in today’s world.

Their latest release is ‘Show Me Love’, inspired by the teachings of Pope Francis on welcoming the stranger. Scenes in the accompanying video were filmed in Dover. The singers have therefore decided to return to Dover which features so strongly in many of today’s refugee tales, to perform this concert for Refugee Week (19-25 June 2023)

You can view ‘Show Me Love’ on YouTube:

Justice for Nigeria – One Year Anniversary of the Pentecost Sunday Church Massacre

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.

Source: Amy Balog, Aid to the Church in Need

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.

LINK

Aid to the Church in Need: www.acnuk.org

Volunteers Week: Central London Catholic Churches say Thank You to their Homeless Service Volunteers

CLCC Volunteers at Farm Street Arrupe Hall, June 2023

Source: Caritas Westminster

Central London Catholic Churches (CLCC) is a consortium of volunteers that came together in April 2020 to provide refreshments to homeless people during the pandemic. Originally operating out of a van in Trafalgar Square, it has now transformed itself into a very popular twice-weekly lunch service based at Farm Street church and catering to over 100 homeless guests a week. In addition to enjoying limitless tea and coffee and top-quality lunches sourced from local suppliers, guests can participate in job fairs to learn about employment opportunities, be referred to other services, join in scripture study groups and even get a haircut, all without leaving the Farm Street premises.

What has made all of this possible is the team of around 50 committed volunteers. They range in age from 20 to 85 and include students, doctors, lawyers, housewives, those in religious life and retired people. What is very striking is how well everyone gets on together and how much we share a sense of common purpose. The happy atmosphere created by the volunteers is one of the reasons that guests speak so highly of the service and keep returning to it.

It is hugely rewarding for us to work with what is one of the nicest teams of volunteers that we have ever encountered and we want to put on record how much we appreciate everything you do.

Thank you to our volunteers.

Fr Dominic Robinson SJ, Ade Owusu-Ansah and Linda McHugh

www.facebook.com/CLCCHomelessServices

Catholic Priest Receives Guilty Verdict for Insulate Britain Protests

Fr Martin Newell, fourth left, and the 8 other defendants from Insulate Britain outside Hove Crown Court

Source: Independent Catholic News

Passionist priest Fr Martin Newell, 55, and Ben Buse, a Christian from Bristol, were among a group of nine environmental protesters found guilty on a charge of ‘Public Nuisance’ at a trial at Hove Crown Court last Friday. The nine were part of the Insulate Britain 2021 campaign of nonviolent civil resistance undertaken to demand the UK government insulate Britain’s cold and leaky homes.

The defendants were found guilty by a jury, on a majority verdict of 10-2. on a charge of ‘Public Nuisance’. In September 2021 they blocked a road at Dover Port bringing traffic to a standstill for over two hours.

This was the fifteenth Insulate Britain jury trial, a number of which have resulted in ‘not guilty’ verdicts by juries.

Sentencing will be on June 14th. Defendants in similar cases recently have had a range of sentences including substantial court costs, community service orders and suspended sentences. After saying they planned to do the same again, some were given immediate custodial sentences of a few weeks.

Fr Martin said: “Christians are called to live by the law of God’s Kingdom above all, and God’s laws at times lead us into conflict with human laws. The human court has decided we are ‘guilty’, but in the Kingdom of God there is a higher court. Pope Francis calls us to hear the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor. I took part in Insulate Britain in an attempt to take that call seriously. Pope Francis said in Laudato Si that our common home which is the earth is among the most abused and neglected of our neighbours. I live and work with refugees and asylum seekers. So I am acutely aware of the increasing impact of extreme weather resulting from climate change, such as the floods in Congo that recently killed over 400 people from one region. Increasing inequality and fuel poverty within the UK is also a moral scandal that cries to heaven. The Gospel call to hear these urgent cries is what impelled me to take part in the Insulate Britain campaign.”

Ben Buse said: “Science documents our warming world and the increases in extreme weather, as well as it’s unequal impacts. Christian Aid have reported the devastation already happening. It is a justice issue, a refugee issue, a biodiversity issue. Action is required at all levels. Dover Port was an iconic place to call for government action in the run up to COP 26 in Glasgow. 9,500 people also die of cold, uninsulated homes each winter in the UK. Christian faith requires us to tackle problems at the root. We need structural change, laying the foundations for a just, equitable and sustainable future. A future where creation can heal and be restored, anticipating the the time when all will be righted.”

The group point out that the trial comes after a series of unprecedented floods, droughts and heat waves have wreaked havoc across the globe, some of which “would be almost impossible without climate change” according to the ‘World Weather Attribution initiative’ and the UN IPCC report in March warned that only swift and drastic action can avert irrevocable damage.

LINKS

Insulate Britain: Insulate Britain Press Statement

CAFOD director on new climate report: ‘Its now or never’: www.indcatholicnews.com/news/44414

Love the Stranger: Refugee Support Event at Farm Street, 24 May, 7pm

Rooting our response to refugees and migrants in the innate worth of each human person.

Bishop Paul McAleenan, lead bishop for migrants and refugees for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales joins Bishop John Perumbalath, Anglican Bishop of Liverpooland Chair of Churches Refugee Network, for an evening with the London Churches Refugee Fund

Frontline workers from the projects supported by the fund will also be giving testimonies at the event.

‘Love the Stranger’ , Church of the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street, W1K 3AH, Wednesday, 24 May 2023, at 7pm.

The Citizens of the World Choir will also be performing.

Followed by refreshments, meeting and greetings in the Arrupe Hall.

For further details email info@lcrf.org.uk or visit: www.lcrf.org.uk/

Laudato Si’ Week, 21-28 May 2023

8th Anniversary

People around the world are being invited to celebrate Laudato Si’ Week 2023 from 21-28 May with the theme: Hope for the Earth, Hope for Humanity.

Laudato Si’ Week 2023 marks the eighth anniversary of Pope Francis’ landmark encyclical on care for creation. Laudato Si’ was first published 24 May 2015.

Communities are invited to base their celebrations around the 2022 film “The Letter” which tells the story of a journey to Rome of five frontline leaders – Arouna, Ridhima, Chief Dadá, Greg and Robin, respectively representing the poor, the youth of the world, the indigenous peoples and earth scientists – to discuss the encyclical letter Laudato Si’ with Pope Francis. 

The Letter

This global celebration will unite Catholics to rejoice in the progress we have made in bringing Laudato Si’ to life, and show how the protagonists of “The Letter” are already doing so. The film can be watched for free online.

Visit the Laudato Si’ Week website for the link to watch The Letter

Laudato Si’ Week in South Sudan

Another idea for Laudato Si’ Week is to follow the Solidarity with South Sudan programme.

Every day Solidarity with South Sudan will publish news and stories from the South Sudan, the world’s newest country, to show you how their projects and communities meet the Laudato Sì Goals.

You can visit their website and Social media from 21 May to 28 May to remain updated on the Solidarity mission in South Sudan.

Prayer for Laudato Si’ Week 2023

Links

Laudato Si’ Week Ideas

Care of Creation Resources

Care of Creation Key Dates

Southern Dioceses Environment Network

Diocese of Westminster Road to Carbon Neutrality