CAFOD, the official aid agency for the Catholic Church in England and Wales, has launched a Lenten appeal for our times and there’s lots you can do to get involved.
As our Catholic community adapts to lockdown and worshipping at home, with restrictions on mingling in church, CAFOD’s Family Fast Day parish collections will look different this Lent.
The coronavirus pandemic has shown how important it is to have clean, safe water. In remote northern Ethiopia, Abdella walks for ten hours a day along a dried-out riverbed, over rocks and over a mountain to collect water for his family.
Donations to CAFOD’s Lent Appeal will help local experts work alongside communities to deliver better access to water and transform the lives of people like Abdella. Gifts of £10 will buy sturdy water containers so families can store water safely and £40 can bring safe drinking water to a hard-to-reach school.
Jo Kitterick, CAFOD’s Head of Fundraising and Participation said:
“We’re so impressed with the efforts of our amazing parish volunteers, supporters and clergy who are taking the Lent Appeal online with their parishes and in dioceses.”
In addition to making CAFOD’s traditional Lent envelopes available to Mass-goers, parishes are bringing Fast Day alive online. Whether its posting CAFOD videos and personal testimonials on parish Facebook or Twitter pages, sharing the Lent Appeal on parish WhatsApp groups, or during livestream masses – all these things remind parishioners that they can pray, fast and give online and make a big difference to the lives of our sisters and brothers overseas.
CAFOD has provided special parish resources on its website that can be downloaded and used by parishes to promote the Lent Appeal – on parish Facebook pages, in the electronic parish newsletter and on livestream Masses.
This Lent, CAFOD is also encouraging people to take on the Walk for Water challenge, walking 10,000 steps a day over the 40 days of Lent, getting sponsored and raising money to help end water poverty. Jo Kitterick said:
“We’re thrilled with the enthusiasm of supporters of all ages joining in our Walk for Water. By walking in solidarity with people like Abdella who walk many miles for water every day and raising vital funds to help end water poverty, we are responding to Pope Francis’ call in Fratelli Tutti to demonstrate love for our brothers and sisters that transcends the barriers of geography and distance.”
CAFOD is live streaming an Ash Wednesday Mass and Stations of the Cross every Friday in Lent to enable people who are unable to come to their own church at the moment to observe our Lenten traditions. Journey through Lent with our global family using CAFOD’s online Lent calendar to reflect, pray and act.
For children, CAFOD has Lent resources for primary school children and continues its popular virtual Children’s Liturgy live every Sunday at 10am.
