All are welcome to join Christians for Palestine in the Christian Bloc at the Ceasefire Now rally for Gaza on Saturday 15th February 2025.
We gather for prayers at 12.30pm at St Matthew’s Church Westminster, 20 Great Peter St, London SW1P 2BU before joining the main body of the march to walk to the US Embassy.
To receive future updates on all actions with Christians for Palestine please register for the mailing list: ChristiansForPalestineUK@gmail.com
Christians for Palestine Facebook Page
At this webinar, participants will learn a little more about the insidious issue of Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery in the UK and importantly what we can do as ‘Pilgrims of Hope’ during this Jubilee Year to help victims of Human Trafficking as we shine a light on this important issue.
Brian O’ Toole, who is a member of the National Justice and Peace Network (NJPN), Act to Prevent Trafficking (APT Ireland) and the Religious in Europe Networking Against Trafficking in Europe (RENATE) and Talitha Kum will be hosting this webinar entitled: Open the Doors to Freedom from Trafficking and Exploitation on Thursday 6 February 2025 at 7pm.
Register here: https://tinyurl.com/3ps67cec
St James’s Chamber Orchestra present a concert of Baroque Music by Candlelight – with pieces by Vivaldi, Handel, Albinoni, Bach and Purcell – at the Ukrainian Holy Family Cathedral, Duke Street, London W1K 5BQ on Sunday, 9 February at 7.30pm.
This is a major fundraising drive in aid of assisting displaced Ukrainian nationals and families supported by the Ukrainian Eparchy and its Welcome Centre.
Buy tickets online from: www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/duke-street/ukrainian-cathedral/ukrainian-welcome-centre-charity-concert-sunday-9-february-2025/2025-02-09/19:30/t-rpvzger
Or order by phone: 0333 666 4466.
LINKS
Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral: https://parish.rcdow.org.uk/ukrainianchurch/
Ukrainian Welcome Centre: www.ukrainianwelcomecentre.org/
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
Join us for an afternoon of panel discussions and workshops, spiritual connection, music, dance and poetry, creative work, and stalls showcasing the work that faiths are doing for the planet. Hosted by Faith for the Climate, Christian Climate Action and Quakers in Britain.
The event is free, and the venue is accessible for wheelchair users and people with other mobility issues. If there will be other barriers to you joining us (e.g. travel costs or travel schedules for your journey or being responsible for children), please email mobilise@faithfortheclimate.org.uk.
We want to learn so that we can improve the events that we organise. If you could please answer the monitoring questions when you sign-up that would be really appreciated!
Breakouts
There will be an opportunity to choose from 4 breakout sessions to take part in:
1) Healing Ourselves During Challenging Times (a series of activities you can do at your own pace) – nurturing your existing spiritual resources and learning from other traditions.
2) Bridging the Divide: How Faiths Can Come Together (panel and discussion) – building new, and refreshing existing, faith connections.
3) Starting With Our Local Environment (panel and discussion) – hear from groups already taking local action about their projects and how faith values connect with this.
4) National and International campaigns (panel and discussion) – learning about campaigns that are focused on justice-based action on climate.
You will be able to indicate which stream you would like to take part in when you register.
Agenda
12:30 – 13:30 Registration and stalls
13:30 – 14:00 Welcome, housekeeping and opening
14:00 – 14:45 Plenary
14:45 – 15:05 Break
15:05 – 16:35 Breakout streams
16:35 – 16:55 Break
16:55 – 17:15 Regrouping
17:15 – 18:00 Performance and closing
Link
Join Pax Christi England and Wales, the Passionist Community, and Pax Christi International for an event aimed at amplifying the voices of the Christian community in the Holy Land, on Tuesday, 26th November at 3.30pm GMT (UK) / 5.30 PM Palestine Time.
Speakers:
Fr Gabriel Romanelli, IVE, Parish Priest of the Holy Family Parish, Gaza
Sami Al-Yousef, Chief Executive Officer, Latin Patriarchate, Jerusalem
As the war reaches its 416th day, Christians in the region face unimaginable hardships. Yet their unwavering faith remains a beacon of hope. This gathering provides us with the opportunity to hear directly from those enduring these harrowing times, as they share their struggles, hopes, and resilience.
Through the testimonies of Fr Gabriel Romanelli and Sami Al-Yousef, we will bear witness to the profound humanitarian and spiritual crisis affecting the Christian community in Gaza.
This event is more than a call to awareness: it is an invitation to act, to pray, and to stand in solidarity with those who continue to endure, love, and hope against all odds.
To register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwuf-GprjIqHdV1H-JscRszv_uYSJeL5Jgz#/registration
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:
| Date | Details |
| ? | 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. |
| 3/11 | A boy died from exhaustion in hospital, having arrived at El Hierro (Spain) by boat from West Africa one day earlier; 83 survived. |
| 4/11 | 134 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. |
| 5/11 | 15 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). |
| 6/11 | Dinh 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. |
| 8/11 | 17 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. |
| 9/11 | A 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. |
| 10/11 | A man’s body was found by journalists while reporting in the Kupa Riverbed in Netretić (Croatia) on the Croatia-Slovenia border. |
| 11/11 | 7 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. |
| 12/11 | A 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. |
| 13/11 | 7 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. |
| 14/11 | 11 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). |
| 15/11 | A 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. |
| 16/11 | 19 people from Algeria drowned when a boat went missing on the way to the Balearic Islands (Spain) after embarkation from Algiers (Algeria). |
| 17/11 | 35 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. |
| 19/11 | 18 people from north Africa went missing on the way to Alicante (Spain) after embarkation from Tipaza (Algeria). |
| 20/11 | A 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. |
| 21/11 | A 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. |
| 22/11 | Mulu 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. |
| 26/11 | Mikhail 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. |
| 27/11 | A person from Egypt was found frozen to death in the outskirts of Sofia (Bulgaria), part of group of 10 migrants; 9 survived. |
| 29/11 | A 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. |
Sign up to receive email news & alerts of changes or cancellation at: homeofficevigil@gmail.com
Is the Assisted Suicide Bill about Compassion, Giving Choice and Dignity?
Calling All People of Faith and those of None. The Catholic Union and Farm Street Church have organised an important event on Sunday 24 November, 3-5pm at Farm Street Church, 114 Mount Street, London W1K 3AH.
Come and hear from experts in the field who have serious concerns about a possible change in the law. Our panel includes:
– Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE DL, multi gold medal winning paralympic athlete and advocate for disability rights
– Dr Matthew Doré, Consultant Palliative Care Physician
– Professor Julian Hughes, Former Consultant Old Age Psychiatrist
– Professor David Albert Jones, Professor of Bioethics.
Panel Discussion with some Q&A at the end. Livestreaming available by visiting www.farmstreet.org.uk/livestream
Book with Eventbrite
Please note that the event will be livestreamed, filmed, recorded and photographed.
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.
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
Diocese of Westminster Justice and Peace Commission 