June 2025 was an exceptionally busy month for Justice and Peace activity in the Diocese of Westminster! 

Read some of the highlights in the E-Bulletin below.

There are many more events still to come in the next few months as we continue through this Jubilee Year.

Look out for the Mass Lobby of Parliament on Climate, Debt and Nature on 9th July, a special Prayer Vigil remembering those who have lost their lives in the conflict in Gaza on 28th July organised by Barbara Kentish and the Home Office Vigil group, and Pax Christi’s Commemorations for the 80th Anniversary the dropping of the atom bombs on Hiroshima and Japan on 6th and 9th August.

These are swiftly followed by the Jubilee of Justice on 20th September in Rome and the Season of Creation from 1st September – 4th October, which this year has as its theme ‘Peace with Creation’. Details about these and many more upcoming events can be found in the Diary Dates section.

We hope you will find something here where you feel you can make a contribution – or perhaps be inspired to organise your own event in your local setting.

To sign up for the monthly E-Bulletin please send an email to justiceandpeace@rcdow.org.uk

In this special Jubilee Year, you are warmly invited to join the three ‘London’ Dioceses of Brentwood, Southwark and Westminster on Bank Holiday Monday, 5th May 2025, 2.00pm, for the annual Mass for Migrants which celebrates the contribution made to the life, work and faith of the UK by all those who come from other countries to make a home here. 

This Mass for St Joseph the Worker is prepared by the Justice & Peace Commissions, Caritas and Ethnic Chaplaincies of the three Dioceses.

This year the Mass is hosted by the Diocese of Westminster at Westminster Cathedral.

Do come along and bring the family, whether you are from a migrant background or not! It is always a colourful and a lively occasion. Parishes and Catholic organisations are welcome to bring banners for the procession. Gather from 1.30pm.

Everyone is invited to wear national dress.

We will also be joined by community organisers from London Citizens.

Celebrant: Cardinal Michael Fitzgerald.

Please read our E-Bulletin to discover many other ways to participate in the Jubilee celebrations and work towards peace and justice in this Holy Year.

HOLY YEAR 2025

The theme for this year is “Pilgrims of Hope”

At a difficult moment in human history, the Jubilee Year is an invitation to all people to experience the joy and strength in coming together as we respond to God’s call for a reset, a renewal of faith and a recommitment to a just world. We invite you to participate in one of the many events listed in our E-Bulletin for this coming year and so renew your own commitment to being a pilgrim of hope.

To find out more visit the Diocese of Westminster webpages: Jubilee 2025

November is the month when we traditionally mourn our dead. 

In Justice and Peace we take particular care to remember and lament all those who tragically lose their lives to conflict, terror or hardship. On the third Monday of every month we gather outside the Home Office to pray by name, where it is known, for those who die on the way to seeking sanctuary in Europe. On 7^th November, we will join an ecumenical gathering at St Martin-in-the-Fields to remember all those who died homeless in London in the last year. We pray constantly for those who are losing their lives in the Middle East, in Sudan, Congo, Yemen, Ukraine and other wars.

This month may we be people of prayer who seek God’s help and mercy so that we may create a better world without such war and bitter loss. 

Season of Creation 1 September – 4 October 2024

What You Can Do

• There are so many different ways to joyfully celebrate the Season of Creation! Create a display, pray for the care of creation, spend time in nature on a walk or picnic, plant a tree or a ‘fruits of hope’ garden, hold a blessing of pets, host a screening of the film ‘The Letter’ about Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudate Si’, sign up for the CAFOD Live Simply Award and so much more…

• Visit the Season of Creation website and download the Celebration Guide

• Find lots more Ideas for Parishes here on the Westminster Justice and Peace website

• Please do share news of your parish events and activities with the Justice and Peace office.

Thank you!

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For this month’s E-Bulletin we focus on the upcoming Season of Creation.

Each year from September 1 to October 4, the Christian family unites for this worldwide celebration of prayer and action to protect our common home.

As followers of Christ from around the globe, we share a common call to care for Creation. We are co-creatures and part of all that God has made. Our well-being is interwoven with the well-being of the Earth

The official Season of Creation website and guide is now ready and gives you a lot of content, with suggestions of activities and ways to participate. It is a really helpful guide to have to share with schools and parishes. Season of Creation website – https://seasonofcreation.org/

The E-Bulletin also provides lots of inspirational tips and ideas.

What will you do in your parish?

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WAYS TO GET READY FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION

The Prime Minister has called a General Election to be held in the United Kingdom on Thursday 4 July 2024. This is an opportunity for the Catholic community to exercise active citizenship and contribute to the building up of God’s Kingdom of “love, justice and peace”. (Gaudium et Spes, 39)

The Church does not tell people which party to vote for and, as our bishops reminded us prior to a previous election, “a general election must never be confused with a single-issue referendum” (The Common Good, 65), but the Church gives us the principles by which we can discern which candidate and which party will best advance the common good.

This month’s E-Bulletin contains resources that are designed to be useful to Christians preparing for the General Election on 4 July…

Suggested Newsletter Insert

With the UK general election due on Thursday, 4 July, politicians will be looking for our votes. We have a responsibility as Catholics to use our vote to make sure that parties commit to tackling issues such as poverty, injustice and human dignity. The Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales (CBCEW) offer a guide to issues for the election www.cbcew.org.uk/election24/ as do CAFOD together with the Saint Vincent de Paul Society (SVP) cafod.org.uk/encounter. These sites provide information on a range of topics from a Catholic Christian perspective to help us ask key questions of local candidates and parties who need our votes. Please ensure you are registered to vote by 18 June and have suitable Photo ID, which you will need this year for the first time.

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