Kirstie is a new CAFOD volunteer in the Hexham and Newcastle Diocese. As we prepare for a Harvest like no other, she tells us how her experiences so far as a volunteer have helped to build her connection with her parish community.
This Harvest we are doing things a bit differently at CAFOD. Even with the challenges of coronavirus, there are lots of great ways to get involved this year – like cooking and sharing delicious food from around the world with your loved ones. Neil Roper from CAFOD’s Fundraising team is here to explain how.
With children and young people now back at school and settling into a new normal, Julia Corcoran – Leadership Development Coordinator at CAFOD – discusses our third national assembly on 8 October, and how small actions can transform the lives of millions of people this Harvest.
How can I pray in these difficult times? CAFOD’s Genevieve Cox has selected five ways you can pray for those affected by coronavirus as part of your daily life during Harvest.
On the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, Kathleen O’Brien from our Theology team explores the saint’s Canticle of the Creatures, used in our nine-day prayer vigil ahead of the Amazon Synod in Rome.
As Family Fast Day approaches, Kathleen O’Brien from our Theology team reflects on the life of Saint Francis and the influence he still has, centuries after his death.
Caroline Collins is a Step into the Gap volunteer at Newman University in Birmingham. This week she is getting ready for Family Fast Day.
At Newman University we have been preparing to swap our usual Friday lunch boxes for a simple soup lunch.
Caroline
For so many of our brothers and sisters around the world, the harvest determines whether their families will go to bed hungry tonight.
For Lilian in Zambia, a good harvest is so important. It means she can feed herself and her family in the coming months, and sell any extra food to buy school clothes, books and materials to build a home.
CAFOD’s World News Manager, Nana Anto-Awuakye explains how your donations for Family Fast Day will instill hope into those that see eating as a luxury.
On Sunday 23 September, pottering about in the kitchen, my constant companion – the radio – informs me that this very day is the autumn equinox, when day and night meet as equals, the official start of autumn.
I glance out through the kitchen window onto my garden, and see that the leaves are already falling, and turning their magnificent autumn yellows, browns and berry colours.
Kayleigh Margetts, one of the Step into the Gap volunteers, who is currently on placement at The Briars retreat centre, shares her experience of seeing CAFOD’s partner work in Sierra Leone.
In our second week, we travelled to Modia in Gbinleh Dixon chiefdom to visit the cassava farm and the vegetable garden that belonged to the community.
After having a wonderful experience meeting the community of Maforay the day before, all of us were excited to meet this new group of people with inspiring experiences and an incredible culture.
Young leaders from Portsmouth Diocese spoke up for CAFOD this Harvest by running an assembly in their school. (Emily, front row, centre.)
Emily is training as a CAFOD young leader volunteer in Portsmouth Diocese. Alongside other young leaders, this Harvest she spoke up for CAFOD at her school by running an assembly. Their assembly helped fundraise a record amount!
CAFOD’s Brighten Up campaign this Harvest was an opportunity for all of us involved in the CAFOD young leadership programme at my college to co-ordinate our own fundraising in aid of CAFOD’s work, focusing on their partnership in Bolivia.
By using an assembly and service as our main means of communication to students and staff at our school, we were able to get across the message of CAFOD in such a positive way and give CAFOD a new face at our school. By literally trying to Brighten Up this Harvest, we encouraged our student body to all wear scarves to our Harvest Festival whilst giving charitable donations which made for a much ‘brighter’ day!