Over the past few months in the Birmingham Archdiocese, we’ve been hearing about how the food system is failing the poorest people: the balance of power is tipped towards global companies – rather than families trying to put food on the table. We heard the story of Emily Mbithuka from Kitui, Kenya (pictured below on our action card), and how she struggles to sell her produce because of poor infrastructure and therefore struggles to feed her family. Our Hungry for change campaign is calling for empowering aid for small-scale farmers like Emily, and checks on the power of global food companies. This power should be shared justly, so that everyone can benefit. To help make this campaign bigger and stronger, we are asking parishes to sign loaves and fish action cards (below) which ask David Cameron to take action to rebalance our food system. Could you organise a card signing in your parish, or order a few cards for your family and friends? Call 0300 011 5680 or email resources@cafod.org.uk (before the G8 in June is great but not essential—the deadline is 1st October). When they’re signed, please make the loaves and fish cards into the shape of a big IF and send a photo to CAFOD, so that they can be part of the event on June 8th. Or bring the photo on June 8th to show the parish’s support.
Author Archives: cafodbirmingham
Duo Amici Musicali – a musical evening for CAFOD
On Saturday evening September 22nd, we had a wonderful evening for CAFOD at St Joseph’s, Burntwood, in the Birmingham Archdiocese.
We were entertained by two professional musicians, a recently formed duo who performed a very varied range of music, with Emma playing the cello and Lizzie the guitar.
Sitting in front of the altar in the chancel of our beautiful church, the duo inspired us with some sublime baroque pieces and lively works from Spain and Latin America.
Lizzie is a local girl who, from nine years, learned the guitar at St Joseph’s school and quickly developed a passion for music. She was encouraged by her very musical family who still lead us in our choral singing at Mass.
Emma comes from Hampshire and, like Lizzie, acquired her enthusiasm for music at school, learning the cello from 6 years.
The girls met at the Birmingham Conservatoire (the school of music at Birmingham University). Even to the untrained ear the extraordinarily high level of professionalism was evident. Both girls play professionally and also teach. They tell us they are available for future events!
We are so fortunate that they were willing to donate their time freely for CAFOD. The event raised £230. 00 - a brilliant outcome!
By Mary Kane, CAFOD Key Volunteer
Filed under CAFOD
Duo Amici Musicali – a musical evening for CAFOD
On Saturday evening September 22nd, we had a wonderful evening for CAFOD at St Joseph’s, Burntwood, in the Birmingham Archdiocese.
We were entertained by two professional musicians, a recently formed duo who performed a very varied range of music, with Emma playing the cello and Lizzie the guitar.
Sitting in front of the altar in the chancel of our beautiful church, the duo inspired us with some sublime baroque pieces and lively works from Spain and Latin America.
Lizzie is a local girl who, from nine years, learned the guitar at St Joseph’s school and quickly developed a passion for music. She was encouraged by her very musical family who still lead us in our choral singing at Mass.
Emma comes from Hampshire and, like Lizzie, acquired her enthusiasm for music at school, learning the cello from 6 years.
The girls met at the Birmingham Conservatoire (the school of music at Birmingham University). Even to the untrained ear the extraordinarily high level of professionalism was evident. Both girls play professionally and also teach. They tell us they are available for future events!
We are so fortunate that they were willing to donate their time freely for CAFOD. The event raised £230. 00 - a brilliant outcome!
By Mary Kane, CAFOD Key Volunteer
Filed under CAFOD, CAFOD Birmingham, fundraising, UK
Margaret and Barry Mizen to bring stories of peace-building to Walsall
Peace ambassadors Margaret and Barry Mizen will be visiting Walsall in September to share stories of peace-building in the UK and Kenya.
Margaret and Barry’s son, Jimmy, was killed in south London in 2008, the morning after his sixteenth birthday.
Jimmy was the thirteenth London teenager to be killed that year, yet Margaret and Barry say: ‘We would like everyone to remember Jimmy and all those killed by violent crimes, not in anger, but with hope for the future.’ Since Jimmy’s death they have become peace ambassadors, working in schools, parishes, community groups and prisons to bring a message of hope, peace and reconciliation, rooted in faith.
Last year, Margaret and Barry travelled with CAFOD to Kenya where they exchanged experiences with CAFOD partners and young people who are challenging violence in the slums of Nairobi.
All are welcome to what promises to be an unforgettable evening as they share this amazing story.
Their talk will be at 7pm on Wednesday 26th September in the Parish Centre, St. Mary the Mount Catholic Church, Glebe Street, Walsall, WS1 3NF. Refreshments will be served. Please contact CAFOD Birmingham on 01922 722 944 or e-mail birmingham@cafod.org.uk for more information.
Filed under CAFOD, CAFOD Birmingham, Kenya, Local CAFOD event, UK
Xtreme Fun in the Sun at Alton Castle
At the end of July, Amy Fox, CAFOD Diocesan Officer (Youth) and Emily Heaven, youth volunteer, were excited to be invited to take part in Xtreme Adventure, a brand new Catholic youth summer camp held at Alton Castle.
The camp, run in association with the Life Teen movement, was a unique opportunity for young people from across the Birmingham Archdiocese to come together to experience faith, fun and adventure.
We visited at the start of the week, on a morning of glorious sunshine after all the weeks of rain, and found the young people engrossed in a Bible study workshop on the Parable of the Prodigal Son. This was followed by two sessions of free time, during which the group could choose from a selection of activities and workshops, from arts and crafts to frisbee on the lawn.
An enthusiastic group gathered at the top of the Castle’s Discovery Centre for a trip around the world to some of the countries where CAFOD works. We got to know each other with a game of Jambo, one of CAFOD’s Sports Icebreakers, inspired by St. John’s Sports Society in the Kenyan slum of Korogocho. Next, a game of Global Connections got us thinking about the huge number of links between ourselves and people from different countries and cultures around the world.
The group then had the chance to take on the characters of young people living in some of the countries where CAFOD works, for the World Values Auction. The characters – from Kenya, Nigeria, Cambodia, Honduras and the UK – were each given a differing sum of money based on their country’s GDP and given an opportunity to bid for a selection of items - from seeds and agricultural tools to an MP3 player. For most of the characters, even basic essentials like access to clean water were hopelessly out of reach… but Jonathan from the UK found he was able to purchase everything he wanted (and some things he didn’t) at knock-down prices, while still having piles of notes left over.
For the second session, we moved outside into the sunshine and spread our hope mural, inspired by a peace mural created by the CAFOD-supported Association for the Victims of Violence in Colombia and begun at the Exult worship event, on the lawn. To the tune of Kenyan hip-hop exploring issues of peace and justice, a crowd of young people gathered round to add their own symbols of hope to the mural. Inspired by Matthew 5:16: ‘You are the light of the world… Let your light shine before others’, the young people thought about the things that gave them hope. One young person drew some musical notes and another painted a symbol of friendship. We hope the mural will continue to grow as more symbols of hope are added at future events.
Some of the symbols of hope on our giant mural.
We left just in time to avoid the giant mud fight which, we were told, was planned for the afternoon! We hope (and have no doubt) that the group continued to have an amazing, adventurous week that enabled them to grow in their faith and develop lasting friendships. Thank you to Anna Howard and BCYS for inviting us and being so welcoming.
If you’re a youth leader in the Birmingham Diocese and would like to inspire your young people to put their faith into action by engaging in global justice, we can provide advice, resources, training or even tailor-made sessions. Please get in touch with Amy on 01922 722944 or e-mail afox@cafod.org.uk.
Filed under CAFOD, CAFOD Birmingham, greatgeneration, UK, youth action, Youth resources
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