LiveSimply - Messages
LiveSimply - Messages
Each week a message to inform and/or inspire the parish appears in the bulletin.
LIVESIMPLY MESSAGE:
Living simply – we reawaken: with lighter evenings and some brighter days we can enjoy the early signs of Spring.
Living sustainably - we can do it: a recent UN report confirms that the ozone layer is now well on track to full recovery after nearly all ozone-depleting chemicals were banned.
Living in solidarity – but we must pull together: the earthquake this week in Turkey and Syria has caused devastation for families who need our help and support. If you can help here is the link to CAFOD’s emergency appeal https://cafod.org.uk.
LIVESIMPLY MESSAGE:
Every week we think about small steps we can take support the
principles of Living simply.
Our friends at CAFOD are asking us to take one big step forward by joining the Big Lent walk and raising funds by walking 200km in the 40 days of Lent.
Think about signing up or offer to sponsor a friend so that we can live in solidarity with others https://cafod.org.uk/Fundraise/Sponsored-challenge-events/Community-Big-Lent-Walk
LIVESIMPLY MESSAGE 29th JANUARY 2023
Introducing our new Live Simply Logo, which we have now courtesy of our talented parishioner Ben Smith! In aiming for the CAFOD Live Simply Award, we have been gathering evidence to demonstrate the combined efforts of both Parishes to live simply, sustainably and in solidarity with the poor—please see the Live Simply section on the Parish website.
Pope Francis said, “All it takes is for one good person to restore hope!” (LS71).
We have already witnessed many good people coming together to support this initiative; a huge thank you to everyone. Looking ahead we will continue with our weekly newsletter messages; we aim to celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight, have a second Creation Walk, another Fashion show, and further fundraising events to support Project Zimbabwe to name but a few.
If you would like to make any suggestions for other events, activities etc. please email us at or drop a note into the Parish Office.
Finally, if you are shopping online consider signing up first at https://www.giveasyoulive.com/, where a charity of your choice can receive a percentage of the sale of any purchases you make without any further cost to you. Thank you.
LIVESIMPLY MESSAGE:
Holocaust Memorial Day is marked this week, on Friday 27 January 2023 and the theme this year is ‘ordinary people’.
We are invited to think about the millions of ordinary victims of persecution and genocides in countries such as Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur. We are also prompted to think about how easy it is for ‘ordinary people’ to become perpetrators.
Equally, there are many examples of ‘ordinary people’ who become heroes and heroines by their unselfish, and often heroic, actions during persecutions. We are so blessed not to be facing the systemic hatred that many people, young and old, still have to endure.
Let us pray for a world where such horrors are overcome, and do whatever we can on a daily basis to challenge prejudice and discrimination, and to promote peace.
Pope Francis reminds us: “Saint Therese of Lisieux invites us to practise the little way of love, not to miss out on a kind word, a smile or any small gesture which sows peace and friendship. An integral ecology is also made up of simple daily gestures which break with the logic of violence, exploitation and selfishness.”
LIVESIMPLY MESSAGE:
This week marks the beginning of both Energy Saving Week and Christian Unity Week.Each challenges us to rethink what we do to try to make the world a better place for everyone. Sometimes we feel there is little we can do, but the actions don’t need to be huge to make a difference. Perhaps we could make a real effort to
live sustainably by turning off electrical devices and lights when we aren’t actually using them?
As well as being involved in unity services and praying for church unity, we could also live more simply by trying to get to know what goes on in other churches nearby.https://ctbi.org.uk/go-and-do-week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity-2023/
LIVESIMPLY MESSAGE:
The World Day of Peace is celebrated each year on 1 January. In his 2023 World Peace Day message, reflecting on the lessons to be learned from COVID 19, Pope Francis concludes that the pandemic taught us that we all need one another ...
“We cannot continue to focus simply on preserving ourselves; rather, the time has come for all of us to endeavour to heal our society and our planet, to lay the foundations for a more just and peaceful world, and to commit ourselves seriously to pursuing a good that is truly common.”
To read the full letter visit
LIVESIMPLY MESSAGE:
As the new year begins, Pope Francis urges us all to return to the beautiful and meaningful custom of giving thanks to God before and after meals. Capturing the essence of living simply he states: “That moment of blessing, however brief, reminds us of our dependence on God for life; it strengthens our feeling of gratitude for the gifts of creation; it acknowledges those who by their labours provide us with these goods; and it reaffirms our solidarity with those in greatest need.”
LIVESIMPLY MESSAGE:
The birth of Jesus in a cold stable in Bethlehem 2000 years ago was the epitome of living simply! This year Pope Francis invites us all to enjoy a more humble Christmas, and to pray for our brothers and sisters in Ukraine who are suffering so much.
LIVESIMPLY MESSAGE
World Cup star, Lionel Messi, is reported to earn an annual salary alone of £50m, while Qatar is estimated to have spent upward of £200 billion hosting the competition. By comparison, CAFOD’s total income last year was £52m!
So has there been any “living simply” around this massive event? Well at least millions of families and close friendship groups have sat together for a couple of hours on a number of occasions (depending on team progress) in front of a TV screen, with a shared desire to support their nation. We are social animals; this shared family/friendship time, which strengthens bonds and reduces isolation at an individual level, is the very bedrock of living a simple life.
LIVESIMPLY MESSAGE
On Gaudate Sunday let’s celebrate with joy the work done by our long established parish groups who have been supporting the LiveSimply principles for many years. We have lots of opportunities in the lead up to Christmas to take part in special services in our parishes, our schools and in our wider community and it is wonderful to see that many of these events are also supporting people in need. So whether it’s a donation to Brother Benjamin and Project Zimbabwe, food bank donations for the SVP appeal or joining the CAFOD Fun Run on 27 December, you will be living in solidarity with people in need who are less well off this Christmas.
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