OTHER INFORMATION
IN THIS SECTION
- Promoting racial and cultural inclusion in our parishes, Schools and Communities
- Caritas Southwark
- Love the Stranger (Principles)
- Associates of the Daughters of the Cross
- From the Archdiocese of Southwark
Promoting Racial and Cultural Inclusion in our Parishes, Schools and Communities
The first seminar organised by the Southwark Commission for Racial Diversity and Cultural Inclusion was held in Amigo Hall on Saturday 28th October. This Commission is the first of its type in the Catholic Church in the whole of England and Wales. Episcopal Vicar Canon Victor Darlington reported on the Commissions work to date. More information on the Commission can be found on the Southwark Diocesan website under “Mission”.
Our first presenters were Fr Richard Nesbitt and Elizabeth Uwalaka, PP and parishioner, of Our Lady of Fatima parish, White City in Westminster Diocese who told us of the parish’s efforts to confront and root out racism. In 2020 following the George Floyd killing in America and the pulling down of the statue of Edward Colston, the slaver trader, in Bristol, Fr Nesbitt initiated a conversation in his parish which led to parishioners sharing their experiences of racism including such incidences as refusal to share the sign of peace at Mass, leading to suggestions for ending racism in the parish and wider society. This has been published in a report called ‘Rooting out racism in our Parish’. ln this report he says, “As a parish priest I feel very passionately that we should always have the courage and integrity to bring into our shared community, conversations about the ‘difficult issues’ which surround us in our world today - this makes our faith real and not something comfortable and cosy". Elizabeth Uwalaka added, “The journey of sharing and healing which our parish anti-racism group has travelled together shows that God can bring light out of any darkness”. Amongst the ideas being put into practice are ensuring that the readers and special minister reflect the diversity of the parish and looking at how the images, pictures and statues, might better represent the diversity of the Catholic Church in the world.
We then heard from Susan Elderfield, Advisor for Schools & College Chaplaincies and two of her team on “Journeying with young people and families: opportunities, challenges and hopes”. We discussed many of her ideas in small groups, feeding back a few of the results of our discussions.
Next, we were entertained by Nana Churcher a parishioner at the Catholic parish of Lady of Mount Carmel and St. George in Enfield and an award-winning Talk Show Host, speaker, radio host, author, mentor, executive producer, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, ‘The Nana Churcher Show’ which streams live on Omega TV UK every Sunday at 2pm. It is a one-hour motivational show seeking to inspire its viewers to become leaders in their chosen fields and to empower them to become agents of change.
The final input of the packed agenda was by Andrea Fernandes from St Margaret of Scotland parish, Carshalton Beeches, who is co-chair of the Parish Racial and Cultural inclusion Group. This is the first such group in Southwark and probably in the Catholic Church in Great Britain. More on this local group will be uploaded separately on this website.
Canon Darlington summed up and we left hoping to take back to our parishes some of the day’s ideas such as ensuring that key roles in our parish reflect its diversity and looking more carefully at the images in our churches.
The first seminar organised by the Southwark Commission for Racial Diversity and Cultural Inclusion was held in Amigo Hall on Saturday 28th October. This Commission is the first of its type in the Catholic Church in the whole of England and Wales. Episcopal Vicar Canon Victor Darlington reported on the Commissions work to date. More information on the Commission can be found on the Southwark Diocesan website under “Mission”.
Our first presenters were Fr Richard Nesbitt and Elizabeth Uwalaka, PP and parishioner, of Our Lady of Fatima parish, White City in Westminster Diocese who told us of the parish’s efforts to confront and root out racism. In 2020 following the George Floyd killing in America and the pulling down of the statue of Edward Colston, the slaver trader, in Bristol, Fr Nesbitt initiated a conversation in his parish which led to parishioners sharing their experiences of racism including such incidences as refusal to share the sign of peace at Mass, leading to suggestions for ending racism in the parish and wider society. This has been published in a report called ‘Rooting out racism in our Parish’. ln this report he says, “As a parish priest I feel very passionately that we should always have the courage and integrity to bring into our shared community, conversations about the ‘difficult issues’ which surround us in our world today - this makes our faith real and not something comfortable and cosy". Elizabeth Uwalaka added, “The journey of sharing and healing which our parish anti-racism group has travelled together shows that God can bring light out of any darkness”. Amongst the ideas being put into practice are ensuring that the readers and special minister reflect the diversity of the parish and looking at how the images, pictures and statues, might better represent the diversity of the Catholic Church in the world.
We then heard from Susan Elderfield, Advisor for Schools & College Chaplaincies and two of her team on “Journeying with young people and families: opportunities, challenges and hopes”. We discussed many of her ideas in small groups, feeding back a few of the results of our discussions.
Next, we were entertained by Nana Churcher a parishioner at the Catholic parish of Lady of Mount Carmel and St. George in Enfield and an award-winning Talk Show Host, speaker, radio host, author, mentor, executive producer, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, ‘The Nana Churcher Show’ which streams live on Omega TV UK every Sunday at 2pm. It is a one-hour motivational show seeking to inspire its viewers to become leaders in their chosen fields and to empower them to become agents of change.
The final input of the packed agenda was by Andrea Fernandes from St Margaret of Scotland parish, Carshalton Beeches, who is co-chair of the Parish Racial and Cultural inclusion Group. This is the first such group in Southwark and probably in the Catholic Church in Great Britain. More on this local group will be uploaded separately on this website.
Canon Darlington summed up and we left hoping to take back to our parishes some of the day’s ideas such as ensuring that key roles in our parish reflect its diversity and looking more carefully at the images in our churches.
Caritas Southwark
Caritas Southwark was launched at a special Mass on Saturday 18th March. It is a new initiative in the Diocese headed up by Canon Victor Darlington, Episcopal Vicar for the South East Area of the Diocese. It will be connected to the Nationwide Catholic Social Action Network (CSAN) which is based in Romero House. It has been set up to encourage parishes in the Diocese to be involved in social activities and pass on best practice. Initially it will concentrate on four areas
More detail on the work of Caritas Southwark can be found under Mission on the Diocesan website
Caritas Southwark was launched at a special Mass on Saturday 18th March. It is a new initiative in the Diocese headed up by Canon Victor Darlington, Episcopal Vicar for the South East Area of the Diocese. It will be connected to the Nationwide Catholic Social Action Network (CSAN) which is based in Romero House. It has been set up to encourage parishes in the Diocese to be involved in social activities and pass on best practice. Initially it will concentrate on four areas
- Youth people especially vulnerable to violence
- Food Banks and Family Poverty
- The Elderly and possibly lonely
- Refugees & Asylum seekers
More detail on the work of Caritas Southwark can be found under Mission on the Diocesan website
The Catholic Church's Principles on the treatment of Migrants & Refugees (As listed in LOVE THE STRANGER)
- Our response to migrants and refugees is rooted in the innate worth of each human person
- Recognising the universal destination of goods, we must not exclude others from having the means to flourish simply because of where they were born
- Nationalist or individualistic tendencies should not be allowed to take hold and prevent us seeing humanity as a single family
- We recognise the right of all people to flourish in their homeland; every nation has a duty to uphold this by working for peace, promoting good governance and tackling the causes of poverty
- We ask our own government to help other countries address the factors that drive people from their homelands, including through the provision of a just aid budget, control of the arms trade, promotion of human rights and action to tackle the climate emergency
- We affirm the responsibility of the Church and civil society to help people in their homelands, including through the work of organisations such as CAFOD, Missio, Pax Christi, and Aid to the Church in Need
- We uphold the right to migrate, which may be exercised not only by those fleeing threats to their safety but also by those seeking to build a better life for themselves and their families
- We recognise that states have a right to control their borders; however, such measures cannot be based on economic factors alone; states have a responsibility to promote the common good of the people within their boundaries, but they also have obligations to the wider world
- We encourage the extension of safe routes such as resettlement programmes, visa schemes and humanitarian corridors, so that people can exercise their right to migrate in a dignified and humane manner
- We must not allow the concerns that some communities might have about migration to be exploited for political purposes or allow such concerns to develop into a xenophobic attitude; Christian communities must play their part in providing a genuine welcome to migrants and refugees
- We seek and promote dialogue with the local Church in people's countries of origin, and the countries through which they have travelled, so that we can better understand their stories
- We defend the fundamental human dignity of all migrants and refugees, regardless of their legal status, including through policies providing access to decent accommodation, healthcare, and childhood education, as well as facilitating family reunification
- We call for the sanctity of life to be prioritised in all border security arrangements and reject measures that place people in danger or deny reasonable assistance to those in need
- We call upon the government to avoid the use of immigration detention, arbitrary expulsion and other practices which violate human dignity
- We urge the fulfilment of obligations under international frameworks protecting migrants and refugees, such as the Refugee Convention, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Global Compact on Refugees, and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration
- Recognising the practical contribution that our Church can make, we support the work of Catholic organisations such as Caritas, the Jesuit Refugee Service, and the St Vincent De Paul Society, as well as parish and diocesan initiatives, in upholding the human dignity of migrants and refugees
- Reaffirming the Church's responsibility to help eliminate the evils of trafficking and slavery, we support the work of Catholic organisations such as the Santa Marta Group
- We recognise that trafficking and slavery are exacerbated by a lack of accessible alternatives for migration or seeking sanctuary — efforts to tackle trafficking and slavery must therefore go beyond more active law enforcement; we also need to support people to flourish in their homelands, establish more safe routes for migrants and refugees, and work to eliminate the demand for those services that slave labour continues to meet
- Migration enriches our culture — we must welcome migrants and refugees so that they can live fulfilled lives in their new country
- We support the simplification of routes to citizenship and opportunities for people to regularise their immigration status
- We celebrate the vital contribution of migrants and refugees to our parishes and the life of the Church in England and Wales
- We recognise the gifts that migrants and refugees bring which can enrich our society in many ways, including economically
- We encourage policies that give migrants and refugees the right to work, to facilitate their contribution to the common good of our society
- We call upon all those who employ migrants and refugees to treat them in a dignified and humane way
Associates of the Daughters of the Cross
The religious order, the Daughters of the Cross, came from Belgium and founded the school which became St Philomena’s in Carshalton in 1893. They subsequently opened St Anthony’s Hospital, North Cheam and several other houses in the South East.
As we know, religious orders are sadly diminished in this country nowadays, and the Daughters of the Cross are no longer able to teach or nurse and have handed over these concerns to other professionals.
However, there are several sisters living at St Mary’s Convent, next to St Anthony’s (now Spire) and supporting St Raphael’s Hospice. And there are two groups of lay people in the Sutton Deanery who are Associates of Daughters of the Cross, one in Cheam and one based at St Philomena’s School, who are committed to uphold the ethos of the Daughters and to pray for their works.
The group based at St Philomena's consists of current and retired school staff, ‘old girls’ and governors and Sister Rose Marmion FC. We meet monthly in term time in the school. We pray the evening prayer of the Church and keep in prayer all the concerns of the sisters and the school.
There will be many parishioners in the Deanery who will have experience of St Philomena's School and of the Daughters of the Cross, both now and in the past. So we ask for your prayers in supporting the continuation of their values and good works they started.
Clare Prior
[email protected]
The religious order, the Daughters of the Cross, came from Belgium and founded the school which became St Philomena’s in Carshalton in 1893. They subsequently opened St Anthony’s Hospital, North Cheam and several other houses in the South East.
As we know, religious orders are sadly diminished in this country nowadays, and the Daughters of the Cross are no longer able to teach or nurse and have handed over these concerns to other professionals.
However, there are several sisters living at St Mary’s Convent, next to St Anthony’s (now Spire) and supporting St Raphael’s Hospice. And there are two groups of lay people in the Sutton Deanery who are Associates of Daughters of the Cross, one in Cheam and one based at St Philomena’s School, who are committed to uphold the ethos of the Daughters and to pray for their works.
The group based at St Philomena's consists of current and retired school staff, ‘old girls’ and governors and Sister Rose Marmion FC. We meet monthly in term time in the school. We pray the evening prayer of the Church and keep in prayer all the concerns of the sisters and the school.
There will be many parishioners in the Deanery who will have experience of St Philomena's School and of the Daughters of the Cross, both now and in the past. So we ask for your prayers in supporting the continuation of their values and good works they started.
Clare Prior
[email protected]
From the Archdiocese of Southwark
BROADCAST MASSES FROM SOUTHWARK PARISHES
The live streaming of Masses in Southwark are listed on link below:
on http://www.rcsouthwark.co.uk/streaming.html
And https://cafod.org.uk/Education/Children-s-liturgy for Children’s Liturgy
PASSING ON THE FAITH TO CHILDREN
The Southwark Marriage & Family Life team felt it timely to offer a programme they have run in the past in several parishes but can now present as an online service for parents wishing to encourage their children in the practice of their faith. And of course families can participate from the comfort of their homes. For more details email Lisette Blanchet-Ball on [email protected]he
The live streaming of Masses in Southwark are listed on link below:
on http://www.rcsouthwark.co.uk/streaming.html
And https://cafod.org.uk/Education/Children-s-liturgy for Children’s Liturgy
PASSING ON THE FAITH TO CHILDREN
The Southwark Marriage & Family Life team felt it timely to offer a programme they have run in the past in several parishes but can now present as an online service for parents wishing to encourage their children in the practice of their faith. And of course families can participate from the comfort of their homes. For more details email Lisette Blanchet-Ball on [email protected]he