LiveSimply Award Archives

CAFOD in your classrooms

August 23, 2023

Looking for that perfect activity to motivate children and young people? Do you know there’s a huge range of professionally-researched and thoughtfully-put together material available from our CAFOD Education team?

Whether you are teaching, fundraising, campaigning or praying; with primary, secondary or beyond; whether you need a colourful, dynamic, thought-provoking or contemplative activity or resource, CAFOD can help you inspire students on their faith journey.

The joy of volunteering with CAFOD

June 6, 2022

Five people stand in a line, each holding brightly coloured letter to spell out CAFOD

In National Volunteers’ Week, Communications Volunteer Caitlin Miller tells us about how her childhood determination to collect money for CAFOD turned into a volunteer role that connects her to her faith and community.

Live simply to celebrate the Season of Creation

September 11, 2020

Maureen Thompson, from the Parish of Our Lady and St Edmund of Abingdon, describes how CAFOD’s LiveSimply award is a way to share our faith and protect creation.

How one school’s LiveSimply pledge has transformed their community

August 9, 2019

When the pupils at Saint Joseph’s Primary School in Todmorden decided to take the pledge to LiveSimply, little did they know that one year later Bishop John Arnold would be visiting to commend their achievements.

How is Laudato Si’ changing the way we work at CAFOD?

August 1, 2018

Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ has inspired and challenged CAFOD in the way we work. Susy Brouard, from CAFOD’s theology team, and Gisele Henriques, from our international programmes team, reflect on how.

In June 2015 Pope Francis issued the encyclical Laudato Si’. The sub-title was “on care for our common home”. The letter was addressed not just to Catholics, and not just to people of faith. It was addressed to every citizen on the planet.

Pope Francis recognises that we have a common problem – environmental and social degradation. This problem will require a common solution so everyone is invited to be involved! As the Pope stated: “I urgently appeal, then, for a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet.” (# 14)

Reflect on and respond to Laudato Si’ with our prayer resources

CAFOD’s reflection on Laudato Si’

Susy Brouard holding a copy of the Laudato Si — Susy Brouard holding a copy of Laudato Si’

As a Catholic development agency CAFOD took the Pope’s invitation to dialogue very seriously. We felt we were in a good position to contribute constructively to the conversation. At the same time, we also saw that Laudato Si’ contained within it many challenges about the way we live and work. This included our approach to international development. We realised that we might be required to change some of the ways we think and work.

Continue reading “How is Laudato Si’ changing the way we work at CAFOD?”

Gospel reflection: Excess baggage weighs us down

July 13, 2018

In this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus sends out his disciples to spread the Good News, telling them that they must take no possessions with them. Volunteer Trevor Stockton reflects on this gospel reading and how we are all called to live more simply.

Based on the gospel for Sunday 15 July – Mark 6: 7-13

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“He instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a staff”

Continue reading “Gospel reflection: Excess baggage weighs us down”

A livesimply parish group transforms lives of local refugees

January 31, 2018

Carol Chilton, a Justice and Peace and livesimply group member from St John the Baptist Cathedral in Norwich shares how their livesimply group made a real difference to local refugees.

It all started with a phone call

The members of the Justice and Peace and Livesimply group in St John the Baptist Cathedral in Norwich, East Anglia diocese, after receiving the 27th livesimply award. Carol, who shares her experience in this blog, is the one holding the livesimply award — The members of the Justice and Peace and Livesimply group receiving their livesimply award. Carol holds the livesimply award.

There’s a whole network of underground support for refugees and asylum seekers in Norwich. I didn’t know about any of it until I made a phone call to find out what our group could do to help.

We heard from a health visitor that families were being moved into the area, but the accommodation they were staying in was so dirty. The families had nothing to clean it with.

Discover our campaign Share the Journey to stand up for the dignity of refugees

Continue reading “A livesimply parish group transforms lives of local refugees”

I’m dreaming of a livesimply Christmas…

December 6, 2016

Livesimply sign at Our Lady and St Edward's church, Lancaster diocese — Livesimply sign at Our Lady and St Edward’s church, Lancaster diocese

This year, CAFOD supporter Stephen Garsed is encouraging fellow parishioners at Our Lady and St Edward’s parish in Preston, to think about living simply and loving abundantly this Christmas. Here are his top six suggestions…

The word we hear so often in the weeks before Christmas is ‘tradition’. It is particularly promoted by the glossy magazines who like to sell us the concept of ‘the perfect Christmas’.

But do we want Christmas to be about things or about family? As the TV adverts encourage us to spend more, my mind turns to thinking of ways we can celebrate Christmas in a simple, more environmentally-friendly and loving way. Continue reading “I’m dreaming of a livesimply Christmas…”

Joyfully Live in Fellowship with Creation

January 23, 2016

Julie Cox and Sr Annette — Julie reunited with Sr Annette in Cameroon

Last month Julie Cox from St John Fisher Parish, Rochester, travelled to Cameroon to visit Sr Annette, who shares her deep conviction to live simply, sustainably and in solidarity with the poor. Here she shares her experience of “ecological conversion”.

In 2011, when the livesimply Parish Award Scheme was launched by CAFOD, I heard Fr. Sean McDonagh SSC speak passionately about the integrity of Creation and the impacts of climate change. A seed was sown and I continued to attend subsequent livesimply meetings, learning more about the connection between our Christian faith and human-ecology.

During a Creation-focused meeting at the Franciscan Study Centre, Canterbury, I had the good fortune to meet a Franciscan Sister from Cameroon, Sr Annette Tangwa TSSF. We became close friends, sharing a passion to restore Creation.

Find out more about becoming a liveSimply parish

I had the great privilege of reconnecting with my dear friend Sr Annette last November when I travelled to Cameroon. What struck me when I first arrived in this central African country was the warmth, openness and receptivity of the Cameroonian people. It was a truly wonderful experience to be among a rural community centred on the parish of the Sacred Heart, Shisong.

Continue reading “Joyfully Live in Fellowship with Creation”

Climate change: The Laudato Si’ challenge

November 23, 2015

Paul Kelly is a CAFOD supporter in the Lancaster diocese. He will be travelling to Paris in December 2015 as part of a supporter delegation at the time of the UN climate talks.

With the UN Summit on Climate Change due to start in Paris in a week’s time, it couldn’t have been better timing for a CAFOD study day on the Encyclical letter Laudato Si’.

Sign our petition to world leaders in response to Laudato Si’

As a CAFOD supporter, and member of the Lancaster Diocese Faith and Justice Commission Environment Group, I travelled from North-West England for the event, held on Saturday 7 November in Westminster Cathedral Hall.

Journey with us

The opening prayer litany set the tone: “If you are asking questions such as: What is the purpose of my life in this world? What is the goal of my work and all my efforts, then journey with us;” “If you think we were made for love and therefore that gestures of generosity, solidarity and care can well up within us, then journey with us.” Continue reading “Climate change: The Laudato Si’ challenge”