Caritas In The Community: Cultivating Hope

PILGRIMS OF HOPE PLYMOUTH

We are drawing closer to the year of Jubilee, which has the over-arching theme of ‘Pilgrims of Hope’. In the spirit of preparing for this Holy Year, Caritas Plymouth Development workers have generously shared some inspiring stories of faith in action from all corners of our beautiful diocese, which in different ways align with the Jubilee themes.

The six social justice themes for the Jubilee year are: Care For Creation, Food Poverty, Modern Slavery, Managing Debt , Forgiveness and Rest.

You can find out more about what the historic Jubilee year entails at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference website by clicking here:

Torbay Deanery

A Laudato Si Award for All Saints Parishioners Carmen and Jane

Carole Bryant, Caritas Plymouth Development Worker for Torbay Deanery has kindly shared this uplifting news about care for creation in the community! The project which has merited this award has been led by Carmen Jaye, a caring and dedicated member of All Saints Parish.
She has worked tirelessly, and with great devotion and creativity, over more than the past decade (with Jane Clatworthy being of immense help recently) to help restore the parish garden of Our Lady & St Patrick’s Church Teignmouth, Devon.
The lovely space, which was once almost rubble, is now a source of joy and beauty for all who visit, as well as being a hub for wildlife such as bees.
When we spoke to Carmen about her love of gardening and passion for plants and nature, which she partly inherited from her late mother, also a long standing parishioner at All Saints, Carmen cited the following quote, originally derived from a poem by Dorothy Frances Gurney: ‘ The kiss of the sun for pardon, The song of the birds for mirth, One is nearer God’s heart in a garden, than anywhere else on earth.’

Carmen would also like to thank Margaret Winfield, Veronica Sutton and all those who have helped in little ways over the years to nurture and rejuvenate this cherished parish garden.

 

Dorset Deanery

Caritas and Parishes: Collaboration and Connection

Teresa Maguire, Caritas Development Worker in Dorset has shared the following: ‘The Caritas Dorset Deanery Networking and Faith Group met again this week. The group’s role and purpose is to: network; exchange ideas; inspire and support each other. Although small in number this week, it is proving to be a group who are doing a great job supporting Caritas and engaging in social action. We have had representation at the network from 8 out of the 12 parishes in the deanery. We would welcome more people to join us. Meetings take place quarterly moving around the parishes. Please do get in touch.’

‘I found the meeting relaxed and friendly but also very informative and wide ranging. Everyone had a chance to share what is happening in their own parishes. Although it was a small group, some positive decisions were made about future meetings.’Ann MIlward, St Anthonys West Moors

 

Cornwall Deanery

New Volunteers For Warming Welcome Spaces

“It is always a great pleasure to meet enthusiastic people who want to do some good for those around them”. This month our Caritas development worker for Cornwall has had the pleasure of working with new volunteers in Launceston, setting up a new Thursday welcome club where anyone can drop in for a free cuppa, a chat and some good company, along with a few entertaining activities. New friendships are being forged and we have already been offered some funding to buy new equipment for the session. The Caritas development worker, Tanya, has been encouraged by the wealth of things already going on around Cornwall. The keenness of parishes to work in partnership with their local communities can only lead to a joined-up approach to meet the great needs of those around us. We look forward to sharing more of what is happening in Cornwall and their faith in action.

 

Compassion for Carers and Combatting Modern Slavery 
Alexandra Miranda, Refugee and Migrant Project Lead for Caritas Plymouth has shared the following news about the life affirming work of Caritas Plymouth in this sphere:
‘Caritas Diocese of Plymouth is working to highlight the challenges that some people face when coming to the UK to work in the health and care sector, to encourage us to look out for those who may be at risk of exploitation, and to be able to signpost them to understand their rights and find sources of support. The UK relies upon migrant workers to support the care sector.
In partnership with Transformation Cornwall we held an inspiring discussion workshop in Camborne in October with local organisations committed to helping migrant workers, particularly in the care sector, who find themselves in crisis and at risk of exploitation.  We wanted to work together to find ways to help migrant workers struggling to survive. Participants included other faith organisations, voluntary sector groups and statutory partners. Caritas Plymouth and Transformation Cornwall are working together to create guidance for clergy and parishes so we can all work together to prevent people becoming victims of exploitation, labour abuse and Modern Slavery.’
If you have any ideas for Jubilee related caritas in the community projects or stories of faith in action please contact caritas@prcdtr.org.uk.
Images courtesy of Carole Bryant, Teresa Maguire, Tanya Trevena and Alexandra Miranda.