Mosaic Magazine 2020 by RCWestminster

Lent 2020

Your acts of kindness are like pieces in God’s mosaic of hope in action around the Diocese

”Every school told me: ‘We have children who come to class hungry’” Anna, Coordinator of Caritas Food Programme

Hunger was a focus of the Cardinal’s Lenten Appeal 2019 and, since then, the crisis has intensified. Thanks to you, pilot schools in each of the Diocese’s seven hubs have opened their doors during the half-term holidays. Children and their parents have prepared a shared meal, and taken food home. As we get ready to involve more schools this year, read how your gifts are helping. Across the Diocese, people are going hungry. Children are arriving at school having had nothing to eat. They’re in no state to turn their minds to learning. Or even to play. Many of us are trying to help those in need by volunteering, donating and by remembering people who are struggling in our prayers. But, this year, thanks to your suppor t for the Cardinal’s Lenten Appeal, we’ve been able to strengthen our support for people who are suffering from food pover ty. Our work runs across three areas – providing food to those in need, helping to secure their financial situation

so they won’t fall into crisis again, and speaking out on behalf of vulnerable people whose voices aren’t heard in our society. On p2-3, you’ll hear from Anna, above, who has played a leading role in setting up the new school activity clubs. Open up to find out more. This Lent, please give generously and offer hope to people who are suffering.

Contents 2 The door is open! Our new school holiday activity clubs… 4 Five years of your generosity 6 Supporting people with intellectual disabilities 8 Your comments

No child should go hungry during the holidays… During term time, children at least get a nourishing free school meal. But the holidays can be a time of hunger – especially when parents doing shift work or on zero hours contracts aren’t able to earn money because they’re caring for their children. Your gifts to the Cardinal Lenten’s Appeal 2019 have helped launch a new initiative – school holiday activity clubs, where children and parents can have fun together, share a meal and take home food to help see them through the holidays. It’s no small job to turn a good idea into reality. For five months, Anna worked with other members of the Caritas team to build par tnerships with schools and other charities. Volunteers in each area were recruited and the first seven school holiday activity clubs took place in October 2019. They opened again in February, and we’re making plans for the summer, with a view to setting up more.

700,000 children in

London live in poverty The main reasons for using a food bank are: • Low wages and high housing costs – people working several jobs may not be able to afford essentials like food and heating. • Universal Credit: the new scheme being rolled out countrywide, includes a minimum five-week wait for money. During this time, a family may have nothing to live on. • The benefits system is complex and it is easy to make mistakes. Being sanctioned can result in a family’s payments being reduced or cancelled. No one wants to use a food bank. It’s a last resor t. Many people feel a deep sense of shame they can’t feed their families.

Anna, Coordinator of the Caritas Food Programme, takes us to the first school holiday activity clubs, which took place in seven schools in October 2019. It’s Monday. It’s 5.30am and I’m awake. After five months of careful planning and putting everything in place, today is the first of our seven school holiday activity clubs. First, a trip to buy the fresh food which children and their families will prepare, share and enjoy together. The car is full! The first club is in a school in Kenton, in the Nor th West of the Diocese. Our doors open at 11am. The children and parents get busy with some craft activities. Children and parents join in preparing the lunch. There’s a huge green salad and a vat of coleslaw. Each child makes their own ‘pizza’ from some French bread and toppings.

Children get to decorate and eat a yummy biscuit!

In total, we distribute 409 meals over the course of the week.

In the afternoon, there’s a spor ts activity. And while the children are playing, the parents can receive information about a useful topic – like joining a Credit Union or accessing local dentistry services.

Thank you for donating to the Cardinal’s Lenten appeal. We’re grateful to you and all our friends and par tners – our volunteers, The Felix Project, QPR Community Trust and the Borehamwood Food bank for sharing their knowledge.

Families have the chance to take home unwanted food that is donated by the Felix Project, a par tner charity. At 2pm, it’s time to say goodbye and, for our amazing volunteers, time to tidy up. On Tuesday, we go again. This time we’re in King’s Cross. We keep going through half term (which is the following week in Her tfordshire) – White City, Kilburn, Feltham, Stevenage and Borehamwood. At some clubs, the teachers are so concerned about hunger that they attend even though it’s the holidays. One family tells us, “This is the best time we’ve ever spent together as a family”.

MOSAIC • Lent 2020

50,000 lives changed, restored, renewed and inspired by you… Five years ago, we launched the first ever Cardinal’s Appeal. Your generosity has been incredible, and you’ve supported three vital pillars of the Church – Marriage and Family Life, Youth and Evangelisation, and Service in Society.

Without you, none of this would be possible…

families facing difficulties have been on retreat and given a safe space to grow closer again. There have been

six

weekends run for couples whose marriages have reached crisis point.

20,000

people in need in local communities around the Diocese have been reached by projects run by parishes and Caritas Westminster

The chance to build up a company The Social Innovation and Enterprise Hub – two years’ funding Your amazing suppor t means people from disadvantaged backgrounds have the chance to receive training and business suppor t. You’re helping them set up in business or get a job, and play an active role in the community.

150

couples have received marriage counselling

4,000

secondary school pupils have attended marriage workshops presented by married couples

8,600

people living in pover ty have received food parcels, and hundreds of families have learned new skills at holiday clubs.

A precious night’s sleep Hope for Southall Street Homeless – three years’ funding All year round, the Southall Street shelter opens its doors to people who are homeless and have nowhere to go. With your suppor t, Night Workers have been employed to ensure it’s a safe place to stay.

Over

11,000

nights’ accommodation provided in Southall parish to the most vulnerable street homeless, with over

100

referrals to NHS and local suppor t services.

Helping young people find their path John F Kennedy Catholic School, Hemel Parishes & Diocesan Youth Service As a result of your kindness, a Leader of Youth Ministry was employed. Young people took par t in all kinds of activities – from the creation of a wilderness garden, to retreats and reflections – that helped them explore their spirituality.

Eight

youth chaplains were trained and served over

300

redcaps in Lourdes in 2019.

Reaching out to vulnerable young people The Courtyard project – three years’ funding Yo

ice

ety

Projects

nge l i sa t i on

Serv

15 Projects

Eva

£1.64m

Projects

& F Mar am r i

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Your gifts helped parishes reach out into the community and star t conversations with vulnerable young people – with the aim of enabling them to gain a deeper sense of purpose.

10,000

young people have deepened their faith through Youth Ministry in schools and parishes.

Singing with joy Church of Christ the King, Cockfosters Thanks to you, young voices are singing in praise to the Lord! With a grant from the Cardinal’s Lenten Appeal, the parish bought audio and visual equipment for young musicians to use. More children are now attending mass, and everyone is enjoying the music!

Inspiration and leadership

Diocese-wide initiative for World Youth Day At the start of 2019, 17 young people from the Diocese travelled to Panama for World Youth Day thanks to matched funding from the Cardinal’s Lenten Appeal, topping up funds raised in their parishes. For many, this was the beginning of their mission to share their faith and offer leadership to others. Several have already set up youth groups in their parishes.

300

sixth formers in Hackney have reached out to serve

700

vulnerable and older people in their local community

5 MOSAIC • Lent 2020

“God loves everyone here … and everyone here loves God.” Gail, Centre Manager, Caritas St Joseph’s

Cuts in funding have hit disabled adults hard. “There aren’t many places for them to go,” explains Gail Williams, Centre Manager at Caritas St Joseph’s. But thanks to you, people with intellectual disabilities can make friends, gain new skills and explore their spirituality at St Joseph’s Pastoral Centre, Hendon. There’s a warm, friendly atmosphere at St Joseph’s. As you walk around, one class is doing Music and Movement. In the studio, people are making ceramics. And in every room, you can see beautiful things that the students have made. St Joseph’s has come a long way since its humble beginnings forty years ago. Back then a boy was born with Down Syndrome to a local family. It may be shocking to us now, but his parents were advised to leave their baby to die in hospital. They refused, bringing him home, determined to offer him a future. As practicing Catholics, they wanted their son to know God as he grew up, but they felt existing catechism classes weren’t appropriate. To meet the need, St Joseph’s Outreach Team was set up. Their mission was to bring disabled children and adults back from the fringes, and embrace them in the hear t of our parishes. Later, courses at the pastoral centre began with a Saturday ar t class. Today, 200 students are enrolled in classes and 48 courses are on offer, ranging from vocational qualifications to leisure and therapeutic activities. Behind it all there’s a strong Catholic ethos.

“That opportunity to explore their spirituality is attractive to all our students and their families, whether or not they have a faith,” explains Gail. Gail, who began in the Outreach Team, has been the Centre Manager at St Joseph’s for seven years. She understands the difficult lives people with intellectual difficulties lead. She works closely with families, and is acutely aware of the pressures they’re under – financially and socially. “It can be very sad to see families grappling with a complex and confusing social care system,” she says. “Some people who come here are labelled ‘challenging’, but I don’t like that. The way I see it, that behaviour most likely comes from frustration. If you have no words, you have to find an outlet.”

Many people with intellectual disabilities have few oppor tunities to go out. “Here, they’re safe, and their families know they’re safe,” says Gail. “Our aim is to give them the chance to blossom.” But there are pressures on the centre itself. “Ever y year, it gets harder to make the sums add up,” explains Gail. With your continued suppor t, people with intellectual disabilities will have the chance to be in a place where their talents can be developed and celebrated. This year, thanks to the generosity of donors to the Cardinal’s Lenten Appeal, Gail is able to fund a new Outreach Worker to go out into parishes and suppor t adults with intellectual disabilities and their families.

A path that leads to Christ No one should be left out of our faith. Gail says, “For every 1,000 people in a congregation, there are likely to be 20 families that live with or care for an adult or child with a disability. But where are they?” At Caritas St Joseph’s, there’s a chance for everyone to explore faith and find a path to the Lord.

Please support this year’s Cardinal’s Lenten Appeal and help us reach out to vulnerable and forgotten people across the Diocese.

“Jesus said, ‘Listen to me’,” explains Gail. “He didn’t say, ‘Read this’. That means his teachings are accessible to everyone. “When I’m catechising, I talk about how the Church talks to us without speaking. Take the colour purple, for example. It has many meanings. When we think about it during Lent, it’s a sorry colour and we remember everything we’ve done and want to do better.

world. In death, it’s remembering those who have gone but who are still with us. “If you walk into the Church and you see purple, you can think about what time of year it is and what the Church is saying to you. “This is one of the ways we open up the Lord’s teaching to people with intellectual disabilities so they can draw closer to Him. “People with intellectual disabilities mustn’t be left out or forgotten. They are equal in the eyes of God and their hearts are open.”

“In Advent, it’s a happy colour because it’s a colour of waiting and hope. We’re waiting for the Christ child to bring hope to the

MOSAIC • Lent 2020

What you can do this Lent With a gift to the Cardinal’s Lenten Appeal, you can help vulnerable people across the Diocese. Give now using the form enclosed or at www.CardinalsLentenAppeal.org.uk ou may already be active in your parish and community, but there is always a Y need for volunteers. If you can help, visit www.caritaswestminster.org.uk/volunteer Don’t forget the power of prayer! Please remember our work in your prayers.

“ Mosaic inspires me that my Church is alive and active in society.”

Another mosaic of hope…

Last year, many people were kind enough to share their thoughts on Mosaic and the Cardinal’s Lenten Appeal. Here are some of the comments we received:

This beautiful mosaic was recently on display at Westminster Cathedral. It’s the work of artist Pete Codling and he’s using a technique from the 4th-5th century.

“I really appreciate the work being done to help others in need through the Cardinal’s Appeal. I am happy to be part of it and to help in any small way to make a success of it.”

Keep up the good work. I am proud to support the Cardinal’s Lenten Appeal!

“ Thank you for prov iding this pathway to help pe ople who are so close and yet, in their life circumstances, so far from the comfortabl e lives we have been blessed with.”

“It’s a scandal people in our affluent society are going hungry and I am happy to help in your efforts to remedy this situation.” port the be able totosup y to l so happpp support the “ I“ fee y to be able I feel so haAp gift.” all rdinal’s peal with a asm small gift.” Ca Cardinal’s Appeal with Please share your thoughts today. Thank you.

Each copy of Mosaic costs around 6p to print and helps us to raise even more precious donations. Donors often tell us they appreciate hearing how we have used the gifts entrusted to us, and we are conscious of our duty to be wise stewards of the funds you donate. When you have finished reading, please put Mosaic into the recycling, or pass it on to someone else.

“It opens out like a mobile altarpiece,” explains Pete. The mosaic, entitled ‘The God Who Speaks’, shows the Trinity on the outside. As you open up, you see the Angel Gabriel speaking to Mary at the Annunciation. Inside, you’ll see New Testament stories. On the back, there is an image of the gates of heaven and hell. Finally, there is a panoramic picture of the resurrection. Made for the Year of the Word, it was par t of the Scripture Roadshow, par tly funded by the Cardinal’s Appeal, helping people across the Diocese engage with Scripture.

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“It is sad that suc h nee d exists, but rath er tha n bein g sho cke d and help less, the Chu rch is steppin g up. Mo saic insp ires me that my Chu rch is alive and act ive in soc iety. Lon g may this continu e.”