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Tributes pour in for Sister of Mercy who has died after being hit by a car

Sr Ita Keane with Saidul Haque Saeed of Citizens UK Bham

Sister Ita Keane of St Mary’s Convent in Handsworth, Birmingham, has died after a collision on a city street. The 74-year-old had been crossing a road in the Aston area of Birmingham when she was struck by a vehicle on Friday afternoon (April 26) and died in hospital a few hours later.

Sr Ita was a well known community activist, involved with Citizens UK Birmingham. The organisation paid tribute to her on Twitter : “Very sad news. The amazing Sr Ita Keane of St Mary's Convent passed away yesterday. She was our rock & a dedicated Organiser building the power of poor families in the city. Our prayers & thoughts are with the Sisters of Mercy family & her loved ones… Everyone is in shock & will deeply miss her. The Sisters of Mercy are at the heartbeat of broad based community organising in Brum.”

The Citizens UK Organiser in Birmingham, Saidul Haque Saeed added: “Sr Ita no longer with us. I've lost a great mentor & a dear friend, who helped me become a better Organiser. Still in shock. Hurts!”

Councillor Khalid Mahmood, of Perry Barr also paid tribute to Sr Ita, describing her as a “hard-working community member” who worked tirelessly to help young children in the community, along with pupils at St Francis Catholic Primary School. He said: "She looked after local children and local people and also helped with the school next door; a huge amount of work in the community, she worked tirelessly and beyond her duty….. she will be hugely missed by the community. We have suffered a great loss.”

The Revd David Butterworth of the Methodist Church in Birmingham also paid tribute on Twitter: “A beautiful & very wise Sister who had time & heart for everyone. The Birmingham Methodist District & Birmingham Circuit counted her a close friend, family... Our condolences with all who knew her & especially her family within the Convent.”

Individuals and organisations that Sr Ita came into contact with in the Lozells area of the city have also been expressing their sense of loss. Local resident, Altaf Kazi posted: “Sister Ita Keane- a true legend of Lozells and an advocate of the poor- she lived and died in the service of others.”

The Councillor for Lozells, Waseem Zaffar wrote: “This news has sent shockwaves across #Lozells - Sister Ita was an amazing community activist from our neighbourhood & even at the time of her tragic death, she was in the process of helping a vulnerable local family. I visited St Mary’s Convent this morning to pay my respects.”

A community organisation in Lozells – Aspire & Succeed – which offers after school tuition, youth work and free citizens’ advice added: “Sr Ita was a true hero for us in Lozells, helped shape so many projects currently being delivered, her legacy will live on. Our prayers and love go out to her loved ones and the Sisters of Mercy.”

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Thirty years on the 13th floor for Catherine, a Little Sister of Jesus

“Our vocation is to live a contemplative life, but at the heart of the world, following an ordinary lifestyle; we choose to be in places where people are pushed to the peripheries.”

Regular Friday night drop in with friends & neighbours

Every Friday night an international group of Sisters who live on the 13th floor of an East London tower block open their doors for a community drop in, to share both the Gospel readings for Sunday and food: “We never know who’s going to turn up” says Sr Catherine, who has lived in the flat since 1989.

There are some ‘regulars’ such as a local Anglican woman vicar and Ann, a retired teacher who brings her daughter when she’s back home from her L’Arche community as well as Agnes, Sheila, Margaret, Lien and others: “There’s a real sense of welcome. I think we enrich each other.” Sr Catherine adds : “We want to build friendship & contribute to grassroots reconciliation. When we arrived, the flat had been used as a drugs den, with syringes everywhere.”

The Little Sisters of Jesus try to share the lives of their neighbours, working as cleaners, home carers and in supermarkets and can be spotted down at the Jobcentre when work is hard to come by. Sr Catherine explains: “Our vocation is to live a contemplative life, but at the heart of the world, following an ordinary lifestyle as Jesus lived in Nazareth. Living together in the block which gathers people from different cultures and religions opens up opportunities to meet and to get to know each other. On our corridor there are a majority of Muslim families with whom we are friendly. We choose to be in places where people are pushed to the peripheries.”

Sister Pavla, from the Czech Republic, volunteers at a hospital caring for patients with HIV/AIDS, Sr Pat accompanies refugees from Ghana. She and Sr Claire previously lived in Birmingham and reflect fondly back on when one of the sisters worked as a cleaner at a major city hospital and another in the café at the Aston Villa football ground. “Sometimes people think the Vatican funds our lifestyle” they laugh. “Having ordinary jobs and living in social housing is a way of being on the same wave length as other people. In Hackney we’re currently struggling with a water cylinder in the flat that’s been leaking since October – this is just daily living, with all its grind.”

But there is an added dimension – a chapel on the 13th floor, with daily exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. “For us, the centre of our life is friendship and prayer. We try to bring the love of Jesus wherever we are.”

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Offering vital support in precious last days......and bringing light in the darkest moments

By Sister Siobhan O’Keeffe SHJM

As I ponder on the beautiful gospel message of Martha and Mary, I ask myself ‘how can I, as an apostolic religious Sister, continue to deepen my contemplative life of prayer while serving God’s people in our world today?’

Sr Siobhan : an Easter gift from a patient, a woman in her sixties

I am a Sister of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (Chigwell Sisters). I live in Liverpool and work part-time as a Marie Curie STARS nurse providing palliative care to terminally ill people in their own homes. We are a team of 8 nurses, 3 admin workers and a number of Carers who support people in the last 3 months of their lives who wish to live out these precious days in the midst of their families, in the privacy of their homes. Patients range in age from 16+.

Each time a referral is placed on my desk, I try to imagine what this diagnosis of a terminal illness means for this person and their families. Some have been ill over a number of years with a chronic condition such as kidney failure, heart failure or respiratory illness. Others may have been newly diagnosed with an aggressive neurological condition or cancer. For each one and their family, it is a life changing event.

Many have good family and local community support; however, a significant number live with the diverse challenges associated with poverty in all its dimensions. Some family situations are very complex where family communication has broken down and the ill person may be faced with travelling this sensitive terminal journey without the necessary social support that they need. On occasion families wish to withhold the ‘truth’ of the diagnosis or prognosis from the person. Deep discernment is needed as I try to sensitively respond to such a challenge. When speaking with the ill person alone, many tell me that they know that ‘time is running out, I am tired and I am ready to go.’ Some people struggle greatly for a period but as time goes on, become more reconciled to their dying. They may fear the impact of their going on their loved ones; family or other relationships or issues may need to be reconciled before they can ‘let go’ in peace.

My day begins with personal prayer and morning Mass at the beautiful Carmelite Monastery a couple of miles from the office. I am deeply aware that I cannot do this work alone and ask for the grace to draw strength from the God of all life in the Eucharist. As I knock on family doors, I often ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as I have no idea what awaits me in each new home. On many occasions I am deeply humbled by the graciousness of the sick, the courage of their families and often in the midst of great loss and suffering, a sense of humour prevails.

A strong team spirit offers mutual support to each one as we face the challenges of each day. As you will appreciate, the level of heartbreak that we witness could be depressing but we support each other especially through the most difficult situations. It is normal as one re-enters the office after a difficult visit to hear a colleague shout out, ‘cup of tea?’ which usually receives an affirmative response. Our occasional pizza evenings or cinema trips also help.

I return home to reflect on my day, rest, pray and savour my deepening need for silence. A part-time STARS role offers me the space to continue my Spirituality and Dementia care and Pastoral Care training to other congregations and allows some time for my creative writing energies to flow.

I appreciate the support of my Sacred Heart Sister family and as the evenings get longer, I look forward to the sound of bird song as I peddle my bike through a local park.

“Please pray for the kind lady who made the cakes...time on earth is very precious for her now.”

FOOTNOTE: Sr Siobhan has recently written a book on loneliness.

I Am With You Always includes a guide to loneliness in Scripture and a series of reflections on how loneliness is experienced across contemporary society. It offers a practical application of scripture to real life challenges and speaks to people across all strata of society.

It is available from www.messenger.ie (Sacred Heart Messenger Press).

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"I will pray, talk about trafficking and keep my eyes open."

“I imagine us as a swarm of bees: a still, dark shape, but when you look more closely, it is in fact a big moving mass of activity: let each one of us do our bit.”

A Sister who attended CoR’s anti-trafficking meeting in Manchester in January, organised a follow up awareness raising day at a prayer centre in Formby, in northwest England. Religious, Priests and lay people from across the region attended, as well as retired Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, who returned to England in the autumn to join his congregation, the Missionaries of Africa or White Fathers, on the opening of their new community in Liverpool.

The day in Formby involved two of the speakers from the Manchester meeting giving presentations again – Brother Francis Patterson of the Medaille Trust and veteran anti-trafficking campaigner, Sr Isabel Kelly; they were joined by Anthony Brown of Caritas in the Diocese of Salford.

Brother Francis, a member of the La Mennais Brothers of Christian Instruction, explained the background to how the Medaille Trust grew out of a meeting of members of religious congregations, who wanted to do something to tackle modern slavery. Since 2006 it has quickly become the largest provider of safe accommodation for trafficked victims in the UK, operating 9 safe houses around the country. Its stated aim is: “the empowerment of women, men and children, who have been freed from human-trafficking and the modern day slavery industry in the UK, enabling them to regain their dignity and self-worth. We do this by providing safe housing and offering opportunities for physical and psychological healing, rehabilitation and protection to the victims in our care.”

Seven of the properties the Medaille Trust houses people in were given by congregations. The scale of involvement by Religious in anti-trafficking was recently revealed in a report by the Arise Foundation. It showed that a total of 29 properties have been donated at a value of well over sixteen million pounds and that 172 members of Religious institutes are involved in frontline services.

Brother Francis outlined the Medaille Trust’s focus on the four ‘Ps’ : Prevention, Protection, Prosecution and Partnerships. He explained how the National Referral Mechanism offers government funding for the victims of modern slavery for 45 days – but that rehabilitation of victims can take years. He recalled the words of Cardinal Turkson at the launch of the Arise report in November : that this issue is not just one of concern for Religious, but it needs to be something we all feel a responsibility to tackle.

Sr Isabel Kelly FMSJ then spoke movingly about the plight of victims. A long time and hugely dedicated campaigner against trafficking, Sr Isabel explained how she developed her knowledge of the issue after the shock of being named as her congregation’s lead on it. She never misses an opportunity to speak out and is in great demand to give talks to parishes and groups. For instance, going out on the bus that has been turned into an awareness raiser for anti trafficking (it used to be the ‘mercy’ bus during the Year of Mercy)!

She recalls: “I went to the bi-centenary of the Abolition of Slavery in Hull and as I sat at my table for lunch, I heard someone say, “I got into this because of a nun!” It was a policeman I had spoken to in 2006 – asking him if he knew anything about human trafficking and if he was doing anything about it!”

Sr Isabel conjured up a powerful image to encourage people not to feel helpless in the face of the scale of human slavery; “I imagine us as a swarm of bees: a still, dark shape, but when you look more closely, it is in fact a big moving mass of activity: let each one of us do our bit.”

Anthony Brown of Caritas in Salford Diocese

Doing “our bit” could be praying, donating or helping to rehabilitate victims. Anthony Brown of Caritas in Salford outlined what he has been doing from parish level upwards. ‘Caritas Anti-Trafficking’ was inspired by an initiative in the parish of Our Lady of the Valley which works with East Lancashire Police in raising awareness on the issue and informing people what to do when they see something that doesn’t look right and probably isn’t: http://www.olotv.org.uk/parish-groups/trafficking

Caritas Anti-Trafficking models itself off this parish group, linking more widely with Greater Manchester Police, the Medaille Trust and the Santa Marta Group in Westminster. It networks widely with charities and groups interested in tackling modern day slavery and raises awareness within parishes and schools and with groups of interested or concerned adults. It also offers advice, signposting and pastoral support to victims.

Caritas Anti-Trafficking notes: “Human trafficking happens here, “hidden in plain sight” and we all have a duty to be aware and report what we see. Moreover, we are all complicit in the poverty and exploitation that fuels human trafficking as Pope Francis tells us in Laudato Si’: “In the absence of objective truths or sound principles other than the satisfaction of our own desires and immediate needs, what limits can be placed on human trafficking, organized crime, the drug trade, commerce in blood diamonds…”

The people who attended the Formby meeting were invited to give feedback on what they had learned; the comments included: “I learnt how widespread slavery is and how much work is going on to combat it;” “how much the problem is increasing;” “all the speakers were very informative and I found Sr Isabel particularly engaging and enlightening;” “I learnt about the reluctance of victims to speak out, because of fear and shame;” “I was struck by the lack of a joined up approach by all the groups involved in anti-trafficking; the Church – national and local – should raise the profile of this problem;” “it heightened my awareness of the reality of this evil – and that so much is being done to try to spread awareness;” “the variety of organisations involved and the importance of networking;” “it gave me an awareness that trafficking exists, even in the smallest village;” “the extent of involvement of Religious to help victims;” “it made me more aware of CoR and ARISE;” “how easily young people, particularly girls can be targeted and trapped;” “there are things I can do instead of giving in to powerlessness;” “how people can be preyed upon and the way this affects families.”

Spreading awareness through the freedom bus

Attendees were also asked to share what they would begin to do as a result of this new understanding of the problem: “invite a speaker to our parish to raise awareness and give out posters/cards and also use social media to highlight it; ”link up with others working against trafficking;” ”use opportunities in my parish and through various groups to spread the ‘bad news’ & support the Medaille Trust and invite one of its speakers to our parish;” “approach my local MP;” “try to help victims by donating clothes and encourage a ministry of prayer;” “pray for the victims on a daily basis and also remember people on the frontline, working to alleviate the suffering of these victims;” “work at primary school level to educate children about the threat;” “write about trafficking in our parish newsletter;” “do an assembly with our sixth form & try raising awareness in our local area;” “form a group in the local area to share information, contacts and ideas;” “pray, talk about trafficking and keep my eyes open;” “praying and fundraising;” “target young people” “give a school presentation;” “all I can do is pray.”

One attendee suggested developing a northwest coastal link up, to join forces in efforts to raise awareness. The Conference of Religious greatly welcomed the initiative of organising this type of local meeting, in response to the large anti-trafficking gatherings held in January and will offer support to other congregations who would also like to host such an event.

Formby organiser Sr Nora Coughlan SMG expressed delight that so many had attended and expressed the hope that what was discussed in Formby would be like a ripple effect spreading out, touching more and more people.

https://stjosephsprayercentre.com/contact-us/

Sr Siobhan O’Keeffe SHJM offered a reflection on the suffering of victims:

Lenten Reflection

‘And then the beating began.’ The first words that burst forth, uninvited from ‘Freddie lips when I met him on a glorious February afternoon a few weeks ago. I had dropped into the Medaille Safe House to deliver clothes donations from my some people in my local parish. Clearly in need of a listening ear, Freddie approached me. Bearing his untouched cup of coffee in his hands, he recounted without bitterness how ‘his friends’ had said they were offering him a job and a better life in the U.K Now he was trapped in the back of a van, robbed of his passport and documents and suffering the pain and humiliation of torture all the way ‘to the promised land.’ Five years of abuse followed where he worked as a cleaner, gardener and car wash attendant. There he suffered the degradation of sleeping on the car wash floor until rescued by the police and brought to a place of safety and rehabilitation. Freddie is 33 years old.

My thoughts immediately drew a comparison to the passion of Christ. Jesus had been betrayed and sold by ‘his friends’ and tortured all the way to His innocent death. On occasion, I am one of those ‘friends’ who still betray him. There are moments when my thoughts or actions do not reflect a knowledge of or relationship with the living Lord. My indifference to the suffering of humanity transports Jesus all the way to the cross and moments of un-forgiveness pass one more sponge of vinegar to His parched lips.

Fortunately for Freddie, a rescuer appeared and Freddie had the courage and grace to enter into His rehabilitation programme. He now shares his story of recovery to offer hope to others.

I too have been blessed on the many occasions when I have known the healing, forgiving and redemptive love of the Lord. A joy to be shared with all people.

St Joseph’s Prayer Centre is located on the coast in Formby

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The need for ecological conversion : a reflection on Laudato Si'

By Sr Margaret Atkins OSA

Laudato Si' begins by telling us how it is: the state of our planet, and what our faith has to say about that. Chapter One uses evidence from the hard sciences to describe our world: pollution, climate change, scarcity of water, the loss of thousands of species. It does so, however, with a rhetorical power designed to make us care: 'The earth, our home, is beginning to look like an immense pile of filth.' 'The world is a joyful mystery, to be contemplated with gladness and praise.'

So, what does the Gospel have to say about creation? 'We are not God.' The world is the gift of our Creator, so that each creature is good and beautiful, and we are all interrelated. Indeed, our interrelatedness mirrors the Trinitarian nature of God. Our story, traced through the beginning of Genesis, is one of rupture. As we broke away from God, we also broke our peace with the natural world. Reconciliation with God, with each other and with the natural world are all part of the same process, the peace-making and healing that comes through Christ. Jesus himself knew and loved the Galilean countryside, its birds, plants and animals. And why would he not? - he, the Son of God, through whom all things were made, redeemed and restored.

The central chapters look at where we have gone wrong, and how we might go right. First, Pope Francis, closely following his predecessors, describes how we forget that we are not gods; we try to control everything ourselves. Pope Francis calls this 'the technocratic paradigm', from techne (skill) and cratos (power). We begin to see the world as there for us to manipulate. In practice, this means that powerful people take control. They control first others' things; then other people; then even the truth. Manipulation leads directly on to relativism - the truth itself is what I want it to be.

Technocracy fragments the world into manipulatable chunks. Laudato Si' reminds us insistently that 'everything is interconnected.' We have learnt that lesson from biologists: ecology is the science of the interconnectedness of life. The recent popes have taught that there is also a human, social ecology; and that this is inseparable from natural ecology. Indeed, a healthy personal and social morality, economics, politics and finance are all intermeshed with the well-being of the environment.

Finally, Laudato Si' leads on to action. We need effective dialogue, policy and action at every level: global, national and local. But before all else, we need 'ecological conversion', an inner, spiritual confession of sin, responsibility, praise and gratitude that changes our attitude and transforms our practice. This is indeed challenging. What it is not is grim and gloomy. Living more lightly and more generously is liberating and will bring us joy and peace at the deepest level.

If you want to be inspired or challenged watch some of our young people speaking on You-Tube - Greta Thunberg (www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUW1OwjWRMw), or Lauren Singer who lives a zero-waste lifestyle (www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF72px2R3Hg). Go on - I dare you! Yes, they put us to shame.

But we Catholics should be inspired by, not ashamed, of our faith. It gives us all that we need to live lightly on the planet….. God the Creator and Christ who redeemed the world he entered and loved. The Holy Spirit, the Church and the sacraments to sustain us in hope. And a moral tradition that honours simplicity, justice, unselfishness and peace. We cannot save the planet by ourselves. We don't need to. We are not alone. We are interconnected, with God, with each other and with our world.

Sr Margaret Atkins is based at Boarbank Hall in Cumbria: www.boarbankhall.org.uk/

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A privileged opportunity to support the future church in a concrete way

By Sister Elaine Penrice FSP

Members of religious congregations from all over the UK & Ireland came together in March for a conference in Liverpool which was inspired by Pope Francis and the book of an interview with him, “God is Young.”

Some one hundred participants came from Scotland, Ireland and England & Wales in a collaborative gathering, with the conference being the first time the offices of vocation in the respective countries had organised such an event. It was a great success!

l to r: Sr Frances Kelly SN (Vocations Scotland), Sr Elaine Penrice FSP (National Office for Vocation England & Wales), Mrs Margaret Cartwright (Vocations Ireland). Front: Sr Margaret Taylor FMM (main speaker)

The background: as Pope Francis was inviting young people to meet with him in Rome for the pre-synod meetings on Youth, Faith and Vocational Discernment, a book of an interview with him was published called “God is Young”. In this book, Pope Francis encourages young people to engage and befriend older people – and vice versa. Bridging the cultural divide is a challenge which will benefit everybody: that the Church may be one, that the old will be renewed, and the young be accompanied.

The National Office for Vocation, Vocations Ireland and Vocation Scotland collaborated to organise this conference, aimed at providing older Religious with encouragement and training on how best to engage young people. Religious with a lifetime of experience have much to offer the young members of our Church, and those young members have made their voices heard through the pre-synod meetings, and through the synod of bishops. Young people want us to accompany them and guide them, especially on how to follow a spiritual path, and how to live the Christian life incarnated.

A group of young people gave presentations

Pope Francis offers words of encouragement – that being old isn’t a bad thing, it’s a privilege. Pope Francis says that young people need older people, and older people should dialogue and encounter young people more… we need each other! The vocations offices aimed to help these two groups meet each other, and desires to encourage older religious to have confidence that they are needed in the work of the Church, building up young Catholics and supporting them as they make vocational choices. We need to share all we have learned and be examples of an incarnated Christianity in ordinary daily life.

The day began with prayer and music from the Vocations Ireland NET team and Sr Julie Buckley. Then we had input from Sr Margaret Taylor, herself an experienced Religious with much to offer. Sr Margaret spoke about the skill of inter-generational communication, and some of the dynamics of those communications. After some sharing in our small groups we broke into three groups, one (the more numerous) comprised those with more than 30 years profession, another with those of less than 30 years of profession and a further group of young people who came to present to us. We each took turns to look at each other and thank the other for their presence and all that they have given through their vocation.

Sr Julie Buckley from Vocations Ireland gave a presentation on youth culture, and we also heard a presentation from Sr Frances Kelly about what young people are looking for from us. These presentations were followed by personal testimonies from five young people from Canada, the USA and Ireland, leaving space for questions and answers.

It was a wonderful day of encounter and communion, and we are sure many people left with a new dedication to how they can still give all, keeping young people at heart.

One attendee, Sr Mary Ann Flood CJ commented to her congregational leader : “It was a truly inspiring day and I just wished the whole province could have been present. Everyone could have profited by it. Margaret Taylor’s excellent talk included a lot about generative listening and generative dialogue. The five young people all in their twenties were truly inspirational. Each shared briefly how they were called to this special missionary vocation. They came from America, Canada and Ireland. A very engaging group!”

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“Do good for yourself by doing good for others” St. John of God

“I was exploited for nine years. The ‘agents’ who brought me to the UK said I had to repay the debt. I was taken around the country, living in seven different towns. They took my passport. I was trapped. Since getting to Olallo House I have received the support that meets my needs. I feel treated with dignity, like a human being.”

These were the words of St John of God, who, in the 1500s, sought alms on the streets of Granada, Spain, for the poor and the sick that he helped in his ‘House of Hospitality.’ Five hundred years later, the Services of Saint John of God / Brothers of St John of God are following in his footsteps in central London, running a hostel named after its Cuban Brother, Blessed Olallo Valdes.

In partnership with the Poor Servants of the Mother of God who donated the building, Olallo House was opened in 2008. Since 2012, Saint John of God Hospitaller Services has managed the ministry. Olallo House is a safe house for modern day slavery / trafficking victims, rough sleepers with no recourse to public funds (NRPFs), individuals on tuberculosis treatment, individuals discharged from hospitals without a “home”; and some of the most hard to reach individuals such as Roma, alcoholics and drug addicts - thanks to generous donations from individuals and Religious Orders to fund several beds.

Having recently marked their first decade running the hostel, they are now making an urgent appeal for funds to improve what they can offer the most destitute, who are trying to rebuild their lives after sometimes years of being exploited by traffickers or on the margins of society / communities.

Olallo House, just off a main London thoroughfare, is a refuge of compassion and hospitality where no one is turned away, and as mentioned even if they have “no recourse to public funds”. Victims of modern day slavery / trafficking often come straight from police stations where they’ve been taken after being rescued in police raids. Olallo House is driven by a philosophy summed up as: ‘Hospitality in the manner of Saint John of God’.

One recent resident wrote: “I was exploited for nine years. The ‘agents’ who brought me to the UK said I had to repay the debt. I was doing car washing and decorating jobs. I was taken around the country, living in seven different towns. I was never paid as the money went to pay the fee I owed. They took my passport. I was trapped. Since getting to Olallo House I have received the support that meets my needs. I feel treated with dignity, like a human being.”

The hostel offers 29 single and 4 double/ couple rooms, all meals included besides 24-hours residents’ kitchen. Olallo House also offers to its residents a common room and computers where people are given support to write CVs and prepare for job hunting. Brother Malachy, who has been involved in the project since the early days said: “We offer intensive support to get back victims’ identity and make them visible: securing them a national insurance number, relevant certificates, e.g. for health & safety in the construction sector in order to improve their employability, so they can save money and find private accommodation and move on with their lives. We measure our success in people walking out the door with a job and a roof over their head and not coming back!”

Miguel Neves, who is Saint John of God Hospitaller Services’ national lead for homelessness and modern day slavery adds: “We aim to take the ‘victim’ out of the person and to create a fully rounded ‘personhood’ despite the trauma. It’s about their identity and seeing them as citizens and not just ‘labour.’ It’s also about creating a humanity and uniqueness for the individual after what they’ve suffered, having been treated so badly by those who trafficked them.”

Olallo House started as a street outreach project, with Brothers walking the streets of the capital to find the most vulnerable, such as homeless migrants from Europe living in derelict properties and building sites. Olallo House had to be more than just outreach and to be fulfilling its mission it had to offer a roof to the ones on the street. The Brothers soon understood that what these individuals needed was a safe place to restart. A second nearby property has opened which accommodates just victims of trafficking and a third safe house is about to open in north-east England.

As briefly mentioned, another key aspect of Olallo House is that it offers a convalescent space for homeless people recently discharged from London hospitals. The “Pathway” charity started working with Olallo House so the many “homeless” individuals in hospital and “fit for discharge” would have a place to finish their treatment in ambulatory and not being let go with a big bag of medication into the streets.

Olallo House also welcomes people in tuberculosis treatment. Individuals arrive in Olallo once they are no longer infectious from hospital settings. Due to the severity and strength of the medication there are undesirable side effects that Olallo House takes into consideration. In order to mitigate these a separate sitting room / quiet space and a kitchen is made available for those in treatment: “Our uniqueness is to work with those on the streets that no-one else wants” said Brother Malachy.

Olallo House proudly boasts an 82% success rate – in other words, that’s how many of the clients leave with a job and a roof over their heads. They are sadly conscious of the others that don’t manage this which is often due to mental health problems, alcohol or immigration restrictions.

For two years, Olallo House has been part of the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), sub-contracted by the prime contractor Salvation Army, which is a framework for identifying, referring potential victims of modern slavery and ensuring they receive the appropriate support. It offers victims access to specialist tailored support for a period of at least 45 days while their case is considered.

Brother Malachy added as an example a Vietnamese man they are currently supporting. He was severely traumatised and on anti-depressants, but in recent weeks has improved greatly and a smile has returned to his face. But he and Miguel also reflect ruefully on one of the first Vietnamese they helped, who fled after staying just one night – back to the traffickers possibly fearful of the threats that had been made to his family back home. They later learned he was subsequently rescued from a ‘cannabis farm’ in another part of the country. They also recall another UK victim of modern slavery who came to them after 18 years of servitude with one family. The victim had been exploited not only in the UK but also abroad. “Traffickers are manipulative: they coerce the victim and often threaten the victim’s family, even vulnerable elderly relatives, to keep the victim in subjugation” said Miguel.

People often arrive at Olallo House with just a plastic bag, with virtually nothing in it. So providing clothing is an essential first step. But where to shop? Olallo Services are adamant to avoid high street chains that don’t have a clear ethical policy on where cheap garments come from and how workers who produced the clothes are treated: “How can you morally justify spending a pound on a tee-shirt and not question whose fingers were exploited to make it in another part of the world?” asks Miguel.

Victims of trafficking are helped to rebuild the narrative of their life in the UK before returning home

Recent research by the Arise Foundation revealed the scale of anti-trafficking work being done by religious congregations, often under the radar. Saint John of God Hospitaller Services hopes that by sharing details of its work for the most destitute, other congregations will lend their support – offering skills or services, financial support or the use of properties. One Sister currently goes in at weekends to cook for residents; the Olallo Services would welcome other Religious who have language skills, experience of teaching English, or healthcare experience to come and help them treat the poorest of the poor with dignity, respect, compassion and justice in a Hospitaller manner.

For further information and/or to support the work, contact Miguel Neves using the email:

miguelneves@sjog.org.uk Mobile: 07725927908

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A Protocol for the admission of Religious Congregations and Members for Pastoral Ministry in England and Wales

This protocol has been agreed by both the Conference of Bishops and the Conference of Religious

Background to this Paper

For some time there have been difficulties with individuals and new religious orders coming into England and Wales in their relations with the local Church. There is also concern when religious are invited from religious congregations who already have an established presence in England and Wales. This paper is intended to address some of these issues and to make recommendations to both individuals and new religious congregations about the processes of establishing a domicile in England and Wales, and further, to ministering within the local Church.

In the following, religious congregation is used generically to address religious orders, congregations and other institutes of apostolic life.

For Religious Congregations

1. If a religious congregation wishes to establish itself in the jurisdiction of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, they should immediately approach the local Ordinary into whose diocese they wish to be domiciled.

2. It is strongly recommended that all religious congregations, especially those of Pontifical Right, should consider being registered as a charity in civil law, following the procedures as laid down by the Charity Commission and that the Superior of the congregation should have formal training in financial and safeguarding laws and protocols to ensure that they are aware of their civil and canonical responsibilities.

3. If the local Ordinary responds positively to an approach from a religious congregation to establish a house within his jurisdiction, or if he approaches the religious congregation himself, he must adhere to the universal law governing these matters, and be aware of the Particular Law governing the congregation (cf CIC nn681; 678 §2,3).

4. Members of new religious congregations should be encouraged by the local Ordinary to become members of the Conference of Religious of England and Wales (CoREW)

5. The members of the religious congregation coming to England and Wales must have appropriate letters of Good Standing and if appropriate, Testimonial of Suitability for Ministry, from the legitimate major superior of the congregation.

6. All new religious congregations coming to England and Wales must align themselves with a Safeguarding Commission before they begin any ministry. All members of the community must undergo a recognised training course for Safeguarding principles in England and Wales and subsequent Vetting and Barring disclosures. CSAS will be able to support the new community in this work.

7 The Diocesan Ordinary has the responsibility for ensuring the significance of Safeguarding and the requirements to follow the National Safeguarding Procedures of the Catholic Church in England and Wales is clearly understood by the members of the new religious congregations. He, or his recognised delegate, will ensure that all necessary safeguarding checks, including those in para. 5 above, are implemented.

8. No member of a religious congregation of any type should undertake any pastoral work in the dioceses of England and Wales until they have completed the formal Safeguarding protocols.

9. Diocesan Ordinaries are responsible for ensuring that the Guidelines for Welcoming Priests from Overseas are followed.

10. Canonical agreements made between the Diocese and the religious congregation are not binding in civil law unless the parties expressly agree a provision which is binding.

11. The Diocesan Ordinary should ensure that the agreement with the religious congregation covers any conflict resolution, termination of ministry, time limits, renewal, amendments, holiday provision, retreats, numbers of religious in houses, liaising with Vicars for Religious, financial arrangements with the Diocese and fundraising activities.

The agreement should state clearly, either within it or as an annex to it, the scope and parameters of the apostolic work to be undertaken by the religious congregation. The agreement should state within it the necessary provision of insurance to be taken out for the religious congregation whilst working in this jurisdiction. Help for this can be obtained from CoREW or the local Diocese.

The agreement should also state the necessity of being aligned to a Safeguarding Commission (diocesan or otherwise) and which Commission.

Signed copies of this agreement should be lodged with the Diocesan authorities and the religious congregation.

12. If a new religious congregation seeks to enter England and Wales and there already exists within the jurisdiction a house of that congregation, there has to be a formal relationship with the local major superior who must be party to these deliberations.

For individual members of religious congregations

1. Any member of a religious congregation entering England and Wales from overseas must abide by the Immigration Law of the UK. This is especially important for non-EU nationals who arrive on Tier 2 and Tier 5 visas. They are particularly bound by the legal restrictions of those visas and it is the responsibility of the local superior to ensure there is no violation of those provisions.

2. Any member of a religious congregation entering England and Wales for pastoral ministry of any kind must be aware of and complete appropriate Safeguarding training in this country. This will include the presentation of a Testimonial of Suitability for Ministry from his legitimate major superior, the undertaking of some form of local formation on the Church in England and Wales, and submission to a Vetting and Barring disclosure before any pastoral ministry begins. The local major superior must be party to these deliberations.

3. The local superior should, with reference to the general provisions laid down in the agreement with the Diocese on the scope of apostolic work, ensure that a proper induction of any new member of the community, priest or otherwise, is taken place within a month of arrival.

4. The Local Ordinary must consult the Major Superior who is already present in the territory of England and Wales, so that those invited are in compliance with the particular law of the congregation.

General Provisions

1. This protocol is in addition to the existing agreements with dioceses and any Particular Law of the dioceses regarding apostolic work of religious.

2. This protocol should be read in conjunction with the structures and procedures already agreed by the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales for the Polish Mission and the Italian Catholic Mission within their jurisdiction.

Guest User 3/20/19 Guest User 3/20/19

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another”

“Many tiny drops of water blending make a mighty sea.”

The Conference of Religious is asking its members to offer their skills in the struggle against human trafficking. The two large meetings organised by CoR in January, in London and Manchester, indicated a great desire by Religious to match their experience to needs. To that end, CoR is now working on creating a database of volunteers to help support frontline anti-slavery institutions across England and Wales. To assist with this, a short survey is being sent out for those who have the time and skills to volunteer.

Nearly seventy attended the London meeting and forty met in Manchester, with intensive interactive discussion at both meetings, to explore how Religious and CoR can respond to the challenges. The meetings followed on from the Arise foundation questionnaire sent out to all congregations last year, which, for the first time ever, mapped the huge scale of work in this field.

The January meetings exposed a strong desire to be pro-active in finding out more about the problem and helping Religious find ways of contributing their time and skills to anti-trafficking, either as frontline support for victims or in raising awareness across the country. One attendee commented: “Many tiny drops of water blending make a mighty sea.”

Religious are asked to submit responses by 12th April 2019. The questionnaire is available online in survey format here: https://arisefoundation.typeform.com/to/ofxL3V

It can also be accessed as a Word document here and emailed to Sr Dominica Popach OP : arise@corew.org

Or printed out and posted to : The Conference of Religious, 3 Montpelier Avenue, Ealing, London W5 2XP.

Guest User 3/18/19 Guest User 3/18/19

A chance to meet the sculptor of world-famous 'Homeless Jesus'

"My heart, the work of my hands, and all of my spirit are forever mixed with the bronze that created this sculpture."

Tim Schmalz, the sculptor of the work of art depicting Jesus as a homeless person on a park bench, is giving a talk in London this Thursday about his art and his faith. ‘Homeless Jesus’ was recently installed inside Farm Street Church and was formally blessed in January by the Papal Nuncio. The artist’s talk is at 6.45pm in Farm Street Church Hall (following 6pm Mass). All are welcome. Admission is free. Refreshments to follow.

The artwork finally found a home in London after Westminster City Council refused permission for one to be installed outside Westminster Central Hall near the Houses of Parliament. It is already installed in the Vatican, Glasgow, Singapore, Dublin, Madrid and elsewhere.

At the blessing in January, a message from the sculptor was read out: "The Homeless Jesus in London spent years trying to find a place to lay his head. The same streets that were closed to him are open to statues of politicians, abstract art and visual puns continually planted in the urban setting of your city, but this work that challenges us to see the holy in the least in our community was not allowed outside. You brought him inside. You welcomed him, giving him a beautiful permanent spot in the centre of the city. May this sculpture become a symbol of how we all should let the stranger and the least in our community inside our hearts."

The artist added : "My heart, the work of my hands, and all of my spirit are forever mixed with the bronze that created this sculpture."

Parish Priest Fr Dominic Robinson said: "The Homeless Jesus statue can be found in cities throughout the world, and we are honoured to provide a space for it within our walls. The statue is a reminder that we are called to see the face of Jesus in all people, especially the impoverished. London is home to many people who find themselves forced to live on the streets. Farm Street Church, like many other organisations, both religious and secular, is committed to doing what it can to alleviate their suffering."

The Homeless Jesus is in the side chapel of Our Lady of the Seven Dolours at Farm Street. Fr Dominic added: "It is fitting that Homeless Jesus should be inside the church and alongside his mother. He lies on the bench watched over by his mother, who shares in the suffering of her son. So we are invited to share in her suffering and especially in her compassion for those who suffer, and to recognise her son in those who suffer and those who are weakest in society."

Timothy Schmalz was inspired when he saw a homeless person on a bench in Toronto. He named the statue Matthew 25, in reference to a quote from that gospel - "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."

Guest User 3/13/19 Guest User 3/13/19

Dr Gemma Simmonds CJ to give this year’s Landings Lecture at Farm Street Church

An annual lecture in support of the ‘Landings Programme’ – which aims to accompany back to the Church those who have fallen away or are on the cusp of leaving – will be given on April 11th by Dr Gemma Simmonds CJ of Newnham College, Cambridge. It will address the subject: ‘Happy Landings: Accompanying the return to faith and practice.’

The previous two years’ lectures, given by Fr Christopher Jamison OSB and Dr Austen Ivereigh, have attracted a diverse audience of those involved in evangelisation, adult faith formation and communications in dioceses and religious orders.

As part of the evening there will also be a short update on the developing work of Landings across the UK. Landings is a series of relaxed, informal, lay-led meetings, based on faith-sharing within a small group, that offer a safe and supported “landing place” for Catholics who have been away from the Church and are thinking about coming back.

Landings offers already active Catholics an opportunity to share their faith; to participate in the Church’s mission to welcome those who have been away; and a chance to grow and learn from each others’ spiritual journeys. Landings offers Catholic parishes and communities a simple process for reaching out and supporting Catholics who have been away from the Church or who struggle in their relationship with God and the Church. Landings is usually parish-based and led by lay people within the parish community.

Background to Landings:

Landings was founded by the Paulist Fathers in the U.S.A. during the 1980s and continues to be a reconciliation ministry of the Paulists. It has since developed an international presence and, in 2001, Landings was introduced to the UK. It is estimated that over the last 30 years Landings has helped around 100,000 people who have left or drifted away from the Catholic Church and who would like to explore the possibility of rejoining the Catholic community.

LANDINGS LECTURE 2019:

Thursday April 11th at 7:00pm in Farm Street Church Hall, 114 Mount St, London W1K 3AH

Mass in the church at 6:00pm; buffet reception to follow

Suggested donation: £10

All most welcome – to book email landingsuk@gmail.com or telephone Fr Dominic Robinson SJ on (020)-7529-4802

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Sisters organise two events in April to raise awareness of human trafficking

“Slavery still exists, here and now. Over 40 m. people live as slaves in our world – tricked into forced labour, trapped into prostitution, brutalised for their organs. Slavery is on our doorstep, it’s in our neighbourhood, hiding in plain sight.”

Two Sisters who attended the anti-trafficking meetings for Religious in January have organised follow up awareness raising days, to urge more congregations to get involved.

Sr Nora Coughlan SMG, who attended the Manchester meeting, has invited two of the keynote speakers from that day for a follow up on April 9th in Formby. Brother Francis, Chair of the Medaille Trust and Sr Isabel Kelly, FMSJ, a long time member of the campaigning group TRAC, will both be giving presentations as will Anthony Brown, who has worked extensively with Caritas in the Salford diocese to raise awareness of anti-trafficking, at parish level.

Sr Nora said: “Come and learn more and ask what we can do together in practical ways to help strengthen the fight against human trafficking & slavery…..”

The meeting will take place at St. Joseph’s Prayer Centre, Blundell Avenue, Formby L37 1PH on Tuesday 9th April, from 10.30 – 3.30pm. Donation £20, includes lunch

01704- 875850 / 07712178670 or email: theprayercentre.stj@psmgs.org.uk

On April 6th, the Religious of Mary Immaculate are also holding an awareness raising day in London for young people and students but would welcome any Religious who’d also like to participate. The main presentation will be given by Michael Duthie, Deputy Director of the Santa Marta group. Sr Ruby, who took part in the very well attended January meeting in London explained: “As a response to that gathering we have organised a workshop for students in London to raise their awareness of this ongoing problem. It’s a small step but we are hoping that we can make a change somehow.”

It will be held at the RMI hostel for students, near Gloucester Road tube: 15 Southwell Gardens, London, SW7 4RN, from 11am to 1pm.

Guest User 3/12/19 Guest User 3/12/19

Religious urged to take part in Dementia Prayer Week (12 – 19 March)

Religious congregations have been invited to participate in the national, annual event linking parishes and schools around the country in prayer for those suffering from dementia. With an estimated 800,000 individuals in England and Wales affected in various ways by dementia, a new prayer card, sponsored by the Day for Life Fund, aims to offer hope.

Dementia Prayer Week is now in its eleventh year and is an opportunity to create a sense of purpose and meaning. Organiser Frances Molloy of the Pastoral Care Project said: “Our hope is that the new prayer card will encourage people to visit a care home or family and that it will equip them once they are there. You may just be the answer to a person’s prayer: "God help me" a familiar cry of the poor, which can be our prayer too!”

Online resources have also been made available. For example, a new word search activity is a reminder of the difficulty the individual with dementia may experience in searching for the right word to say. Redemptorist Publications collaborated on the design of the prayer card and have made the card available on their website: https://www.rpbooks.co.uk

Giselle Beaumont of Redemptorist Publications said: “Our mission is to support people at every stage of Christian life so working with the Pastoral Care Project is the perfect partnership for us! Learning about the work that they have been carrying out for 25 years and the success of Dementia Prayer Week has been both inspiring and encouraging. We hope our small contribution will help this mission to grow even further and help more people.”

For further information email: info@pastoralcareproject.org.uk or phone 01675 434035

Website: www.pastoralcareproject.org.uk

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A Protocol for the admission of Religious Congregations and Members for Pastoral Ministry in England and Wales

This protocol has been agreed by both the Conference of Bishops and the Conference of Religious

Background to this Paper

In the following, religious congregation is used generically to address religious orders, congregations and other institutes of apostolic life.

For Religious Congregations

4. Members of new religious congregations should be encouraged by the local Ordinary to become members of the Conference of Religious of England and Wales (CoREW)

7. The Diocesan Ordinary has the responsibility for ensuring the significance of Safeguarding and the requirements to follow the National Safeguarding Procedures of the Catholic Church in England and Wales is clearly understood by the members of the new religious congregations. He, or his recognised delegate, will ensure that all necessary safeguarding checks, including those in para. 5 above, are implemented.

8. No member of a religious congregation of any type should undertake any pastoral work in the dioceses of England and Wales until they have completed the formal Safeguarding protocols.

9. Diocesan Ordinaries are responsible for ensuring that the Guidelines for Welcoming Priests from Overseas are followed.

10. Canonical agreements made between the Diocese and the religious congregation are not binding in civil law unless the parties expressly agree a provision which is binding.

The agreement should also state the necessity of being aligned to a Safeguarding Commission (diocesan or otherwise) and which Commission.

Signed copies of this agreement should be lodged with the Diocesan authorities and the religious congregation.

For individual members of religious congregations

General Provisions

1. This protocol is in addition to the existing agreements with dioceses and any Particular Law of the dioceses regarding apostolic work of religious.

Guest User 3/1/19 Guest User 3/1/19

Celebrating a women’s centre in Birmingham founded by Sisters decades ago

Ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8th, Sisters who founded a women’s centre in Birmingham over a quarter of a century ago have been reflecting on their work.

Anawim provides a holistic service to women across the city and its drop-in centre supports over 700 women every year struggling with issues such as homelessness, domestic violence and sexual exploitation. International Women’s Day will be celebrated all day at the centre, with extra activities being laid on, including an empowerment and self confidence class. The group ‘Women in Prison’ will also be going in to give a talk about campaigning and lobbying.

Sisters of Our Lady of Charity started Anawim back in 1986 with two Religious beginning the project, reaching out to the sex workers on the streets of the Balsall Heath area. One of the first Sisters to be involved was Sr Enda Gorman who now heads up the counselling service and street outreach work: “We currently have 10 counsellors, six of whom are trainees doing their placements with Anawim one day a week. We offer counselling to women who attend the services at the centre; some of the needs the women who attend Anawim present with are emotional traumas from early childhood, experience of prison, domestic violence and loss of children into care, suffering trauma from mental health issues.”

Sr Enda added: “It has been a privilege to work with Anawim over these decades, watching the organisation blossom and grow into a brilliant centre for so many women who have benefited greatly from the service. I am pleased to see more outreach work taking place in the local community, there are still so many women out there in need and Anawim has always known the best way to engage with these women by offering the right support and friendship.”

Sr Marie McGrogan added: “My role as a volunteer Chaplain is to be a caring and sensitive presence among the many vulnerable women who use the common room at Anawim. Hospitality, eg., making sandwiches, provides the ideal setting for ‘encounters’ with women from different social, cultural and faith (or no faith) backgrounds. I believe, it is important for the women, especially those on their initial visits, to be ‘received’ into a friendly and safe space and for them to ‘receive’ me too; at times this requires patient waiting as building trust, for them, can be slow and painful….When a woman arrives in the common room in a low place emotionally, anxious or fearful, a listening ear, a non-judgmental attitude, a friendly face, acceptance and assurance of confidentiality can diffuse the emotional pain at least temporarily. As Chaplain on such occasions, it is often about being in the right place at the right moment to ease that stress or emotional or spiritual pain.”

“For me, being a Chaplain, is about ‘service of the heart’ as it involves compassion, and being with the women in their vulnerability. It is a privilege to be allowed access to the sacred space of these women. As a Sister of Mercy, Anawim provides me with the context to live out my own Mercy calling. For this I am grateful.”

Sr Margaret Breen added: “My role as a volunteer at Anawim is supporting the mental health team, mentoring clients, bringing women to the Centre who otherwise wouldn’t be able to access the services and supporting women to attend hospital and benefit assessment appointments.”

Several sisters from other Congregations also volunteer regularly at the project.

Anawim became an independent charity three years ago, but the Congregation retains three Sisters on the Board of Trustees and still offers central support with budgets and accounts. The project has grown hugely over the three decades since it started and now has a team of around 30 staff including specialists in prison work and mental health as well as many volunteers.

Anawim comes from the Aramaic word meaning the poorest, the outcast, the persecuted - those with no voice.

http://anawim.co.uk/

Guest User 2/20/19 Guest User 2/20/19

Work underway to build on the meetings for Religious involved in anti-trafficking

The ‘brainstorming’ around anti-trafficking that took place at two large meetings in January, in London and Manchester, is being followed by further research on how best to bring Religious together for the purpose of anti-trafficking work.

Nearly seventy attended the London meeting and forty met in Manchester, with intensive interactive discussion at both meetings, to explore how Religious and CoR can respond to the challenges. One attendee said it felt like a flame was being reignited. The meetings follow on from the Arise foundation questionnaire sent out to all congregations last year, which, for the first time ever, mapped the huge scale of work in this field.

At the two meetings, three themes were selected for the main speakers to address : advocacy, frontline work and prayer. In London the keynote speakers on the topics were, respectively, Sr Patricia Mulhall CSB, Brothers from the Hospitaller Order of St John of God and Sr Sheila Barrett DMJ. In Manchester, the three presentations were given by Sr Isabel Kelly FMSJ, Brother Francis – Chair of the Medaille Trust & Fr Terry Madden.

At both meetings Luke de Pulford of the ARISE foundation gave a talk on the power and purpose of networks of Religious, drawing on international models as examples, particularly India, where Sisters are engaged in the full range of anti-trafficking endeavours, from preventative work to advocacy, to rescuing & rehabilitating victims, to prosecutions; a number of Sisters are trained lawyers specialising in anti-trafficking. One attendee commented: “It was an inspirational & challenging presentation from Luke - we need more of this.”

The President of CoR, Fr Paul Smyth CMF, facilitated the interactive aspect of the day, with people talking in pairs and then small groups, building up to an afternoon of people moving around in a ‘café’ style setting, with different themes set out at different tables. All the feedback and suggestions that this process gave rise to will be used to plan the foundations of the network and to think about next steps. Some of the suggestions can be categorised as follows:

WHAT CAN RELIGIOUS DO?:

· Create contacts list. Get out information about available bed spaces. Conversations to be held at different levels: multi-faith / or no faith, to broaden it out. Run livelihood projects. Think big.

· Establish a network of Religious Orders who wish to receive victims and care for them in a ‘trauma informed’ way until they’re ready to rejoin their communities and break the re-trafficking cycle.

· Create a database for volunteers. The list could include: languages spoken other than English / holistic therapies / Counsellors /Creative activities / fundraising experience / IT skills /accompaniment eg., befriending, shopping / English & Maths teaching

ADVOCACY:

Interactive discussion & feedback at London meeting

· Raise awareness at local authority level. Challenge council representatives to do something practical about human trafficking

· We need a common voice (speaking, writing). Need a mechanism alerting Religious to upcoming legislation so that we can lobby MPs. Could CoR organising training in advocacy and awareness raising?

· Need to link up with organisations who can campaign on our behalf – a reputable body, recognised by CoR. Get ideas from other countries where the above has already been done – eg., Acrath in Australia, Ruhama in Ireland.

· Work through MPs & solicitors.

· Prayer circle.

Bro Francis of Medaille addressing Manchester group

· TRAINING to recognise signs of trafficking : Contact regional or local anti-slavery experts / Antislavery Commissioner / Medaille Trust / Stop the Traffik / Clewer / The Passage / Salvation Army / TRAC / St Mary’s University Centre for Study of Modern Slavery

WHAT CAN CONFERENCE OF RELIGIOUS DO?

· Establish means of collaboration and develop closer, constructive links with politicians. CoR to invite people qualified in legal advice / social workers / counsellors etc, to inspire ways of providing support to people who are trafficked. Speak to congregations and make a compendium of information for local groups to use.

· Set up a campaign regarding ‘the hostile environment’ erected against refugees.

· Use CoR website to influence. Need to contact politicians to help them know CST & what religious congregations are doing.

· To gather information. Speak more confidently.

· Provide information for those who want to offer spiritual / financial support: prepare prayer initiatives and circulate through CoR.

SHARING OF INFORMATION ABOUT DIFFERENT ORGANISATIONS AND WHAT THEY ARE DOING:

One website? Or part of CoR website? With info / links / updates etc,.

CoR to organise a day where organisations (eg RAHAB, TRAC, Medaille) can share what they are doing and explore possible linking and volunteering opportunities.

Regional conferences

Share how congregational overseas links have been availed of building relationships with organisations that CoR members are not involved in, eg., Red Cross, Salvation Army, Quakers

RENATE as cross border support resource / Spot where the gaps are

· Organise awareness days eg., database of people involved in specific geographical areas.

· “Keeping the flame alive to keep us pro-active.”

· Offer guidance about insurance when offering vulnerable women accommodation. Use the expertise among ourselves. CoR can encourage Religious.

· Plan/offer training & awareness raising across the country, not just in London.

· Raise awareness at national level; this will help Religious at local level

· Write articles for external news outlets / websites, to keep the subject in the public domain.

· Regularly formulate petitions for Religious to send out to MPs

· Encourage members to keep ‘knocking on doors.’ Be involved in local initiatives – intercongregational & interfaith, interagency

· Co-ordinate training in advocacy and campaigning

· Feed info & experience into CoR so that it can be shared with members

· Have meetings eg., at diocesan level – and share with other dioceses

· CoR to inspire, give insights into & develop collaborative models of action which can be used more locally than nationally

HOW TO ACT MORE LOCALLY THROUGH COLLABORATION:

· Find out what is happening locally & get involved. Network to create awareness.

· Make it personal rather than general. “Many tiny drops of water blending make a mighty sea.”

· Try to come together and create awareness in the same locality

· Rethink our days together as Religious of the diocese to include issues such as anti-trafficking

· Refocus on the prayer aspect

· Be interested and supportive of local initiatives in the area of trafficking generally – inter-congregational & otherwise

· Invite people to participate in local groups offering the gifts they have to offer

WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN TO ENGAGE WITH POLICY CREATION AT THE LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT?

· An online campaign to strengthen the voice for a platform, leading to a petition for government action.

HOW TO MANAGE THE TENSION BETWEEN ACCOMPANIMENT AND MONEY:

· Pray. Probably have to live with it to some extent. The disadvantage of getting big grants is you have to comply with the expectations of the funder. You are freer when you are a charity and rely on the good will of volunteers. Money can enable you to do outreach work and expand.

· Recognise and support those among us who are good at fundraising and/ or accompaniment – both are necessary and valuable.

· Accompany by volunteering – funding may be for others

HOW TO SHARE EXPERIENCE & KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT IS HAPPENING:

· Write to external publications. Raise awareness in parish / diocese / via CoR website.

· Have regular speakers – monthly – in different areas. It could be a rolling programme, so re-useable information.

Guest User 2/20/19 Guest User 2/20/19

Pressure on investment managers to move congregations away from fossil fuels

“We’ve got an AGM shortly and I’m going to make sure we encourage our investment company not to invest in fossil fuels….Today was very inspiring. We need to take a serious look at our own investments as a congregation.…My congregation is already affected by climate change. I’m off to Kenya shortly and in the past it was always clear when the rainy season was expected ; now it’s unpredictable.”

Members of religious congregations pledged to speak urgently to their investment managers after attending a conference hosted by the Mount Street Jesuit centre to promote ‘clean’ energy as a way of tackling climate change; Catholic orders’ combined UK investments are estimated at over £2 billion. The Conference of Religious was a sponsor of the event along with Operation Noah, Cafod, the Global Catholic Climate Movement, National Justice & Peace Network and the Association of Provincial Bursars.

More than 1,000 organisations around the world including Caritas Internationalis, the Passionists in England & Wales, and the Columban Missionaries internationally have taken the step of divesting from fossil fuel companies in response to the global threat of climate change. Fr Martin Newell of the Passionists and Ellen Teague, a Columban co-worker presented examples of the divesting process. Both stressed the tension between the urgency of the environmental crisis and the slow process of divestment, which should be completed within five years of the initial announcement. Charting the effects of climate change is increasingly falling to overseas missionaries, for instance, documenting the effects of salination of soil in the Pacific islands due to increasing typhoons.

The meeting heard that the Irish Bishops’ conference divested last August; sixty orders in Ireland and all 26 dioceses are now on a path to follow suit. Keynote speaker Lorna Gold, Coordinator of the Laudato Si' Project at the Irish aid agency Trocaire and Vice-Chair of the Global Catholic Climate Movement, called on the Church in the UK to take similar action. Edward de Quay of the Bishops Conference Environmental Advisory Group was questioned over the lack of divestment commitments by dioceses in England & Wales. He responded: “We are aware of the work going on in dioceses to encourage divestment from fossil fuels and we hope these conversations are constructive. We are pleased that investment in renewable energy through the Churchmarketplace and Interdiocesan Fuel Management groups has been so successful, with 20 dioceses now buying green energy together.”

Sr Sheila Kinsey FCJM, Executive Co-Secretary of the JPIC Commission of the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) in Rome, spoke of the new UISG campaign 2018-2020, 'Sowing Hope for the Planet'. A key element will be promoting divestment from fossil fuels by religious orders and supporting Pope Francis in his mission to "hear the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor." She spoke of the importance of responsible stewardship, that "it is not enough to do good things by ourselves; we need to do these things with others,” adding “We need personal conversion & community conversion.” Sr Sheila Kinsey made an urgent appeal for congregations to consult a website that has been set up: www.sowinghopefortheplanet.org.

A Cafod representative told the conference that it wouldn’t succeed in ending poverty if climate change isn’t tackled and gave examples of the daily struggles people already face, eg., mothers in low lying areas having to rush to put babies in buckets to protect them when waters start to rise.

Fr Tom O’Brien of the Augustinians of the Assumption described the conference as hugely informative: “We’ve got an AGM shortly and I’m going to make sure we encourage our investment company not to invest in fossil fuels.” Sr Anne Hogan of the Sisters of St Gildas observed : “Today was very inspiring. We need to take a serious look at our own investments as a congregation.” Sr Elaine Kelly of the Helpers of Holy Souls added: “My congregation is already affected by climate change. I’m off to Kenya shortly and in the past it was always clear when the rainy season was expected ; now it’s unpredictable.”

As for the Jesuits’ own ethics, Brother Stephen Power SJ explained: “We do not invest in any company with more than 10% involvement in thermal coal or oil from tar sand. Our ethical investment committee regularly reviews this position and I would expect movement towards divestment unless progress towards sustainable business models are adopted by fossil fuel companies in the near future.”

One of the speakers at the conference, Fr Martin Poulsom SDB, senior lecturer in theology at Roehampton University added: “Religious congregations can play an important, prophetic role today, showing that they care for our common home – not just by the lives that their members lead, but also by where they invest their money. By divesting from fossil fuels and re-investing in zero-carbon energy generation, they can be signs of hope for our world, making possible the brighter, cleaner future that is needed for all who live on this earth that we share. The time to act is now.”

Additional summary from Lorna Gold of Trocaire:

L to r: Sr Sheila Kinsey, James Buchanan of Operation Noah, Lorna Gold of Trocaire

Over the last two years Trócaire has been on a journey with the Irish church to examine how we can put Pope Francis’ encyclical ‘Laudato Sí’ into practice. This has been a wonderful, inspiring journey, which has involved working on many fronts. Laudato Sí opens our hearts to a new vision of what it means to be a Christian on a precious, but fragile planet. It requires responses both on an individual level, but also a communitarian conversion experience. Many things need to change! An early part of this journey involved establishing a Laudato Sí Committee under the auspices of the Council for Catechetics, which is part of the Irish Bishops Conference. Through this diverse group comprising scientists, pastoral workers, eco-theologians, campaigners, and education advisors, amongst others, we were guided by the Spirit to come up with a number of key actions. These involved asking the bishops to endorse the global “Season of Creation” in Irish churches, to divest their resources from fossil fuels, as well as including care for creation in RE curriculum and Adult Faith Development. Very soon on our journey we realised that the biggest obstacle to ecological conversion was perhaps a serious lack of knowledge about the crisis we face today and how it connects with faith. In fact, we soon realised that if we were to have an impact on implementing Laudato Sí we needed to start first with filling basic knowledge gaps. For this reason, the Laudato Sí group offered to host in-service retreats and trainings for the bishops and their employees. The bishops accepted this offer and last February we spend a day in Knock up-skilling the bishops on ecological issues, including the climate crisis. It was a wonderful and engaging experience for all – and particularly for the clergy, who saw perhaps for the first time, the profound connection between our faith and our planet. Since then, the work of the group has grown and through it many initiatives have been successfully introduced. During the World Meeting of Families in Dublin the group organised a whole project on sustainability which included a beautiful pop-up Laudato Sí garden and a new holy well. This highlight of this journey to date, however, happened on the eve of Pope Francis’ visit to Ireland last summer. In front of a packed inter-faith gathering in Christchurch Cathedral, the bishops made a bold decision and announcement – to divest from fossil fuels. In doing so, they recognised that they were taking a step to address the unsustainable nature of fossil fuel extraction and the need to shift financial resources into climate solutions. The work to implement Laudato Sí continues. Whilst much has been achieved in two years, we still feel we are at the beginning. In the next two years we hope to see a blossoming of Laudato Sí in many dioceses and parishes across Ireland.

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Religious aim to speak out more forcefully on social issues after media training

Full house for the inaugural session at the CoR office in Ealing

Religious have responded in their droves to the inaugural sessions of media training being offered by CoR. In the first three weeks of sessions being laid on, thirty-five Religious have attended the one day of training, in both Ealing and Manchester. Twenty more Religious are booked in for training days in February and March but there are still plenty of spaces available for anyone who’d like to sign up.

The next workshop is taking place on February 19th and then every Tuesday in March – all in Ealing. The same training is on offer during each session; it is being repeated to maximise the number of people who can attend. Further regional sessions are being arranged for March/April; the dates will be confirmed shortly. The training covers:

Sr MaryAnne Francalanza & Sr Brenda Makokha in Manchester

1) Creating engaging content for websites (editorial, visual, audio).

2) Best use of social media - the risks and the opportunities

3) How to get noticed – press releases & publicity

4) Media relations

5) Practical training in preparation for broadcast interviews

The inaugural session resulted in some particularly strong video clips which can now be viewed on the CoR website.

Some of the answers given to the evaluation feedback have included:

Q: Why did you come today? A: “I wanted to know advantages and disadvantages of social media.” / “Because I wanted to learn more about Twitter in order to raise awareness about certain issues eg., refugees and asylum seekers, people who are trafficked and also climate change.” / “To learn about new ways to communicate.”

Q; What were you most interested in? A: “To find out that many Religious have embraced new technology & social media to reach a much wider audience than has been possible previously.” / “All the new ways of communicating. I am on Facebook a bit – but the other social media channels not at all.”

Q: Have you learned new things? A: “Yes – how social media can be used effectively, to spread the word of God in an interesting and more engaging way. Also the Church’s recognition that there is a necessity to move with the times and embrace the digital world.” / “Yes the use of media as a way of hearing of the love of God – to reach the end of the world.” / “Yes, not to feel so scared of the thought of using Twitter & Instagram.” / “Yes, understanding Twitter. How to make ourselves, as Religious, more visible.”

Details for all three days. From 1030 to 1600. £15 to include lunch. Booking essential to secure a place – by sending an email to: communications@corew.org

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"Be lighthouses in rocky places!"

Homily by Cardinal Nichols at Mass for the World Day of Celebration for Consecrated Life at Westminster Cathedral on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, 2nd February 2019:

It is a real pleasure for me to see so many women and men in Religious and consecrated life here in the cathedral today.

As I thank you for your presence, I thank you too for all that you do in the service of Jesus Christ and his Church. Today’s feast does much to enrich our understanding of both. The infant Jesus, one of so many who would have been presented in the Temple every week, was picked out by Simeon as the Saviour, bringing light and glory both for those who know God, and those to whom the Good News must still be brought. Through your commitment to consecrated life, you too have seen in the infant Jesus a Saviour and you too have been chosen by God to play your part in spreading the message of salvation.

This theme of light is most characteristic of the Feast of the Presentation. The symbolism is rich indeed. And I should like to reflect on this now.

I was recently given a card with a picture of a lighthouse on the front, offered to me as an image of my ministry. My first thought: a lighthouse is no use without the light! There would be no lighthouse without the light at its heart. There would be no Church without Christ. It is through Christ that we can come to see the face of the Father; it is in Christ that we seek to live; it is with Christ that we walk, each day of our lives.

Then a second thought: The effectiveness of a lighthouse depends to a great extent on what surrounds the light: the mirrors and how the mirrors that reflect the light are arranged, where the lighthouse is placed, how well it is looked after.

To see the Church as being like the mirrors in a lighthouse, reflecting the light of Christ, is to recall an image of the Church that dates from the Fathers. The prophet Malachi speaks of the ‘Sun of Righteousness’, a phrase that maintains its familiarity for us through one of our best-loved Christmas carols. Christ is indeed that Sun from which the Church derives a certain ‘borrowed splendour’, just as the moon borrows its light from the sun. This is not just a nice image from an ecclesiology textbook. It is helpful in grounding us in our purpose, in acknowledging our utter dependence on Christ for all we do, as we seek to live out the promises we have made. Without him, without his light we are useless. When our faces are turned towards him, then we may just reflect his light more fully, despite the faults that mark us and distort his light.

A third thought: The placement of a lighthouse is critical. If it is in the wrong place then its effectiveness is compromised, and ships may flounder on unmarked rocks. For people who have consecrated their lives, being in the right place to shine the light of Christ for others is so important. In the Church of today, it is so often Religious sisters and brothers who have the gift of knowing where that is. You often know the rocky places on which you must make your presence visible.

There are no lighthouses in the amusement arcades of Great Yarmouth! The outstanding witness and work of Religious in the fight against modern slavery is just one example. The most recent edition of Oremus, the cathedral magazine, contains an article about the unique role of Religious in fighting human trafficking in the UK. It tells how the Religious are involved in direct, front-line ministry to those who have fallen victim to traffickers. How grateful I am to all those who are responding so generously to this need in our diocese today.

Thought number four: A lighthouse can be technically brilliant and perfectly placed, but if it is not maintained then, sooner or later, disaster will strike: the light will go out. All Christian people must take the time to maintain their faith, but it is a special priority for those who are committed to Christ in the ways that you are. That work of maintenance is expressed, certainly, in our commitment to our communities. Charity in a community can sometimes be a raw thing; it often has to be an act of the will; but we cannot do without it as we seek to conform ourselves more closely to Christ, day by day. But above all, our work of maintenance stands or falls in our life of prayer: an essential and indispensable component of our relationship with God. Temptations to cut corners are everywhere: there are so many needs, important ones, that must be met; there are any number of people who need our help, or administrative tasks to be done. But we must never let the good prevent us from seeking the perfect. Today, as we renew our commitment to consecrated life, let us renew, in particular, our commitment to prayer; let us commit ourselves afresh to conform our lives, through prayer, to the ‘compassionate and trustworthy’ Christ of whom the Letter to the Hebrews speaks.

One final thought: When the lighthouse has done its work; when it has guided the ship safely to harbour, what will those who disembark find? Some of you may have visited the tidal island off Newborough on Anglesey: ‘the island of the blessed’, some call it. There the lighthouse is dwarfed, at the highest point of the island, by a towering cross. The island is associated, too, with a patron saint of lovers. Our works of witness and faithfulness cannot be separated from the Cross, for us, or for those we serve. But our work can, and must, be underpinned by love. Love for one another, expressed not least in the charity of community living; love for those to whom we minister; above all, love for Jesus Christ, the light that darkness cannot overcome, whose Presentation we celebrate today.

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A gathering for troubled times - come and recharge batteries at JPIC Links conference

“Signs of Hope” (Seeking life in troubled times), is the title of the forthcoming JPIC Links conference, to be led by an Anglican vicar, the Revd Dr Al Barrett. It’s taking place from 5 - 7 April at High Leigh Conference Centre, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire.

Organiser Sr Gillian Price FC said: “It really is a great support network for religious and associates. This year’s conference follows on from Brexit (or not) so we reckoned it was a good time to 're-group' for support and encouragement for each other.”

The Reverend Al Barrett is Vicar in Hodge Hill, East Birmingham, where he has been involved in grassroots community-building since 2010 and is seeking to develop ‘a radically receptive political theology in the urban margins’.

In his keynote address to the 40th annual gathering of the Justice and Peace Network of England and Wales last year, Revd Barrett called for a radically receptive solidarity with the poor and marginalised.

In a talk entitled 'Can anybody hear me?' : Christian discipleship in Brexit Britain in the shadow of Grenfell Tower,' he noted how his own vision chimed with that of Pope Francis's preaching of 'encounter' in genuine, mutually nurturing relationships.

Revd Barrett suggested that these are times of 'profound fragmentation' - generational, ethnic, socio-economic - and he identified an underlying post-imperial melancholia, in British society. Revd Barrett argued that our entrenched and widening class divides - our structural inequalities - were the effects not just of current austerity policies, but also 'the longer-term legacy of Thatcherism, deindustrialisation and the rise of the super-rich.'

He summarised precarity as 'the lack or loss of employment (or insecure, zero-hours contracts); poor quality, overcrowded and inadequately available housing; unyielding and punitive welfare regimes; and variable and uncertain access to food and healthcare; coupled with a lack or loss of voice in politics' - all making for a perfect storm. 'Many people have to deal with a hell of a lot more precarity than others.'

More information on the conference can be found here.

Applications for the April conference can be downloaded by clicking here.