Westminster Record
July 2017 | 20p
Inter-faith Iftar
Newman House at Fifty
Caring for Seafarers
Page 7
Pages 10 & 11
Page 16
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When fire broke out in a flat on the fourth floor of Grenfell Tower in North Kensington in the early hours of Wednesday 14th June, no one could have imagined the calamitous proportions it would take or the suffering it would cause. While it may take months and years for the full proportions of this tragedy to become known, what quickly emerged was the generous response: from the emergency response teams who worked tirelessly and selflessly around the clock to rescue residents and who continue the recovery effort, from the NHS teams who treated the victims, from members of the local community who rushed to offer help and support to their neighbours, from strangers who came from across and beyond London to volunteer and to offer practical support to those affected by the fire.
The cross near the sanctuary as a memorial to all who had died, with a large stone for each of the 24 floors of the tower and a small stone for each of the 120 families
Although not an official respite centre, St Francis of Assisi Church, Notting Hill quickly opened its doors to anyone looking for a place to rest, a friendly ear, something to eat or a place to charge a mobile phone. Caritas Westminster team members and volunteers quickly flocked to the church to offer whatever assistance they could. As Fr Gerard Skinner writes in these pages, people came from as far away as Essex and Suffolk bringing donations of food, clothing, toiletries, and toys for the residents who fled the burning tower with just the clothes on their backs. The response was so overwhelming and the parish barricaded by all the donations left in front of the gates that messages were posted thanking people for their generosity and asking them not to bring anything more. Parishes from around the diocese offered to take up a collection and many individuals contacted the diocesan offices offering to contribute towards the emergency relief fund. One man rang from Wales, saying although he realised he was far away, he was offering space in his home to residents left homeless by the fire. St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School, inside the police cordon, could not be accessed. Sion-Manning Girls’ School, in St Charles Square, quickly rallied round offering to take in the entire school, so that pupils might return to some semblance of routine. The Catholic Children’s Society, also based in
© Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk
Praying for Grenfell
St Charles Square, rushed to offer practical support and counselling to pupils and teachers affected. Donations of school supplies for the pupils who had lost everything came from a number of schools from around the diocese, including St Edmund’s College, Ware, who sent a van loaded with school books and stationery. Children too have shown remarkable generosity. Many students brought in toys to console a classmate who had fled the fire and had nothing left. Schools around the diocese organised a non-uniform day and other activities to raise funds. As the sun began to rise on the morning of 14th June and while the tower was still burning, Fr Peter Wilson and Fr Peter Scott rushed to the scene to offer prayers, comfort and support. Joined by Fr Gerard Skinner who had cut short his travels to return to his parish, they spent the day listening to
the men and women of the emergency services who repeatedly entered the building trying to rescue residents still inside. Before leaving that afternoon, they prayed Psalm 23 as near to the tower as they could. They returned in the following days to continue to pray, listen and offer comfort. Bishop John Wilson visited the area on Friday 16th June, spending time at each of the affected schools and parishes offering prayers, and at the site speaking with the emergency service personnel and thanking them for their heroic efforts. A Mass was planned for the Saturday, as a focal point of prayer for the community, and word quickly spread. Celebrating the Mass, Cardinal Vincent focused on the importance of prayer, especially in dark and difficult times. ‘Jesus died in darkness, feeling abandoned, giving a loud and terrible cry. That cry was a great prayer for us all and it still
echoes today,’ he said. He acknowledged the anguish that many were feeling, especially those among the congregation who had fled the fire, those who lost loved ones, and those whose hope of finding their loved ones alive were quickly fading. He encouraged them to turn their anger into an energy for good. After Mass, as he greeted each person with words of comfort, many were heard thanking him for his presence among them, as a visible sign of the Church and of the cohesion of the Catholic community. They expressed too their appreciation for the opportunity to pray together as one community. It is this prayer which sustains the community in this time of loss and grief, and will provide the necessary strength in the months and years to come to begin the task of rebuilding shattered lives and healing deep wounds. Additional coverage pp 4-5