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
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.
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
Once again this Saturday, Westminster Justice and Peace will be joining Christians For Palestine at a gathering in London to pray and march for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
Meet at St Matthew’s church, Westminster, 20 Great Peter St, London SW1P 2BU at 11.45am.
The organisers say: “We will hold our prayers around 12pm and leave at 12.15, to march the route from Parliament Square to the national rally in Hyde Park.
“Please bring your placards – homemade or printed – and your commitment, your friends and relations, your church family, your loud voices and your hope. 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.”
CARJ was established 40 years ago on 16 June 1984 at a meeting of approximately 25 ‘founding members’ from a variety of ethnic backgrounds.
From the beginning, CARJ was seen as a black-led, independent organisation where ethnic minorities could find support and a voice, and where people of all backgrounds could work together for racial justice.
Despite challenging times in society and in the church, CARJ secured remarkable achievements along the way including:
Hosting the first National Congress for Black Catholics -1990
Holding the National Racial Justice Congress -2003
Since 2006 CARJ has worked in schools, delivering workshops on racial justice, training youth ambassadors and supporting the general educational attainment of black and minority ethnic young people
CARJ has setup and has run networks and support groups, including the Urban Network and Travellers and Gypsy working group
On Saturday 25th of May in London, CARJ launches a new ‘Racial Justice Agenda for Change’, which will be the vision for the work of CARJ into the future. The Agenda for Change builds on the experiences and learning of the past 40 years and puts forward a strategy for bringing about greater equality and creating a racially just church and society, a goal which continues to elude us in the 21st century.
Date Saturday 25th May 2024
Venue: Amigo Hall at St George’s Cathedral London SE1 7HY
Bishop Paul McAleenan at the memorial plaque in Dover. Photo: CBCEW
Bishop Paul McAleenan, Lead Bishop for Migrants and Refugees, has joined with leaders of the other churches to renew their commitment to caring for the most vulnerable, as legislation to enable asylum seekers to be deported to Rwanda was approved by Parliament.
In a joint statement with leaders of the Church of England, Methodist, Baptist, Quaker and United Reformed Churches, they pay tribute to all those who “live out Jesus’s call to feed and clothe the poor, and to welcome the stranger, at times in the face of opposition and prejudice.”
The statement voices concern that asylum seekers and refugees have been used as a “political football” and speaks of people fleeing war, persecution and violence having been “unjustly maligned by some for political reasons.”
Read the full statement:
We retain deep misgivings about the Safety of Rwanda Bill, passed in Parliament last night, for the precedent it sets at home and for other countries in how we respond to the most vulnerable. This includes victims of modern slavery and children wrongly assessed as adults, whom we have a duty to protect.
As leaders in Christian churches we wish to express our profound gratitude to those who live out Jesus’s call to feed and clothe the poor, and to welcome the stranger, through their work with asylum seekers and refugees, at times in the face of opposition and prejudice.
We note with sadness and concern the rise in hostility towards those who come to these islands seeking refuge and the way in which the treatment of the refugee and asylum seeker has been used as a political football.
We are disappointed that the kindness and support offered by churches and charities to the people at the heart of this debate – those fleeing war, persecution and violence trying to find a place of safety – has been unjustly maligned by some for political reasons.
In their response to the tragic attack in Clapham earlier this year, some former Home Office ministers, MPs and other commentators sought to portray churches and clergy as deliberately facilitating false asylum claims. It was for this reason, at the request of Anglican leaders, that representatives of our Churches met the Home Secretary in February. When asked, neither he nor officials could provide evidence to support the allegations of widespread abuse. Home Office Ministers have since confirmed this in a written parliamentary answer, and on questioning by the Home Affairs Select Committee. Follow-up meetings have since been agreed to promote closer cooperation and co-working between the churches and the Home Office.
Like so many in this country, we seek to support a system that shows compassion, justice, transparency and speed in its decisions. We grieve the appalling loss of life in the Channel today.
There may be differences between our churches and Government on the means by which our asylum system can be fair, effective and respecting of human dignity, but we do agree that borders must be managed and that vulnerable people need protection from people smugglers. We have pledged to continue to work with the Home Office, and we do so in good faith.
Bishop Paul McAleenan, Lead Bishop for Migrants and Refugees, CBCEW Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell Bishop of Southwark, Christopher Chessun Revd Lynn Green, General Secretary, The Baptist Union of Great Britain Revd Dr Tessa Henry-Robinson, United Reformed Church General Assembly Moderator Revd Gill Newton, President of the Methodist Conference
The Archdiocese of Southwark is hosting the annual London Migrant Workers Mass at St George’s Cathedral on Monday 6 May.
Migrants make a valuable contribution to life in the UK. The annual Mass is a celebration of how communities have been enriched by migration and the difference migrants make to wider society.
The Mass will be led by Archbishop John Wilson, with bishops from the Diocese of Westminster and Brentwood in attendance.
Speaking ahead of the Mass, Archbishop John said:
“Each and every person is a gift from God. Each and every person has gifts to offer to God and to others. That is why it is such a blessing people from across the globe have made their home here. It is this diversity, which has enriched our lives immeasurably, that we will be celebrating, and for which we will be giving our thanks to God.
“Our faith demands that we love our neighbour. This means we must serve those without a place to call home, especially those seeking refuge. As one family of humankind, united in love, we can – and we must – welcome our brothers and sisters who are suffering and help them to feel at home in our communities.”
The Mass takes place on the Feast of St Joseph the Worker and is a collaboration between the Archdiocese of Southwark, Diocese of Westminster and the Diocese of Brentwood. It is supported by the Justice and Peace Commissions and the Ethnic Chaplaincies.
People are encouraged to attend in their national dress as part of the celebrations, with a banner procession taking place at the beginning of Mass.
The Migrants Mass has been celebrated since 2006, when it was initiated by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, then-Archbishop of Westminster. The Archdiocese of Southwark and dioceses of Westminster and Brentwood host it in turns, this year being in St George’s Cathedral, Southwark.
The Mass will be celebrated on Monday 6 May at 12.30pm at St George’s Cathedral, London SE1 6HR. People are encouraged to arrive early as it is expected to be a full Mass.
Diocese of Westminster Justice and Peace Commission 