Category: Event Reports

17 February 2025 Southern Dioceses Environment Network Meeting: with Bishop John Arnold, Salford

Now in its fifth year, this monthly Zoom meeting is a valuable space for sharing and learning about the many significant initiatives across the Southern Dioceses focused on our care for creation. It also serves as a source of support as we navigate various challenges together. This month’s meeting was a review of the past year, reflecting on the inspiring talks we’ve had. All of these sessions are available for viewing on the current page:

Southern Dioceses Environment Network

February’s (2025) meeting opened with a prayer from Bishop John Arnold and a short interview where he shared his joys and frustrations. He expressed great encouragement from the work done in schools and at the Salford Laudato Si’ Centre but also voiced concerns about global progress. He emphasised the importance of hope and the commitment to doing what we can as individuals.

To stimulate discussion, John Paul from Journey 2030 and Maureen, a parishioner from Portsmouth Diocese, shared practical and spiritual reflections, along with resources for action linked to the Jubilee Year and the 800th anniversary of the Canticle of Creation. They also posed an important question: how might we continue our journey beyond this Jubilee year, looking ahead to Jubilee 2033?

These open meetings provide a valuable space for diocesan staff, charities, and parish supporters to unite in small groups, fostering collaboration and generating ideas for future meetings. This format offers an excellent opportunity to stay informed, exchange ideas, and support one another in our shared mission.

We are always looking to welcome new voices and hear about the progress in caring for our common home. Please join us on the second Monday of each month!

Additionally, a sister group with the Northern Dioceses is actively collaborating, and we are planning a special event to mark 10 years of Laudato Si’ Week, featuring Austin Ivereigh as a keynote speaker. Keep a look out for further information!

With blessings from the Southern Dioceses,

Arundel and Brighton, Brentwood, Clifton, East Anglia, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Southwark and Westminster.

Southern Dioceses Environment Network

Third Anniversary of War on Ukraine Commemorated in London

Bishop James Curry (centre) greets Mayor of Westminster Cllr Robert Rigby at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral. Fr Dominic Robinson SJ (Chair) and Colette Joyce (Co-ordinator) were also in the congregation to represent Westminster Justice and Peace Commission. Photo: CBCEW

Source: Jo Siedlecka, Independent Catholic News

A moving Interfaith Prayer Service for Peace in Ukraine took place yesterday at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in London, to commemorate the third anniversary of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine. The cathedral was decked out in sunflowers – Ukraine’s national flower. Many members of the congregation wore sunflower badges, while some were draped in the yellow and blue flag.

The packed service began with a procession of workers and volunteers from the Ukrainian Welcome Centre who lit three remembrance candles in front of the altar, while the cathedral choir sang the hymn Under Your Grace. Among the congregation was Shadow Foreign Secretary, Dame Priti Patel, Migration and Citizenship minister Seema Malhotra and the Mayor of Westminster Cllr Robert Rigby.

St Mary’s Ukrainian school choir sang the hymn ‘Peace is What We Want’ and Bishop Jim Curry, auxiliary bishop of Westminster was among those offering prayers for peace… continue reading on Independent Catholic News

Record numbers attend 24th National March for Palestine

Jo Siedlecka (l) at National March for Palestine. Photo: ICN

Report by Jo Siedlecka, Independent Catholic News

More than 175,000 people of all faiths and none took part in the 24th March for Palestine in London on Saturday, 15 February.

The Christian Bloc gathered for prayers at St Matthew’s Church Westminster, before joining the main body of the march in Parliament Square to walk to the US Embassy.

The short service of hymns, readings and prayers opened with a call to worship written by Palestinian women for the World Day of Prayer 2024: “Let us praise God who brings us together to worship in love and unity – Unity in the Triune God, transcending difference in views and theological interpretations. Let us remember these essential qualities of people of faith: humility gentlest ness , patience and love.”

Another prayer written by Palestinian Christians was an appeal:

“God of Compassion, for nearly 80 years Palestinian people have endured dispossession and loss. From Gaza to the West Bank the weight of impression continues to bear down on our hearts.. We grieve the pain of those who have lived through generations of injustice …. Grant peace to the afflicted, comfort the grieving and strength to the oppressed. Embolden the world to put an end to the cycle of violence and injustice.”

After singing the final hymn: – ‘We Are Marching’ – participants began to file out with banners including: ‘Quakers For Peace’, ‘Christians For Palestine’ ‘Palestinian Lives Matter – Break the Chains of Injustice.’

We were soon swept up in the huge demo – Continue Reading on Independent Catholic News

LINKS

To receive updates from Christians for Palestine please register for their mailing list:
email – ChristiansForPalestineUK@gmail.com

Follow Christians for Palestine Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555041637853

See more pictures (scrolling down) on the ICN Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064591363750&ref=bookmarks#

Bishop John Sherrington Attends Commemoration for Holocaust Memorial Day

Holocaust Memorial Day 2025 group photo

Monday 27th January 2025 marked 80 years since the liberation of Nazi concentration and death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Bishop John Sherrington, Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster, and James Holland, Coordinator of Westminster Interfaith, were among the guests invited to a Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration in Lambeth Palace, organised by the Council of Christians and Jews. 

After an introduction from the Lord Archbishop of York, those gathered listened to the survivor testimony of Martin Stern MBE, who was just two years old when the Nazis invaded the Netherlands. Having been successfully hidden for a few years, by a Christian family, Martin eventually found himself in Theresienstadt, a concentration camp north of Prague. 

Here, he and his sister, aged just one-year-old, was cared for by a Catholic prisoner, who was transported to the camp for being married to a Jewish man. In 1945, the camp was liberated by the Soviet army and Martin is counted among a small group of people who survived the Holocaust. He has dedicated his life to sharing his story and, for all those gathered, it was an honour to listen to his testimony. 

There was also the testimony of a second-generation Roma survivor, whose story was a reminder that the Nazis sought to exterminate not just Jewish people, but Sinti and Roma people too, amongst many others. Daniela Abraham, founder of the Sinti Roma Holocaust Memorial Trust, spoke about the trauma her family members endured during Nazi occupation. 

Throughout the commemoration, scripture was shared in both Hebrew and English, recognising the role sacred scripture played, and continues to play, in the lives of Christians and Jews. Alongside Rabbi Josh Levy, Co-Lead of Progressive Judaism, Bishop John Sherrington read Psalm 23, The Lord is My Shepherd.

James Holland, Coordinator of Westminster Interfaith, said:

‘It was a great honour to be present at this commemoration, and yet, listening to the stories of survivors is harrowing. It is a hideous reminder of the evil humankind is capable of. For all participating in Holocaust Memorial Day, it reinforces what we all know – that the future is far from certain. Each of us must recommit ourselves to building a better future together and working for a peaceful world for all.’

Photos: Council of Christians and Jews

Links

Westminster Interfaith

Council of Christians and Jews

Holocaust Memorial Day

Home Office Vigil Prayers – 18 November 2024

Barbara Kentish outside the Home Office 18 Nov 2024. Photo: Pat Gaffney

This month those gathered at the regular Prayer Vigil outside the Home Office remembered the following people who died a year ago, in November 2023, attempting to reach sanctuary in Europe:

DateDetails
?8 people from Gambia died of exhaustion during a 15-day boat journey from Gambia to the Canaries. Their bodies were thrown in the sea; 55 survived. 
3/11A boy died from exhaustion in hospital, having arrived at El Hierro (Spain) by boat from West Africa one day earlier; 83 survived.
4/11134 people from Senegal, including at least 3 children and 6 women, drowned when a Canaries-bound boat on the way from Senegal sank off Nouadhibou (Morocco);15 191 survived.   2 people died of unknown cause, their bodies found on board a boat during rescue off the Canary island of El Hierro. 2 others died on the way to hospital.   A man of 23 from Syria died, his body found by nature researchers in Białowieża Forest (Poland) near Narewka River at the Poland-Belarus border.
5/1115 people were presumed drowned off Nouadhibou (Morocco), missing from 7 canoes on the way from Senegal to the Canaries.   13 people, including 2 children, from sub-Saharan Africa died of hunger and thirst on the way to Spain, their bodies in state of decay found in boats off Nouadhibou.   A body, probably of a woman, wearing a white shirt & tied to a tire used as a life vest was found between rocks on the coast of Lampedusa (Italy).
6/11Dinh Anh Nguyen, a man of 37 from Vietnam, was hit by a train near Calais (France) while walking on railway tracks in the dark.   182 people from Guinea, Mali, and Senegal drowned off Gadaye (Senegal) on the way from Bargny (Senegal) to the Canary Islands (Spain). 87 survived.
8/1117 people from Algeria drowned when a boat went missing on the way to Murcia (Spain) after embarkation from Mostaganem (Algeria).   2 men, both aged around 30, drowned off Gadaye (Senegal) on the way to the Canary Islands, their bodies found at Diamalaye beach (Senegal); 87 survived.
9/11A body was found by the Spanish Civil Guard, after a boat from West Africa arrived south of El Hierro (Spain); 79 survived.   Mohammed Amine Saidat, a man of 26 from Morocco, was hit by a train in Bolzano (Italy) while looking for shelter for the night. He had camped near the site of his death.
10/11A man’s body was found by journalists while reporting in the Kupa Riverbed in Netretić (Croatia) on the Croatia-Slovenia border.
11/117 people, including an infant, drowned, their bodies recovered in the Mediterranean Sea off Sfax (Tunisia) by the Tunisian National Guard.   2 people from sub-Saharan Africa drowned on the way from Sfax (Tunisia) to Lampedusa (Italy) when they fell from a small boat when rescuers neared; 67 survived.
12/11A body was found by Belarus border guards in Belarus near the 82nd Belarusian pillar of the border fence with Latvia.   A man of about 30 from sub-Saharan Africa drowned off Gadaye (Senegal) on the way to the Canary Islands, his body found at Déni Guedj Nord beach (Senegal); 87 survived.   A man of 29 from Eritrea died of unknown causes on the way to Lampedusa (Italy), his body found on board a boat by Italian coast guards.
13/117 people from Liberia, Palestine, Syria and elsewhere, including a child and 2 women, drowned when a rubber boat on the way to Chios (Greece) sank in stormy weather off Cesme (Turkey); 6 survived.   Abdelbassit Mohammad, a man of 22 from Sudan, had his throat slit during a brawl between migrants under the Mollien bridge in Calais; his attacker fled.
14/1111 people from Algeria drowned in the Mediterranean sea, off Murcia (Spain) on the way from Mostaganem (Algeria).   16 people drowned when a boat hit rocks on the way from Senegal to the Canaries (Spain), their bodies found on a beach of Lagouera (Morocco).
15/11A person from Gambia died of exhaustion during a 15-day boat journey from Gambia to the Canaries, their body found during rescue; 55 survived.   19 people from Algeria drowned when a boat missing on the way to the Balearic Islands (Spain) after embarkation from Algiers (Algeria).
Mid Nov.A person died of unknown causes on the way from Africa to Lampedusa (Italy), buried in Palma on the island of Sicily.
16/1119 people from Algeria drowned when a boat went missing on the way to the Balearic Islands (Spain) after embarkation from Algiers (Algeria).
17/1135 people, including 2 children and 5 women, from Morocco and sub-Saharan Africa, drowned, when a boat capsized in high waves south of Guelmim (Morcco) on the way to the Canaries; 10 survived.   Baysal Recep, a man of 42, and Geçsöyler Mehmet Ali, a man of 37, both from Turkish Kurdistan, were hit by a truck and killed while walking on the emergency lane of the A16 near the Calais ferry terminal.   An Albanian man of 37 died in hospital after attempting suicide in Brook House removal centre in Gatwick in fear of deportation.
19/1118 people from north Africa went missing on the way to Alicante (Spain) after embarkation from Tipaza (Algeria).
20/11A girl of 2 from Guinea died of unknown causes on a rescue ship on the way to port after shipwreck off Capo Ponente (Italy); 43 survived   8 people from sub-Saharan Africa, including 2 children, drowned on the way from Sfax (Tunisia) to Lampedusa (Italy) after shipwreck off Capo Ponente (Italy); 43 survived.
21/11A woman of 36 drowned off Lampedusa (Italy) on the way from Sfax (Tunisia) when a metal boat sank during rescue; 46 people, including her sister, survived.
22/11Mulu Wolde Tsehaye, a woman of 34, and Eskiel Sebsbea Tsgaye, a woman of 37, both from Ethiopia, and a man named Aman, drowned when a Britain-bound boat capsized after leaving a beach near Equihen-Plage (France); 58 survived.
26/11Mikhail Zubchenko, a man of 24 from Russia, committed suicide after 14 months in Asylum Seekers Center in Echt (Netherland). He was a LGBT asylum seeker.
27/11A person from Egypt was found frozen to death in the outskirts of Sofia (Bulgaria), part of group of 10 migrants; 9 survived.
29/11A body was found on an inflatable boat during rescue off Gran Canaria (Spain); 50 survived.   2 people drowned, having been thrown into the sea near Cadiz (Spain) by traffickers using a fast drugs-smuggling boat from Morocco; 23 survived.

Service Sheet for the November 2024 Prayer Vigil

November 2024 Home Office Vigil.docxDownload

Sign up to receive email news & alerts of changes or cancellation at: homeofficevigil@gmail.com

Love in Action Awards – Outstanding Westminster Volunteers Recognised

Love in Action Awards. Photo RCDOW

The evening of 14th November 2024 saw the third Diocese of Westminster ‘Love in Action’ Volunteering Awards, hosted by Caritas Westminster in Westminster Cathedral Hall. The event recognised volunteers from across the diocese for outstanding commitment to voluntary service, with finalists selected from a pool of over 60 nominations. 

The ceremony opened with a welcome from Cardinal Vincent Nichols and Richard Harries, Director of Caritas Westminster, and included a speech by previous award-winner, Sharon Joseph.  

Awards were distributed by Bishop Paul McAleenan, Chair of Caritas Westminster, with finalists, their nominators, family and friends joined by staff and supporters of Caritas Westminster. 

The five categories recognised individuals and groups of volunteers who serve in a variety of contexts; from social action initiatives in parishes and schools to young volunteers, lifetime achievement and fulfilling a range of tasks for their communities. 

Addressing the finalists, Bishop Paul said: ‘This evening is an acknowledgment of your achievements, and an affirmation of everything that you do. Thank you to all the participants for your great generosity in reaching out to others, and for bringing your goodness into the world.’

Winners included primary school students who participated in the Caritas Ambassadors programme, Sixth Form pupils involved in student chaplaincy, long-serving parishioners who are the backbone of their communities, and two projects founded during the pandemic to support the homeless and vulnerable.  

The Young Volunteer of the Year Award went to Kai Shah, who at just 11 years old has already shown great dedication to preparing meals for and serving the homeless. This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award was named after Ernest Bernard Ronald Palmer, who volunteered at Caritas St Joseph’s for almost 40 years until the age of 103. The award was given to Mary Foster, for 50 years of service to her parish and for co-founding the charity Acton Homeless Concern. 

‘Volunteers bring to life the Church’s teaching on the ministry of charity, and it is a privilege for Caritas Westminster to celebrate the efforts of parishioners who have gone the extra mile in loving their neighbours,’ said Richard Harries. ‘This year’s finalists are wonderful examples of love in action, and we are excited to support them and thousands of other social action volunteers across the diocese in the coming year.’

Meet the winners for each category here, or read about all of this year’s finalists here.

Caritas Westminster Volunteer Service

COP29 – Faith Groups march in London

Faith representatives outside British Museum before the start of the march. Photo: ICN

Source: Jo Siedlecka, ICN

Faith groups were among thousands of climate justice campaigners who marched peacefully through central London on Saturday 16 November 2024, accompanied by colourful banners, chanting and drumming. They lobbied the UK government and world leaders to work towards climate justice, and to do it urgently. They included representatives of Christian Climate Action, Green Christian, Laudato Si Movement, Columban Justice, Peace and Ecology Team, Columban Sisters, Faithful Companion of Jesus Sisters, Quakers in Britain and Faith for the Climate Network.

The march was part of an annual Global Day of Action for Climate Justice which always takes place midway through the annual international United Nations Climate Conference, which this year is in Baku, Azerbaijan 11- 22 November. Other marches lobbied COP29 in 25 places across Britain, including Brighton, Southampton, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle, and Glasgow.

The London march – organised by more than 60 groups – started at the British Museum, which has a £50 million partnership with the oil company BP. Speakers argued that the fossil fuel industry has no place in the arts. And the route was via the HQ of Azerbaijani oil company SOCAR, co-owner of the BTC pipeline with BP, which supplies nearly 30% of Israel’s oil.

At its end in Downing Street, a rally called for the UK government to end its reliance on fossil fuels and to commit to paying climate reparations…

Continue reading on Independent Catholic News

Remembrance Service for the Homeless at St Martin in the Fields – Report

Choir With No Name Image ICN/JS

By Jo Siedlecka, Independent Catholic News

‘Coming Home’ – the annual Service of Commemoration for people who have been homeless, who have died in London in the past year, took place at a packed St Martin in the Fields, Trafalgar Square on Thursday. In this very touching service, the names of 129 people were carefully read out – another 64 people who died were not named. The congregation included friends and relatives of the deceased as well staff and volunteers of the various homeless charities.

Organised by St Martin in the Fields, The Connection at St Martin’s, Housing Justice and the Museum of Homelessness, the service began with Simon and Garfunkel’s song ‘Homeward Bound, played by Alistair Murray, John Deacon and Chris Bluemel.

In his introduction, Rev Richard Carter pointed out that these people were originally not homeless. “They came to London looking for a home” he said…

Continue reading on Independent Catholic News

Three Years of Home Office Vigils for Migrants

October 2024 Vigil outside the Home Office. Photo: Pat Gaffney

By Abi Yendole

This month’s Migrants Vigil at the government’s Home Office in London marked three years of monthly prayers there for people who have died trying to reach the UK and for the UK to be a more welcoming nation. An organiser, Barbara Kentish, said. “If only we could say things were better, but alas, we need to pray harder than ever.” The one-hour vigils are co-sponsored by Westminster Justice and Peace Commission, London Catholic Worker and London Churches Refugee Fund.

Brother Johannes Maertens of the London Catholic Worker gave a reflection on his visits to Calais and the work of an arts refugee project that uses maps and art to encourage refugees to tell their stories. He commented that some of the young men he met had been on the road for six years.

The names of people who died a year ago – in October 2023 – trying to enter Europe or the UK were read out and a prayer of repentance said afterwards: “You told us to welcome strangers in our land, but we have hated, humiliated, imprisoned, and killed those who have asked for our hospitality. Forgive us and help us to change.”

Around 30 people attended the latest vigil on Monday 21 October. James Trewby (Columban Justice, Justice, Peace and Ecology coordinator) and Abi Yendole (Columban Faith in Action Volunteer) accompanied the Justice and Peace Committee of 16 Year 10 students and one teacher from St George’s School in Maida Vale to the vigil.

One student said afterwards: “Hearing all the names and stories of those who have died meant I was able to personify every victim; give every victim a face; it was powerful.” Pope Francis has said something similar, captured on the refugee memorial in Dover, that, “every migrant has a name, a face and a story.” Another student said: “As a member of the justice and peace group, going to the Home office to pray for refugees has been a profound and humbling experience. Standing in solidarity praying for those seeking safety and refuge, I felt the weight of their struggles and the urgency of advocating for justice. In the quiet moment of prayer, we offered up hope for a system that could see beyond the borders to the humanity of those in need. It was both a spiritual act of compassion and a call for action, reminding me of the power of community and faith in pursuing change.”

Also present on Monday were representatives from churches around London, Jesuit Refugee Service, London Catholic Worker, Pax Christi England and Wales and Seeking Sanctuary.

Intercessions included the prayer: “We pray for the end of the hostile environment, and the creation of safe, legal routes to claim asylum in this country.”

Watch: Refugee Action Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcaM89VzkEY

West London Justice and Peace Network: ‘So much going on!’

‘Called to be Peacemakers’ cover image. CBCEW

By Maggie Beirne, West London Justice and Peace Network Co-ordinator

“There is so much going on!” – the positive reaction of one of the participants at this weekend’s meeting online of the West London Justice and Peace Network.

Representatives of 10 parishes were joined by Richard Harries, CEO of Caritas Westminster, which encourages parishes to engage with their own social action projects. Also, Sr Silvana Dallanegra, a Religious of the Sacred Heart and a Development Worker of Caritas Westminster, covering seven deaneries.

Those present talked of their parishes’ efforts organising hustings in relation to the general election; Autumn efforts around the Season of Creation and Fairtrade Fortnight; CAFOD Harvest fundraising efforts; the DEC Appeal and action for the Middle East; and advance preparations for Advent and Christmas. Often big events were organised (eg a Green Living Fair); sometimes the parish newsletter and social media were used as vehicles to encourage reflection, prayer and fundraising efforts; sometimes Bidding Prayers, musical choices, or special liturgical events were planned to mark key events. Some parishes have been successful in drawing in their young parishioners – colouring books for the children’s liturgy; badges to promote Fairtrade and CAFOD; and looking at wider issues of diversity (in their church iconography etc).

Nearly all the parishes have a range of activities linked also to more immediate local concerns – with foodbank collections; winter night shelter arrangements; social gatherings to reduce isolation and so on. Most parish reps also reported how they had followed up in lobbying their local MPs in response to the Cardinal’s recent statement on Assisted Suicide.

The group also discussed common problems and exchanged practical suggestions about the way forward – how to avoid ‘funding fatigue’ when there are competing demands for second collections; should we hand out CAFOD envelopes in person, or is it better to attach them to all the newsletters; how do we get more volunteers to come on board; how do we best coordinate across Justice and Peace/CARITAS/SVP/Laudato Si locally without losing our distinct charisms? There was a lot of information shared about local, national and international resources available to help.

The network was particularly interested to hear more about the bishops’ statement, ‘Called to be Peace Makers,’ issued in May 2024. It is a very strong document sub-titled ‘A Catholic Approach to Arms Control and Disarmament,’ though several of those present had not been aware of it previously. Given how important this debate is currently, resources like this need to be more widely disseminated – both to those in the pews and to the wider world. It was suggested that the Bishops’ Conference might offer printed copies. Some members of the Network are particularly active in Pax Christi and Christian CND and are taking ahead specific projects – including a Nuclear Morality flowchart – and hoping to lobby parliament to move this issue further up their agenda.

So, to finish where we began with “so much going on!” Sometimes parishioners feel overwhelmed about the competing demands and needs for action – and particularly now when the world seems to be in a specially bad place on peace and environment issues, and people’s immediate concerns about cost of living, family, health, or work can be demanding. But three times a year, the network gets together virtually and by putting together all our individual scraps of ‘good news’ and activities, we are amazed at the result. It gives us all the energy and commitment to carry on and indeed increase our efforts for the coming of justice and peace in our hearts, homes and world!

LINKS

‘Called to be Peacemakers’: www.cbcew.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/Called-to-be-Peacemakers.pdf

Nuclear Morality flowchart: www.nuclearmorality.com

Caritas Westminster: https://caritaswestminster.org.uk/

November 1 Lecture with Baroness Scotland at Farm Street. https://westminsterjusticeandpeace.org/2024/09/26/inaugural-westminster-justice-and-peace-lecture-friday-1-november-2024-7pm-farm-street-church/