November 2, 2018
In this reflection on Mark 12:28-34, Roisin Beirne from our Legacy and Remembrance team considers the command to love God and our neighbour.
Based on the gospel for Sunday 4 November – Mark 12:28-34
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Continue reading “Gospel reflection: There is no commandment greater than love”
October 31, 2018
Roisin Beirne, CAFOD’s Candlelight Fund Officer, shares a little about two special women who have been honoured by a donation to CAFOD in their memory.
During November, the month of Remembrance, the Church encourages us to come together and reflect on all those who have died yet continue to touch our lives.
As the Candlelight Funds Officer here at CAFOD, I offer support to those who have lost a loved one and are looking for a way to honour them through CAFOD’s work. Some families set up a Candlelight Fund. This is a special fund in memory of a loved one who has died, where all donations in their name are combined to make a life-changing difference to the world’s poorest communities. It truly does celebrate a life while touching the lives of thousands more.
Donate in memory of a loved one
Many have told me how much comfort they gain from knowing that good is being done in their loved one’s name. As a way of saying thank you for the incredible strength and kindness these families show, I’d like to share a little about two women who have been remembered in this way.
Continue reading “Honour a loved one by donating in their memory”
October 21, 2018
Roisin Beirne, in our Legacy and Remembrance team, reflects on this week’s gospel (Mark 10:35-45). She considers the legacy that our loved ones who have died have left in our lives and their impact on the world.
Based on the gospel for Sunday 21 October – Mark 10:35-45
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“Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant.”
Continue reading “Gospel reflection: The importance of serving others”
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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Continue reading “Gospel reflection: Anyone who humbles himself will be exalted”
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.
Continue reading “Gospel reflection: the greatest commandment”
October 25, 2017
Roisin Beirne, CAFOD’s Candlelight Fund Officer, talks about the inspirational families who honour a loved one through CAFOD’s work.
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.
November 8, 2016
Susanna Webb, CAFOD Candlelight Funds Officer, talks about some of the special families who remember a loved one with a Candlelight Fund
I’ve worked in CAFOD’s Legacy and Remembrance giving team for nearly 8 years and without a doubt the real privilege is hearing from so many families who are creating hope amidst their grief.
Candlelight Funds are a way of paying tribute to someone special while also raising money for men, women and children living in poverty around the world. Over the course of the last 10 years, more than 600 people and families have decided to remember their loved one with gifts to CAFOD’s work.
Here you can read about how some of those families have paid tribute to their loved ones while also building a brighter future for our brothers and sisters around the world.
Find out more about CAFOD’s Candlelight Funds
Continue reading “Meet some of CAFOD’s inspiring Candlelight families”
June 8, 2016
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGdqgUYOGE4?rel=0&w=560&h=315]
Justin Rowntree owns the highly acclaimed Silversmith’s Restaurant in Sheffield. On 5 June he ran the Ugandan Marathon in memory of his late mum, Sarojini, his grandmother, Angelina, and to support CAFOD. He set himself the challenge of raising £4,000 to cover the cost of building a borehole in the Gulu region of Uganda. He spoke to CAFOD’s Katherine Binns about the race:
The week before the marathon was truly life changing. Meeting people in the remotest of villages rebuilding their lives after 20 years of war, [and seeing] their dignity, determination and relentless strength to improve their lives is something we in the west can learn so much from.
See the impact your efforts during Lent have made
I saw how wells already implemented by CAFOD changed the fortune and lives of whole communities. No six hour trips for water by the children meant school could be attended, hygiene and health improved tenfold, and crops had a chance to survive drought.
As one village leader said to me “building a well is giving life, as here water is life”
May 29, 2016
Ben McMullen is the Deputy Head of All Hallows Catholic High School in Preston. In April he ran the 2016 Virgin London Marathon for CAFOD in memory of his father, Vin McMullen. Just before the marathon, he spoke to Jade Till of CAFOD’s media team, about the inspiration from his father and the course that CAFOD continues to run through his life.
CAFOD’s been a part of my life since I was 10 years old. My dad, Vin McMullen, worked for CAFOD for 16 years, from 1981 – 1997. He was the very first regional organiser outside of London. His area was originally the north of England, and then eventually covered Salford, Shrewsbury, Liverpool, and Lancaster dioceses.
A gift to CAFOD in memory of a loved one could change someone’s life forever
Eventually every diocese had a regional organiser so he covered Liverpool. All through my teenage years I volunteered. My dad was the one who set up the Christmas Fun Run in Liverpool in 1984, which still goes on.
My dad was away a lot, and when he came back, all of the photographs and video clips really raised my awareness of how other people have to live. He was particularly involved with the Philippines. He wrote a book which the geography department at my school still uses.
CAFOD’s changed a lot from those days and it’s grown enormously now. Continue reading “Why I volunteer: running in memory of my dad”
October 24, 2015
As CAFOD gets ready for its tenth year of November memorial Masses, director Chris Bain reflects on the month of remembrance.
November is a very special time of year. And it’s not just the fireworks that make it special. For the Church and her faithful, it is a time especially set aside to remember and pray for all those who have died.
For many people, this might seem strange. In today’s busy society there aren’t many opportunities for us to take the time and space to remember those who are no longer with us. We’re constantly on the go and feel we need to be in control. And, because we’re frightened by what might happen if our emotions get the better of us, we are often uncomfortable with the idea of death and grief.
Of course, for those of us who have lost someone special, they are always with us and we think of them often, but it can be hard to find a way to express our feelings or share the experience with others without making people anxious.
Visit our website to find details of your nearest CAFOD memorial Mass
But that’s why this month of remembrance should be recognised more widely. Having a space in the Church calendar where we’re encouraged to celebrate our loved ones reminds us that it is good and right to do so; to remember and give thanks for the people who’ve influenced us, and pray for all those who have died. It might sound sombre, and indeed it can be an emotional time, but ultimately the Church is giving us a message of hope. Hope and encouragement that love and life are stronger than death. Continue reading “Remembering CAFOD supporters this November”
