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Diocese of Arundel and Brighton News
 New Covenant
with the poor
The signing of the New Covenant with the Poor by Bishop Cormac at the Chrism Mass on
25 March at Arundel Cathedral was a concrete sign that the Church in this Diocese is
taking seriously the Pope's call for a "preferential option for the poor and
outcast" as we approach the Millennium Jubilee.This Covenant is a positive sign not
only to secular society in this country but also a sign of hope to the poor here and
overseas. Bishop Cormac said in his Lenten Pastoral Letter that he saw the Covenant as an
affirmation "that the Diocese, as Partners in Service, will renew and deepen its
support of the poor by prayer, financial gifts and seeking to understand and uphold more
fully the rights of the underprivileged and needy."The signing by the Bishop is just
the beginning and it is now for parishes to take it up by making their own covenants in
one form or another to include:- Wealth sharing - Prayer and celebration - Advocacy and
campaigning. The regional team at CAFOD South is here to support you in any way we can so
do not hesitate to contact us.
Diary of
Events
APRIL
Saturday 26th : Arundel : CAFOD Group annual Quiz Night, St Mary's Hall at 7.30 p.m.
Contact Nick Shreeve (01903) 884960
MAY
Saturday 10th CAFOD Social Evening at St Peter and St John Camberley. Mark will be
speaking at all Masses this weekend
Tuesday 20th to Friday 23rd Christian Resources Exhibition, Sandown Park
Friday 30th to Sunday 1st June\J & P National Conference
JULY
Thursday 3rd to Saturday 5th, Flower Festival, St John the Evangelist, Horsham
SEPTEMBER
Sunday 28th, CAFOD Harvest Supper at St Thomas of Canterbury and English Martyrs
Parish, St Leonards-on-Sea. Mark is speaking at Parish Masses this weekend
OCTOBER
Saturday 25th, Ecumenical Conference on Third World Debt, Guildford Cathedral. Booking
forms with September Newsletter
Lockdale Coins Ltd. are dealers in British and world coins and run a fund raising
scheme for charities. Schools, churches and groups can collect obsolete British coins or
unwanted foreign coins, which Lockdale will then purchase and the money can be donated to
the charity of your choice - CAFOD for example! Information from: Lockdale Coins Ltd, 36
Upper Orwell Street, Ipswich, Suffolk IP4 1HR, Tel/Fax:(01473) 218588
PREACHING THE
GOSPEL OF THE POOR
This CAFOD Summer School Course is for clergy and lay people and is being held at
Oscott College near Birmingham, from 20th - 26th July. It will be mainly led by Fr Joseph
Donders and Brian Davies. For more information contact Mark Woods at CAFOD South on 01483
898866.
CAFOD YOUTH
CAMP
The CAFOD Youth Camp takes place this year from Monday 21 July to Saturday 26 July at
Goodrich, near Ross on Wye, with a Latin American theme. See enclosed leaflet for details
Please pass it on to anyone who may be interested.
CAFOD's new
Campaign
A Fair Deal for the Poor - was successfully launched in the South of England jointly
by CAFOD South and CAFOD Southwark at St Mary's Hall, Croydon on 28 January. Approximately
150 supporters from both regions came and heard speakers from Mexico, Zambia and the UK
telling us about conditions of employment in these countries. Everyone enjoyed themselves
enormously and took away large quantities of the Campaign materials. These are excellent -
please see the enclosed leaflet for full details of what is available. Following the
success of the "Butterfly" cards from the Landmines Campaign, CAFOD has produced
two cards for this Campaign - Code of Conduct and Coffee - and also a Debt Petition. For
supplies of these for distribution please give us a call here at CAFOD South. Watch this
space for information on the next aspect of the Campaign - guaranteed to keep your feet
firmly on the ground!
Millennium
Candles
In the last Newsletter there was news of the candles to be presented in each Diocese
by CAFOD at Candlemas. These candles, made especially by the monks from the Monasteiro da
Anunciacao in Goias, Brazil, are now reposing in every Catholic Cathedral in England and
Wales. Some Dioceses have elected to use these as their Pascal Candle throughout the year
and others including the two in the South Region (Portsmouth and Arundel and Brighton)
will light them on special occasions. Each candle has a prominent place in its respective
Cathedral and CAFOD have provided an explanatory notice for display. An interesting
footnote for us here in the South is that Fr Paul Fleetwood, a Benedictine monk from Worth
Abbey, is now actually resident in the monastery in Goias where the candles were made, as
gifts from the Third World to here. We hope to print further news of Fr Paul in future
Newsletters.
What exactly
are "Hungercloths"?
This is a question we are sometimes asked. You may have heard of them or even seen
them in the CAFOD Catalogue and if you have not seen one in use, you may be curious to
know a little more. Hungercloths are large wall-hangings depicting scriptural themes. They
may be used behind the altar or in a large space in school, or to provide a focus for
thought in a prayer room. They may be displayed on a permanent basis or for periods of
special meditation, during Lent, for example. The Hungercloths which are featured in the
CAFOD Catalogue have been produced by Misereor, our counterpart in Germany. In 1976
Misereor revived an old liturgical tradition of using the cloths in response to the
immense problem of poverty in the world. Since then the idea has been used by many
Christian parishes and institutions in many countries. The cloths, usually produced in
alternate years, have focused on on various Lenten themes directed at feeding the hungry,
hence the name Hungertuch or Hungercloth. They are sometimes also called Lenten Veils. The
themes, vividly illustrated by artists from various countries, clearly reflect the aims of
CAFOD, Misereor and the international network of Catholic relief and development agencies.
Hungercloths are available in two sizes and are supplied with notes which give an insight
into the scriptural links behind the people and the imagery: small (120 x 82cm; 4 x 2.5ft
approx.): �25.00; large (280 x 190cm; 9 x 6 ft approx.): �75.00. CAFOD South has a
limited number of small Hungercloths, which are no longer generally available, at �12.50.
Please contact CAFOD South office for details.
Volunteers
Many people reading this Newsletter will already be helping CAFOD in their parish with
the two Fast Days or a Working in Partnership Group, often both. This is the bedrock, lay
and clerical, without which CAFOD could not do its work or raise funds. Some people,
however, feel they would like to help CAFOD in other ways, such as:
Office volunteers :They may just be stuffing envelopes to send out this Newsletter or
helping with more general work in the office.
Schools volunteers : They go into schools to lead assemblies, give talks or assist
Head Office staff in leading Development Days.
Media volunteers : They work with the CAFOD press office in presenting CAFOD's work
and message to the local media.
Parish Contact : They work with the Regional Team in finding lay people to act as Fast
Day Contacts for a parish.
Campaign volunteers : These help either at a Regional or more local level to promote
and lead forward the CAFOD "Fair Deal for the Poor" Campaign together with the
Regional Office.
Occasional volunteers : They are too busy to offer regular help but still attend
events, manning stalls, putting up displays and in many other ways.
All these volunteers are a vital part of CAFOD's campaign against poverty and
injustice. They agree to "covenant" their time to helping CAFOD and the poor we
serve and in return receive training, support and advice from CAFOD staff plus all the
resources they need.
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