Climate champions share their experience of global climate conference

November 17, 2017

CAFOD climate champions, John Paul and Eleanor Margetts, share their experience of attending COY13, the 13th Youth Conference that runs alongside the annual climate conference COP23. 

Hello! Our names are John Paul, Edward and Eleanor and we have just finished taking part in COY13, the Conference of Youth that took place in Bonn, Germany, ahead of the COP23 Conference – the conference of parties which meets annually to discuss climate change.

The COY13 conference aims to mobilise people into taking action for climate change, particularly in the context of implementing the Paris Agreement as a result of COP21.

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We formed part of the youth delegation, a gathering of around 1,000 young people from all over the world, coming together to learn and to share ideas on making positive changes for the good of the environment and for climate justice.

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Gospel reflection: Stay awake

November 10, 2017

Every Friday, we offer you  a reflection on the Sunday gospel. This week’s reflection was written by Rachel McCarthy, who works in CAFOD’s Theology Programme.

Based on the gospel for Sunday 12 November – Matthew 25:1-13 “Stay awake.”

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It’s midnight. The wedding attendants have been waiting for a long time for the bridegroom. At last, he arrives. The five sensible ones are admitted to the feast, but the other five suddenly find they are unprepared. They scrabble around in a panic, and set out to find oil for their lamps.

After some time, the wedding attendants come back, knocking on the door and calling for the bridegroom to let them in. But it is too late. The doors are shut.

Like the five sensible ones who take oil with their lamps, we are called to prepare for the kingdom of heaven and to keep our gaze fixed on Christ. We must be prepared to show our love for Christ through our actions.

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Gospel reflection: Anyone who humbles himself will be exalted

November 3, 2017

Every Friday, we offer you a reflection on the Sunday gospel. This week’s reflection was written by Roisin Beirne, who works in CAFOD’s Legacy team. It is based on the gospel for Sunday 5 November- Matthew 23:1-12.

“Anyone who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Roisin, from our legacy team, would like to share a reflection on this Sunday's gospel reading from Matthew. Please join us in prayer.

Posted by CAFOD on Friday, 3 November 2017

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Gospel reflection: the greatest commandment

October 27, 2017

Every Friday, we offer you a reflection on the Sunday gospel. This week’s reflection was written by Roisin Beirne, who works in CAFOD’s Legacy team.

Based on the gospel for Sunday 29 October – Matthew 22:34-40 “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”

This Sunday we are asked to think about love.

Here at CAFOD we believe that through love we can make a world of difference. By showing compassion to others, we are helping them to feel God’s light.

Saint John of the Cross said, “In the evening of life, we will be judged on love alone”. We are all part of a global family and we must work together to create a more loving and peaceful world.

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Celebrate a life with CAFOD

October 25, 2017

Roisin Beirne, CAFOD’s Candlelight Fund Officer, talks about the inspirational families who honour a loved one through CAFOD’s work.

Roisin Beirne looks after CAFOD's Candlelight Funds - tribute funds in memory of a loved one who has died
Roisin, Candlelight Fund Officer

For me, this year has been eventful and full of meaning, as I began my new role in April, looking after our Candlelight Funds. I support those who have lost a loved one and are looking for a way to pay tribute to them through CAFOD’s work. I have been completely overwhelmed by the compassion and generosity shown by those who remember their loved ones in this way. They have welcomed me with a level of warmth that I never imagined would be a part of my job.

Thank you so much for your kindness.

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Rohingya Crisis Appeal: Caritas volunteers join relief efforts

October 20, 2017

Tom Delamere is CAFOD’s Bangladesh Programme Officer. Here he tells us about his recent visits to Bangladesh, a country struggling to cope with the arrival of more than 582,000 refugees from Myanmar, on top of the devastating effects of recent flooding.

On landing in Dhaka, Bangladesh’s bustling capital city, two things immediately strike you. The first is the close, warm climate; growing up in the North of England didn’t really prepare me for South Asia’s summer temperatures. The second is just how busy the roads and streets are, ringing with vehicle horns, rickshaw bells and the movement of crowds of people.

Please donate to CAFOD’s Rohingya Crisis Appeal 

What sticks in my mind the most about the country is the hospitality shown by its people – a warm welcome, a cup of char and an engaging conversation are never far away.

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Gospel reflection: Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar

October 20, 2017

Every Friday, we offer you a reflection on the Sunday gospel. This week’s reflection was written by Dr Susy Brouard, who works in CAFOD’s Theology Programme.

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Based on the Gospel for Sunday 22 October – Matthew 22:15-21 “Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar – and to God what belongs to God”

The Religious authorities are determined to undermine Jesus’ authority and once again Jesus manages to undermine their authority instead.

Clearly, the authorities do not stand apart from the Roman occupation, since they readily seem to be able to produce a coin with Caesar’s head on it. It is significant that Jesus is unable to produce a coin himself since he is homeless, dependent on the goodness, generosity and hospitality of others.

Jesus affirms the need to fulfil our civic duties, but even more so – as creatures who are bearers of God’s image – we are called to go beyond the law showing love, mercy and justice to others and to all of creation.  This love is made manifest not in a passive desire to avoid doing wrong, but in an active determination to work for the flourishing of all.

Dear Lord, help us to fulfil our civic duties towards one another and towards the common good. Help us to remember that every person is made in your image, and every part of creation reflects your glory. Inspire us to use our civil rights to advocate for the flourishing of all peoples and all creation. Amen.

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The fruit of her hands: Karima’s story from Israel

October 15, 2017

Karima harvesting peppers on a farm in Israel

Olwen Maynard has been at CAFOD for over thirty years.  While reviewing project files to see what’s worked and what didn’t, she’s often amazed to see the difference that’s been made to people’s lives. On the International Day of Rural Women, Olwen shares Karima’s story.

Thumbing through CAFOD’s file on the Workers Advice Centre (WAC) in Israel, I was most surprised to see we’ve been supporting their work now for ten years.  Roni Ben-Efrat, one of the amazing Israeli women who got WAC started back in the 1990s, argues convincingly that lasting peace in the Middle East is impossible until all the people living there can make a decent living.  Many Arab families in the area known as the Triangle, a remote and largely rural part of northern Israel, live below the poverty line.  It’s not easy to find jobs at all, and it’s especially hard for housewives and mothers, almost all of whom left school without any qualifications.  WAC requested support from CAFOD to help them move into paid employment, and we agreed.

Karima Yahya was in her early forties, with six children old enough not to need her constantly around, and a husband who’d undergone heart surgery and was no longer able to work.  With no money coming in, they were sinking further and further into debt.  Then she met Wafa Tiara.

Find out more about CAFOD’s work in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian territory

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Your Harvest donations: progress in the Bolivian Altiplano

October 12, 2017

Your Harvest donations are a vital lifeline for people all over the world. Last Harvest we introduced you to a community in Bolivia and invited you to join them in their journey towards an abundant harvest. One year into the project, Nikki Evans, CAFOD’s Bolivia Programme Officer, revisits one of the families you have helped.

Your donation can sow an abundant harvest

I first met Rosa Mamani and her four small children in 2016. I was visiting families that had just joined CAFOD’s Hands On project in the highlands of Bolivia near Lake Titicaca.

Why are your donations needed?

Many of the poorest rural farmers live in this area known as the Altiplano. Nestled high in the Andes mountains at over 12,000 feet, this plateau is arid and the farmers live at the mercy of the unpredictable and challenging weather. Continue reading “Your Harvest donations: progress in the Bolivian Altiplano”