CAFOD’s Day of Recollection

Celebrating our Year of Mercy on Saturday 30 January, 2016

Year of Mercy

In his apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium Pope Francis

proclaimed a vision for the Church that, rather than being a

small and inward looking organisation concerned with its

own affairs, was to be infused with love and joy. The parish,

he writes, “is a community of communities, a sanctuary

where the thirsty come to drink in the midst of their journey,

and a centre of constant missionary outreach.”

May our Day of Recollection also be like a well from which we

may drink the living waters of Christ, so that we may go back

to our parishes to share the good news of lives transformed.

“I want a Church which is poor and for the poor.”

In Evangelii Gaudium Pope Francis says, “God shows the poor

‘his first mercy’. This divine preference has consequences for

the faith life of all Christians… They have much to teach us.

Not only do they share in the sensus fidei, but in their

difficulties they know the suffering Christ. We need to let

ourselves be evangelized by them. The new evangelization is

an invitation to acknowledge the saving power at work in

their lives and to put them at the centre of the Church’s

pilgrim way. We are called to find Christ in them, to lend our

voice to their causes, but also to be their friends, to listen to

them, to speak for them and to embrace the mysterious

wisdom which God wishes to share with us through them.”

In Laudato Si’ Pope Francis writes to the world, to all people

of good will. Continuing the work of his predecessors, this

encyclical reviews of the state of the world. Pope Francis

proclaims a vision of the life we should aspire to, with a

message of the care of God’s creation: our common home.

The Year of Mercy gives us a special time—an extraordinary

year of jubilee—when we may share the joy of building God’s

kingdom on Earth, for all people, through God’s mercy. Mercy

is the condition and means to achieve ‘life in all its fullness’.

Programme

2:00pm Tea and Coffee

2:30pm Welcome and Introductions

Living Waters

2:45pm Exploring Uganda

It is always a delight to hear first hand experience of the

people and projects we support. Mark Chamberlain has been

there and met those who are helping, spoken with them and

written their stories. He joins us today to share them with us.

3:30pm Sharing the good news in our parishes

3:45pm Big Tap Photo Call

Pilgrimage

4:00pm Pilgrimage to Paris

Judith Tooth shares some reflections on her experience on

pilgrimage, including taking our petitions to Paris and

presenting them to the summit host, President Hollande.

4:10pm A global agreement on Climate Change

After launching this campaign with us, Rob Elsworth returns.

He will share his experience of lobbying the United Nations

with the Holy See. He will also share CAFOD’s evaluation of

the outcomes of what we hope is a historic global summit.

4:50pm From Paris to our parishes

5:00pm Refreshments

Forgiveness

5:15pm “For those things I have failed to do”

5:45pm “I ask my brothers and sisters to pray for me”

6:00pm Preparing for Mass

6:30pm You are welcome to stay for the parish vigil Mass.

Prayer for the Holy Year

Almighty Father, so gracious and generous,

you tell us to be holy as you are holy.

Please help us to be holy like your beloved son, Jesus.

Abba Father, be merciful to us,

pour down your graces and blessings on us all this Holy Year.

Lord Jesus, true God and true man,

you are one with the Father.

Teach us to live loving and holy lives,

to be compassionate and to show mercy towards

all people especially the poor and the marginalised.

Come Holy Spirit come,

who proceeds from the Father and the Son,

Draw us closer to Jesus and his Father.

May we experience the love of God

who consoles, pardons and instils hope.

Loving Father, we thank you,

Lord Jesus, we love you,

Holy Spirit, we need you.

Lord God, have mercy on us.

Amen.

Diana Sutherland/CAFOD supporter

A present for a child being baptised

A glass of water and having a shower are things

we take for granted. This gift of Water for a

Family provides something that’s essential to life

– drinking water that won’t kill them. Not only

that, but they provide clean water to wash in,

keeping everyone safe from infection.

http://tinyurl.com/World-Gift-Baptism

Prayer of Pope Francis for the Jubilee of Mercy (Part 1)

Lord Jesus Christ,

you have taught us to be merciful like the heavenly Father,

and have told us that whoever sees you sees him.

Show us your face and we will be saved.

Your loving gaze freed Zacchaeus and Matthew

from being enslaved by money;

the adulteress and Magdalene

from seeking happiness only in created things;

made Peter weep after his betrayal,

and assured Paradise to the repentant thief.

Let us hear, as if addressed to each one of us,

the words that you spoke to the Samaritan woman:

“If you knew the gift of God!”

£33

Living Waters

What is your name? ____________________________

God knows us, he formed us in the womb, he calls us by

name. We are baptised into his family. We are his Church.

In his first publication, Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis

stated his vision for the Church. He wrote:

“In virtue of their baptism, all the members of the People of God have

become missionary disciples (cf. Mt 28:19)… All of us are called to

offer others an explicit witness to the saving love of the Lord, who

despite our imperfections offers us his closeness, his word and his

strength, and gives meaning to our lives... what has helped you to live

and given you hope, is what you also need to communicate to others.”

Bible reference: 1 Cor. 10:1-6, 10-12 (Third Sunday of Lent)

John 4:1-30 —Jesus talks with the woman at the well.

John 13: 1-15—Jesus washes the disciples feet.

Sharing the good news in our parishes

We aim to raise just under £4 million to spend improving

access to water, sanitation and hygiene in Uganda,

DRC and Zimbabwe. Working directly with 334,000

people (174,400 women and girls 159,600 men

and boys) and indirectly with 638,860 people.

All three programmes are based in the poorest and most

remote areas of the country. In these areas, poor sanitation

is one of the main causes of infant mortality, the area in DRC

has the highest child mortality in the world. Each area is also

vulnerable to food shortages as a result of the lack of water.

Zimbabwe and DRC also have problems with lack of

infrastructure making travel and humanitarian aid difficult.

In Zimbabwe communities regularly have to travel all the

way to Zambezi river to let their cattle drink. Children, who

are often in charge of herding cattle, suffer from exhaustion

and are also at risk of being attacked by crocodiles.

What are the benefits?

We know that women feel much better able to care for their

children when there is a water source nearby, and instances

of domestic violence appear to be significantly reduced.

Each region should feel the benefits of better health, more

children attending school, especially girls.

Women growing in confidence through taking on

responsibility and becoming actively engaged in the economy

through growing vegetables.

Communities growing in strength and skills to engage with

local and district governments working to bring more and

better services to their communities.

Lent in our parishes

Who will speak at Mass? _________________________

How else will you share the stories you have heard?

Recruit assistants to hand out the gift envelopes

Create a story board for the notice board

Host a Lenten lunches or a series of lunches

Use CAFOD’s Stations of the Cross reflections

How will you use the theme of water as an opportunity

to make a connection to CAFOD’s work during Lent?

Organise a Walk for Water pilgrimage.

Promote World Gifts ideas as Baptism presents.

Host a non-alcoholic drinks party.

Organise another water related fundraising activity.

Promote Water Awareness on 22 March—perhaps as a

special prayer activity for the Tuesday of Holy Week.

Pilgrimage

Prayer of Pope Francis for the Jubilee of Mercy (Part 2)

You are the visible face of the invisible Father,

of the God who manifests his power

above all by forgiveness and mercy:

let the Church be your visible face in the world,

its Lord risen and glorified.

You willed that your ministers

would also be clothed in weakness

in order that they may feel compassion

for those in ignorance and error:

let everyone who approaches them

feel sought after, loved, and forgiven by God.

Bible reference: Deut. 26:4-6; Luke 4:1-13 (First Sunday of Lent)

Luke 9:28-36 - The Transfiguration (Second Sunday of Lent)

Priorities Outcome

A long term

decarbonisation goal

Art.4.1 “achieve a balance

between anthropogenic emissions

by sources and removals by sinks

of greenhouse gases in the

second half of this century..."

A review mechanism

every 5 years

Art.4.9 “communicate a nationally

determined contribution every 5

years... informed by the

outcomes of the global

stocktake."

Certainty on climate

finance

(pre and post 2020)

Decision “developed countries

intend to continue their existing

collective mobilization goal

through 2025... prior to 2025 the

COP... shall set a new collective

quantified goal from a floor of US

$100bn per year."

A 1.5 degree temperature

targets

Art.2.1a “Holding the increase in

global average temperature to

well below 2°C above pre-

industrial levels and to pursue

efforts to limit the temperature

increase to 1.5°C above pre-

industrial levels..."

Legal form

(i.e. it’s legally binding)

Art.4.2 “Parties shall pursue

domestic mitigation measures,

with the aim of achieving the

objectives of such contributions”

Renewable energy

playing a role

Decision “Acknowledging the

need to promote universal access

to sustainable energy in

developing countries”

Which LiveSimply

Action will you organise

in your parish this Lent?

_______________________________________________

___________________________________________

Some LiveSimply ideas:

Hold a creation prayer vigil on the first of the month.

Walk between prayer sites (e.g. churches) in your parish.

Grow your own harvest festival vegetables.

Switch electricity to a sustainable energy provider.

Sign up to CAFOD’s MP Correspondent scheme.

At baptisms include a reflection on the preciousness of

water in solidarity with those for whom water is scarce.

Include prayers for creation in your intercessions.

Turn the thermostat down one or two degrees.

Include a live simply tip of the week in the bulletin.

Encourage recycling of parish service sheets/newsletters.

Add some bicycle racks to your church buildings.

Join one of CAFOD’s Connect2 schemes—e.g. Peru.

Convert your parish to become a Fairtrade parish.

Hold a hunger lunch or organise a parish Emmaus meal.

For more information visit: http://livesimplyaward.org.uk

Forgiveness

Prayer of Pope Francis for the Jubilee of Mercy (Part 3)

Send your Spirit and consecrate

every one of us with its anointing,

so that the Jubilee of Mercy

may be a year of grace from the Lord,

and your Church, with renewed enthusiasm,

may bring good news to the poor,

proclaim liberty to captives and the oppressed,

and restore sight to the blind.

We ask this of you, Lord Jesus, through the intercession of Mary,

Mother of Mercy; you who live and reign with the Father and the

Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.

Copyright Pontifical Council for the Promotion of New Evangelization,

Vatican State. All rights reserved.

Bible reference: John 8:1-11 (Fifth Sunday of Lent).

“For those things I have failed to do.”

It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.

The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our

vision.

We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent

enterprise that is God's work.

Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying that the Kingdom

always lies beyond us.

No statement says all that could be said. No prayer fully expresses our

faith. No confession brings perfection…

We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing

that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very 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.

- part of the prayer attributed to Oscar Romero

Bible reference: Matthew 25—Judgement of Nations

Luke 15:1-3, 11-32—The Prodigal Son (Forth Sunday).

“I ask my brothers and sisters to pray for me.”

Who will be your prayer partner for Fast Day?

______________________________________________

Tel: __________________________________________

Email: ________________________________________

Post: _________________________________________

Corporal Acts of Mercy:

Feed the Hungry.

Give drink to the thirsty.

Aid and clothe the naked and destitute.

Welcome the refugee.

Visit and care for the sick.

Rehabilitate prisoners.

Bury the dead.

Coming up:

Would you host a deanery-area

gathering for CAFOD volunteers,

campaigners and supporters?

We want to hold a small tea-party or coffee

morning each month in a different part of

the diocese, coming to see you, and

spending 90 minutes focusing on a different

aspect of our work, over ‘a cuppa’.

What would this involve?

Working with Stephen (Community Participation Coordinator) to

pick a suitable date.

Finding a venue for us—it could be the parish hall, in the

presbytery or a local coffee shop.

Providing tea and coffee, or at least hot water.

Putting a notice in your parish newsletter—so that people know

they are welcome to attend—and inviting people to join us.

There are some topics we would like to look at, over the course of

the year, and you are most welcome to suggest other things.

Would you like to host a:

Speaking in Church workshop.

Get your MP to work for you.

Becoming a LiveSimply Parish.

Is there anything else that CAFOD could help you with?

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

CAFOD

Community Participation Coordinator:

Stephen Matthews

Email: smatthews@cafod.org.uk

Telephone: 01223 358522

Mobile: 07779 804 252

Address:

Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology

14 Grange Road

Cambridge, CB3 9DU