‘THE GOD WHO SPEAKS’ – THE YEAR OF THE WORD 

2020 was the 10th anniversary of Verbum Domini – Pope Benedict XVI’s Apostolic Exhortation on ‘The Word of the Lord’ and the 1,600 anniversary of St Jerome’s death. These dates inspired the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales to dedicate 2020 as a year of focus on the Bible and ‘The God Who Speaks’. We continue to encourage reading and understanding of scripture . Resources here  https://www.godwhospeaks.uk/about-the-bible/

LAUDATO SI’

In May 2020 Pope Francis inaugurated “Laudato Si’ Week” at the Vatican commemorating the 5th anniversary of the publication of his eco-encyclical with the same title, opening a wider year-long commemoration of the document aimed at spurring global citizens to adopt more sustainable practices.

As communities begin to envision what a post-COVID world will look Laudato Si’ continues to provide “the moral and spiritual compass for the journey to create a more caring, fraternal, peaceful and sustainable world.” Encyclical Resources from CAFOD here – https://cafod.org.uk/Pray/Laudato-Si-encyclical 

COMMON PRAYER FOR LAUDATO SI’

Loving God,

Creator of heaven and earth and all that is in them,

You created us in your image and made us stewards of all your creation, of our common home.

You blessed us with the sun, water and bountiful land

so that all might be nourished.

Open our minds and touch our hearts,

so that we may attend to your gift of creation.

Help us to be conscious that our common home belongs not only to us,

but to all future generations, and that it is our responsibility to preserve it.

May we help each person secure the food and resources that they need.

Be present to those in need in these trying times,

especially the poorest and those most at risk of being left behind.

Transform our fear, anxiety and feelings of isolation into hope

so that we may experience a true conversion of the heart.

Help us to show creative solidarity in addressing the consequences of this global pandemic,

Make us courageous to embrace the changes that are needed in search of the common good,

Now more than ever may we feel that we are all interconnected,

in our efforts to lift up the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.

We make our prayer through Christ our Lord.   Amen

CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING 

Catholic Social Teaching (CST) is a central and essential part of our faith. It is rooted in Scripture that tells of God’s special love for the poor and marginalised and calls us to be bearers of love and justice. It is teaching founded on the words and actions of Jesus who identified himself with the hungry and thirsty, the sick and the imprisoned, the naked and the stranger – the ‘least of my brothers and sisters’. CST is formed by the wisdom of Church leaders and provides us with a moral compass, guiding us on how to live out our faith in the world. Our faith calls us to love God and to love our neighbours in every situation so, with care for our common home and the dignity of every human person at its heart, CST compels us to make present in our unjust and broken world the justice, love and peace of God, especially to our sisters and brothers living in poverty

SEVEN THEMES OF CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING 

• Human Dignity 
• Rights & Responsibilities 
• Concern for the Poor 
• Solidarity & the Common Good
• Family
• Community & Participation
• The Dignity of Work
• Care of Creation

Throughout the liturgical year there are countless opportunities for schools to focus upon aspects of CST and bring reflections on global justice and poverty into their worship activities. Using the language of CST and drawing children and young people into a deeper understanding of its principles will inspire and empower them to respond to inequality and injustice in the modern world, leading them to seek ways to put their faith in action in school, in the local community and in the wider world. This document suggests ideas and opportunities for promoting CST in schools as a supplement to the excellent and varied work that is already taking place in Diocesan schools with regards to CST and social action. 

Further information and resources for CST can be found at:

• http://www.catholicsocialteaching.org.uk/ 
• https://cafod.org.uk/Pray/Catholic-social-teaching 
• https://missio.org.uk/catholic-social-teaching/ 

CARITAS DIOCESE OF SHREWSBURY

Caritas is the social action and social justice agency of the Diocese of Shrewsbury that seeks to work with children, families and communities throughout the Diocese. They support families with a range of concerns for example mental health, addiction, domestic abuse and family breakdown. They offer practical support to those living in poverty, in partnership with SVP and local foodbanks. They also give support to refugees and those seeking asylum. 

Each Lent schools can support Caritas by fund raising for the Good Shepherd collection and Caritas offers opportunities for Caritas Ambassadors in schools. If you would like to know more see https://www.caritasshrewsbury.org.uk/about/  or email [email protected] 

THE ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY

The St Vincent de Paul Society in England and Wales, through its Mini Vinnies and Youth SVP programmes, encourages children and young people to develop their faith and spirituality in order to put their faith into action; in service to the disadvantaged, vulnerable and marginalised of society. F or more information see https://www.svp.org.uk/involve-young-people

MISSIO

Missio is the Pope’s official Charity for Overseas Missions. It is the Holy Father’s chosen instrument for sharing the Gospel and building the Church throughout the world. Their secondary resources encourage students to reflect on their role in building the Kingdom of God for all people and aim to help young people to: discover the world around them and reflect on their role within it; think critically, inspired by Christ’s Gospel; to embrace Catholic Social Teaching and to grow in faith. Secondary schools can download their free resources to follow the Liturgical Year, including Advent and Lent. They also have a series of workshops explaining the principles of Catholic Social Teaching (CST) and https://missio.org.uk/general-resources/ 

For primary schools Mission Together is the children’s’ branch of Missio, encouraging children to pray, fundraise and become missionaries themselves – children helping children. They provide primary school resources throughout the year focused on the Gospel, liturgical seasons and on our various overseas projects including assemblies, liturgies, activities, posters and aids to prayer. All resources are available from https://missiontogether.org.uk/teachers-resources/ 

CAFOD 

CAFOD is the official international development and relief agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales and is active within the global Caritas family.

CAFOD provide a wide range of resources for primary and secondary schools and have Diocesan volunteers who can help you to promote CAFOD and CST in your school. See  https://cafod.org.uk/Education/Education-resources and https://cafod.org.uk/Volunteer/CAFOD-in-your-area/Shrewsbury 

FAITH IN ACTION AWARD

The CYMFED Faith in Action award scheme is a great opportunity to encourage and inspire young people to get more involved in the community and in local Parishes. Open to pupils from Y6 upwards the Faith in Action award aims:

• To celebrate the faith journey of young people
• To celebrate what already happens
• To encourage tangible living faith in the ‘real world’
• To strengthen links between individuals, communities and organisations
• To explore the universal call to holiness
• To work for the Good News and the common good

 Schools who wish to participate must contact the Youth Office at [email protected] 

The colour of the shading is indicative of the Liturgical colours used by the Church at different times or seasons of the year. 

Green:  ‘Ordinary Time’ refers to the part of the year outside the seasons of Advent-Christmas and Lent-Easter. There are 33/34 weeks of Ordinary Time. During this time the Church helps us to reflect on the life and work of Jesus. The liturgical colour for Ordinary Time is green, a colour seen everywhere in trees and plants and a symbol of life and hope.

Purple is used during Advent and Lent as a sign of penance, sacrifice and preparation. At the midpoint of both of these seasons—Gaudete Sunday (the third Sunday of Advent) and Laetare Sunday (the fourth Sunday of Lent—rose (pink) vestments are traditionally worn as a sign of joy: we rejoice at the midpoint because we are half-way through the preparation and anticipate the coming joy of Christmas or Easter.

Rose is a lighter version of purple because it signifies the penitential purple is mixed with the white of the approaching festival. In both Advent and Lent there is a moment when the atmosphere of penance is brightened by a glimpse of light from the glorious season for which we are preparing ourselves. The third Sunday of Advent tells us ‘Gaudéte, rejoice!’ because the Lord is near and the fourth Sunday of Lent says ‘Laetáre, Ierúsalem, be joyful, Jerusalem, and all who love her!’ because she herself is loved by the Lord.

Red symbolizes the shedding of blood and is therefore used on Palm Sunday (when Christ entered Jerusalem to prepare for His death), Good Friday, any other commemoration of the Lord’s passion, the votive Mass of the Precious Blood, the days marking the martyrdom of the apostles (except St. John), and the feasts of other martyrs who offered their lives for the faith. However, red also signifies the burning fire of God’s love. For this reason, red vestments are won on Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles and tongues of fire rested on their heads and for the celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation.

White or gold, a colour symbolizing rejoicing and purity of soul, is worn during the liturgical seasons of Christmas and Easter. White vestments are also used for feasts of our Lord (except those pertaining to His passion), the Blessed Virgin Mary, the angels, and the saints who were not martyrs.