JUSTICE AND PEACE
Helping People in Need
Justice & Peace
The Justice & Peace group aims to promote awareness, discussion and action throughout the parish about the ‘Just’ Gospel response to key issues of today. We are in touch with the Diocesan Justice & Peace Commission.
In the current year we have decided to concentrate our efforts on the two issues of Refugees and Asylum seekers and the CAFOD ‘Live Simply’ campaign.
To date the group has undertaken the following:
• Visited Urban House in Wakefield, one of four Initial Accommodation Centres to which those requesting asylum must find their way to. They stay there for up to 21 days whilst an initial assessment of their claim is undertaken. They are then dispersed to various locations throughout the country. The asylum seekers include men, women and children.
• Undertaken two appeals for clothes which are included in the Emergency Clothing packs put together by Wakefield City of Sanctuary. The packs are given to asylum seekers at Urban House many of whom arrive with few belongings.
• Hosted the Diocesan Justice & Peace Commission quarterly meeting as a means to better understand how we can learn from, and compliment, what they do across the Diocese.
• During Lent we undertook an awareness campaign around ‘Live Simply’. This included meeting and talking with the Youth group, Fr Simon preaching on the subject, and sharing suggestions via the weekly bulletin on how we could each make small changes to live more simply.
• We also led Stations of the Cross one week using Stations compiled by the Jesuit Refugee Council. The Stations were followed by a short presentation in the hall by a representative from the Refugee Council and two women who had applied, and been successful, in their asylum applications. There was also the opportunity to see the Spaces of Sanctuary photographic exhibition.
• In recent week’s we have publicised and supported an evening of music, art and poetry ‘Birds without Sky’ held at Wakefield Cathedral in support of the Asylum Seeker’s support fund.
• In the coming months we hope to organise a visit to the local Recycling Centre, organise a ‘Walk/Cycle/Car share’ to Church Sunday to coincide with the parish BBQ and facilitate a CAFÉ course based on the Pope’s encyclical on the environment ‘Laudate Si’.
Our meetings are bimonthly, publicised in the bulletin and all are welcome to attend.
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