This inspiring volume from Westminster Interfaith brings together Sacred Scripture, writings and poems from a range of religious, cultural and spiritual traditions to create a wonderful resource exploring twelve themes from an interfaith perspective. As the subtitle indicates, it is the Prayer of People of Faith.
Originally published in 2016 honour of Brother Daniel Faivre SG, who founded Westminster Interfaith in 1981, this fourth edition includes further texts and an additional chapter. The book starts with a prayer from Brother Daniel, before introducing him to us as a humble but trailblazing lifelong advocate for interfaith relations between people. It then offers a brief extract from Michael Barnes SJ on ‘Listening to the Sacred’ to unpack and explore a little about the interfaith context and other faith traditions, particularly from the perspective of Christianity.
The main body of the book contains writings, from different faith traditions, that enable us to go deeper into exploring aspects of God, the Divine, spirituality and our relationship with them, drawing on a wide range of carefully selected texts. The chapters cover a range of thought-provoking themes on Transcendence, Presence, Light, Creation, Providence, Praise, Union, Compassion, Love and Devotion, Peace, Life Eternal and, in a timely final chapter at this time of ecological crisis, One Earth.
This expanded edition will hopefully introduce those who are new to this book to the inspiring and important work of Brother Daniel and Westminster Interfaith, whilst at the same time offering those familiar with this work an opportunity to be re-inspired and re-invigorated. It can offer support and encouragement to those working in an interfaith context, or for those just exploring what the wisdom contained within these writings could be saying to them and to all of us.
To order a copy of this book, go to New City website: www.newcity.co.uk/books/transcendence, or attend the Book Launch at the London Jesuit Centre on Tuesday, 5th September 10.30-2.30 by contacting Jon Dal Din (jondaldin@email.com) 07527 758 729 or Sister Elizabeth (elizabethodonohoe@gmail.com) 07946 591 564.
NATIONAL – Watch the CBCEW webinar on the ‘Call of Creation’ document on 12th September.
REGIONAL – Join a Christian Climate Action river walk along the Thames on 9th or 10th Sept. Attend the Southern Dioceses Environment Network meeting on Monday 11th September.
DIOCESAN – Come with us to Kew Gardens on Thursday 14th September! Details
PARISH – Pray the Intercessions for the Season of Creation; say the Season of Creation Prayer at the end of Mass; create a display board, banner or focus area in the church; choose hymns about harvest, creation, rivers, water, peace and justice; hold a harvest festival or international meal; screen ‘The Letter’; host a Blessing of Pets… More ideas and resources on the website here
And there are many more events going on this term in every field of peace and justice from disability awareness, DSEI arms fair protests, children’s rights, migrants and refugees, to interfaith sharing and synodal conversations, to name just a few. In fact, there are four-and-a-half pages of Diary Dates this month! I’m sure I’ve missed something, so do write and let me know in good time (by 27th September) if you want an event included in the October E-Bulletin.
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.”
6 August 2023, Memorial Service for Hiroshima and Nagasaki in St Alban’s, Hertfordshire
On 6 and 9 August 1945, the United States detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and then Nagasaki. On Sunday afternoon, Sunday 6 August 2023, some of the Cathedral congregation gathered alongside members of other local churches, including St Bartholomew’s and St Alban and St Stephen’s Catholic Churches, at the Peace Pillar to remember those affected by those bombings and to pray for world peace.
The Peace Pillar stands at the entrance to Sumpter Yard and was given by the people of Japan in gratitude that the Dean at that time, Cuthbert Thicknesse, refused for the Cathedral bells to be rung with other bells in the city to mark Victory in Japan because it had come at such a cost in terms of destruction and loss of life.
The Cathedral would now like to move the Peace obelisk, now very obscured by the tree and hedge (barely discernible in the picture above, behind the woman in red on the right), to a more prominent location.
We continue to pray for all who strive for peace in our own day.
Kew Gardens, Victoria Gate, TW9 3JR, United Kingdom (map)
All are welcome to join the Diocese of Westminster Justice and Peace Outing to Kew Gardens on Thursday 14th September, 11am-4pm.
This is a last chance to see the Plants of the Qur’an exhibition before it ends on Sunday 17th September. We will visit the exhibition in the morning, with time to explore the gardens in the afternoon.
This visit will be of particular interest to anyone with an interest in the care of creation, food projects and interfaith relations in the Diocese, but also to anyone who would like a relaxing day out in nature and looking at art. All are welcome. No prior connection to Justice & Peace needed!
Please purchase your own tickets in advance via the Kew website (there are different pricing options) or on arrival.
The meeting point is just inside the ticket barriers at the Victoria Gate entrance at 11.00am where we will begin and end the day with prayers. Please bring a picnic with you if you can. We will have lunch together near the Victoria Gate café. Drinks, sandwiches and cakes are also available to purchase. Those who wish can stay on to explore more of the gardens in the afternoon.
Please contact Colette Joyce – colettejoyce@rcdow.org.uk/ 07593 434 905 – or Fr Dominic Robinson – dominicrobinson@rcdow.org.uk / 07840 868 568 – to let us know you are coming or just join us on the day. Call us on arrival if you have any difficulty finding us!
Pax Christi vigil outside Westminster Cathedral, 9th August 2022
The nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima (6 August 1945) and Nagasaki (9 August 1945) killed hundreds of thousands of people and left countless others living with the effects, many of which continue today. Those who survived the bombings, known as Hibakusha, have been leading campaigners for nuclear disarmament for nearly eight decades.
This year the Christian Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the Anglican Pacifist Fellowship will come together on the evening of Sunday 6 August, 8.00pm, for an Online Vigil – ‘Reflections for Peace’ -including prayers, reflections and songs. While the evening will include prayers for the victims and survivors, it will also look forward with hope towards a world without nuclear weapons.
In London, there will be also be a Pax Christi vigil and stall outside Westminster Cathedral from 11.00am to 1.00pm on both Sunday 6 and Wednesday 9 August.
On Wednesday 9 August there is a Service to Commemorate Blessed Franz Jägerstätter (1907-1943) on the 80th anniversary of his death at 6.30pm in the Crypt of Westminster Cathedral, which is followed by a walk to the London Peace Pagoda in Battersea to join an interfaith gathering to remember the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings and pray for a world free from nuclear weapons.
In Hertfordshire, on Sunday 6th August, 3.00 pm, the Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation Group from Ss Alban and Stephen Catholic Church in St Albans mark the event with a short service on the theme ‘Against Nuclear Proliferation’ at the Abbey Peace Pillar in Sumpter Yard, Holywell Hill, St Albans, AL1 1BY.
All are invited to join us online for the annual national vigil to remember the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. There will be readings, prayer and reflections on the occasion and looking towards a future without nuclear weapons. Organised by Christian CND and Anglican Pacifist Fellowship. Register for the free Zoom link here.
For more details of other events commemorating the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, please visit the Pax Christi website
CAFOD’s much loved Westminster Diocese coordinator Tony Sheen is retiring after working for the Catholic international development charity for 17 years.
Tony’s energy and enthusiasm for tackling injustice and raising the plight of people all around the world has been infectious and the extensive bank of volunteers he has built across Westminster is testament to that.
He joined CAFOD in 2006, at the height of the Make Poverty History campaign. Yet, Tony’s determination and desire to fight against injustice is as strong now as it was back then.
From getting volunteers to speak at Mass regularly, running workshops in Catholic Schools across the diocese, to organising a hugely popular annual family bike ride no task was too big or too small for Tony.
His time at CAFOD was celebrated by over 70 people, many of whom were active or past volunteers for CAFOD Westminster, at the Parish of Christ the King in Oakwood on the 27 July 2023.
Speaking at the retirement event, Tony Sheen said: “CAFOD has become an integral part of who I am. It has been a vocation for me to stand in solidarity with our sisters and brothers overseas fighting for a more just world.
“Along my journey I’ve been so lucky to have had the support of so many volunteers and visited so many parishes across Westminster diocese. Working with the volunteers and sharing CAFOD’s work in parishes has taught me how important CAFOD is to the life of the Church.
“But our fight for a more just world continues, and I’ll be praying for you all as the struggle continues!”
In 2011, Tony visited CAFOD partners in Brazil visiting the Favelas of São Paulo and this trip has continued to inspire him to this day.
Cica Iorio, CAFOD’s country rep for Brazil accompanied Tony on that trip and said a few words about him at the event:
“I was fortunate to travel with Tony to Brazil and it was a wonderful trip because of his energy and passion. Tony had an open heart, listening and taking in all the stories he heard. The beauty of Tony is that he is all of his volunteers and all the diocese when he undertakes his work for CAFOD.”
Tony shared some lines from a prayer attributed to Oscar Romero:
“We cannot do everything and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.
This enables us to do something and to do it well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders, ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.”
But it isn’t just CAFOD where Tony has made his mark, he has also been a tireless supporter of the Justice and Peace Network.
Barbara Kentish, a retired field worker for Westminster Justice and Peace attended the event and spoke about the difference Tony has made to the cause: “Tony has not only given so much to CAFOD, but also to all the issues Justice and Peace campaign on. Tony was fundamental to getting the Westminster Diocese to become Fairtrade and we are so thankful for that.”
Tony will continue to work for CAFOD until the 17 August 2023. It is clear whatever he does next, he will continue to be driven by his passion to tackle injustice.
l-r: Anne Peacey, Sir John Battle, Christine Allen, Fr Dominic Robinson SJ. Photo: Jo Siedlecka, ICN
Source: Ellen Teague, Independent Catholic News
“Our Network is needed more than ever before,” a former MP and Minister of State at the Foreign Office told last weekend’s annual conference of the National Justice and Peace Network of England and Wales. In a talk entitled, ‘Advocacy and Faith Action’, Sir John Battle, an NJPN patron and activist with Leeds Justice and Peace, said: “we need to shift from charitable action to challenging the causes of injustice in line with the preferential option for the poor.”
The 45th annual conference addressed issues crucial to the common good and the well-being of the natural world, with a particular focus on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Commitments at the end included lobbying politicians and leaders in general, involving the Bishops’ Conference, to remind the UK government of its promises in terms of the SDG goals. “No new oil, coal and gas” was another call and a promise to live more simply as individuals and in our communities.
“Work for justice is part of preaching the Gospel.” Christine Allen, Executive Director of CAFOD said in her presentation. Christine works closely with partners around the world, putting the SDGs into practice. A video was played of partner Caritas Brazil, which was founded by Dom Helder Camara, which embraces the SDG principle of ‘leave no one behind’. Caritas Brazil works to tackle social injustice and defend indigenous populations, “who are the primary guardians of forests and rivers,” and promotes the rights of nature as well as human rights. Christine also gave examples of CAFOD’s work with partners in drought-stricken Marsabit, Northern Kenya and in DR Congo with victims of sexual violence in the context of conflict. All of this was applauded by participants.
In another presentation, Brian O’Toole, Director of the Presentation Sisters Justice Desk for Ireland and England, said the International Presentation Association is committed “to respond to ‘the cry of the Earth and to people kept poor’ and it is doing this by embracing the SDGs in a human rights framework, addressing such issues as women and children, care of creation and indigenous peoples.”
The 2023 NJPN conference gathered Justice and Peace campaigners from across England and Wales, taking the theme: ‘Sustainability? Survival or Shutdown’. Held 21-23 July at the Hayes Conference Centre in Swanwick, Derbyshire, there were around 150 participants. Justice and Peace activists from 16 dioceses and from National Justice and Peace Scotland, priests from three missionary societies and six orders of religious sisters joined representatives of CAFOD, CSAN, CARJ, Missio, Pax Christi England and Wales, SVP, Archbishop Romero Trust and the Laudato Si Movement to highlight social justice issues, structural injustice, climate change, conflict, and migration.
The weekend included a screening of ‘The Letter’. The film follows the stories of front-line environmental champions from around the world, each of whom is facing the effects of our planetary crisis, as they come into dialogue with each other and Pope Francis and build new bonds to face the future with hope. A ‘Just Fair’ hosted more than 20 stalls, including Christian Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Justice for Palestine, and Global Justice Now. Ecumenical partners included Christians Aware, Christian Climate Action, Green Christian and Church Action on Poverty.
Of the 12 workshops, Columban Missionaries explored responses to people seeking asylum in the UK in the light of the Illegal Immigration Bill. Westminster J&P introduced materials for bringing the Season of Creation into the life of parishes and schools. Other workshops included, ‘Farming in the Future’, ‘How can we answer Pope Francis’s call to live more simply’, and ‘Being peacemakers in time of war’.
The conference chair was Anne Peacey of Hallam Diocese, vice chair of NJPN. The Conference Mass was celebrated by Fr Dominic Robinson SJ, Chair of Westminster Justice and Peace Commission, accompanied by Columban Fr Ed O’Connell. Fr Dominic highlighted the Hope that Justice and Peace work brings. He talked about “the huge amount of good work going on”, singling out support for asylum seekers and people in need of food banks and advocacy on decarbonisation, “but we need more”. He called for more integration with local Catholic communities. The Liturgy was led by the Lay Community of St Benedict, and involved children’s contribution of artwork, and hymns with a strong theme of social and environmental justice.
Two long-time supporters of NJPN who died very recently were remembered at the Mass – Brian Davies, former Head of Education at CAFOD, and Mike Clarke, former NJPN Treasurer.
Fr Joshtrom Isaac Kureethadam of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development sent a video message to the conference urging participants to promote the SDGs and the Laudato Si Action Platform. “May justice and peace embrace so that the life of all can flourish,” he said.
Tomas Insua of the Laudato Si Movement in Assisi said in a second video message that, “the cry of the poor and the cry of the Earth are deeply connected, and I hope this gathering motivates action for our common home, particularly during the Season of Creation in the Autumn.”
Almost eight years have passed since the international community agreed to take bold and transformative steps to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a UN plan to end poverty while protecting the planet. Yet, only about 12% of SDG goals are on track to be achieved by 2030. The international UN SDG Summit, in September 2023, must mobilise the political commitment and breakthroughs our world desperately needs. The NJPN conference showed how people of faith can support that process.
The overall message of the conference was one of Hope. Participants were urged to bring hope by advocating back in their dioceses for the political will to take human rights and sustainability more seriously.
Hope you can join us for next year’s National Justice and Peace Network Conference: ‘Just Politics’ 19-21 July 2024 Make a note in your diaries now!
Over the next few days we will be publishing the texts of some of the 2023 Conference addresses.
Diocese of Westminster Justice and Peace Commission 