by Matty MaslenFor the final two weeks of September this year, I was lucky enough to be in Mexico. Thanks to the generous support of SPARK, Pax Christi, and the Rotary Clubs of Winchester and Westbourne, I attended the 19th World Summit of Nobel Laureates for Peace in Monterrey.I attended with the PeaceJam Foundation, as […]
Social Action
taking actions on issues of social justice
18 Nov – A Jubilee Year, pilgrims of the hope that does not fade.
By Christine Allen, CAFODChristmas Eve is the beginning of the Church’s Jubilee year. The theme is Pilgrims of Hope. Hope defines CAFOD’s mission because we witness hope through the communities we serve, in solidarity with those experiencing oppression, injustice and environmental degradation.In the Old Testament, a ‘Jubilee’ meant a radical reset every 50th year. Based on […]
25 May – Youth and Student CND
By Matthew MaslenEarlier this month, I travelled down to London to take part in ‘A nuclear-free future: A day in Parliament with Youth and Student CND’.With other young people from across England and Wales, I took part in workshops with MPs and Peers of the House of Lords. We were joined for short question and answer […]
05 May – Listening in Cottingley
By Joe Burns, Commission MemberJust prior to Christmas the Commission held a ‘Listening’ event at Wheeler Hall, Leeds. People coming along welcomed the opportunity to share their varied social justice concerns and we determined that, as a Commission, we should hold further events like it.At the end of April, we met at St Mary & […]
01 May – CAFOD’s Sudan Emergency Appeal
CAFOD launches emergency appeal to support ‘world’s worst crisis’ in Sudan CAFOD has launched an emergency appeal to support families in Sudan, as Britain’s Ambassador to the United Nations says that Sudan is in the grip of the world’s worst hunger and displacement crisis. With over eight million people having fled their homes to escape […]
05 Sep – Peacejam Slam in Leeds in November
By Matty Maslen, Newsletter editorPeaceJam is an international organisation led by 14 Nobel Peace Laureates working to support a generation of future Nobel Peace Laureates. Their vision is “To Make Peace a Verb”.So far, over 1.3 million young people in more than 40 countries have taken part in the PeaceJam programme.On the 11th of November […]
20 Jun – Refugee Week events across the Leeds Diocese
By Matthew Maslen, J&P Newsletter editorThis week (19th – 25th June), is Refugee Week. This year, the 25th Anniversary of Refugee Week, the theme is Compassion.The organisers, Refugee Week UK, “invite you to celebrate what compassion looks like in action”. They call on us to draw on our experiences to help us to be compassionate […]
15 Jul – Beard Protest
Ever feel like doing a bake sale or a sponsored run is a bit old hat? Well, no need to despair! Tim Devereaux’s recent beard protest has lifted the vale on whacky ways to raise money for charity!Since March 2020, Tim Devereux has been growing his beard in protest against PM Johnson. He pledged to […]
10 Jan – Work opportunity with St Monica’s Housing
An opportunity has arisen to work with St Monica’s Housing, a small Leeds charity which currently runs two homes housing single female asylum seekers who don’t have access to public funds.The successful candidate would provide practical support for up to 10 residents in two houses and ensure the general maintenance of the houses in conjunction […]
17 Apr ‘A Politics Rooted in the People’ Conference Report
By Joe Burns, Commission MemberThis online international conference, on 15 April, was organised principally by the Centre for Theology and Community, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development and the Katholische Hochschule für Sozialwesen in Germany. However, there was a strong presence and input from people with a community organising background (so, people active in Citizens […]
12 Jul – Caritas Leeds:Criminal Justice Inquiry
Caritas Leeds, an umbrella organisation to bring together existing charitable and social action groups across the Diocese of Leeds, was launched in September 2017 www.dioceseofleeds.org.uk/caritas/ Marking the ‘Third International Day of the Poor’ in November 2018, an open meeting was held and invited to consider issues relating to people living with disabilities, homelessness, families and […]
02 May – Caritas launches Covid-19 resource toolkit for parishes
Last week CSAN and the national SVP launched a useful toolkit for parishes to coordinate support during this pandemic. Click the Download button to obtain a copy.Download Now
15 Apr – SPARK Social Justice goes Virtual
It was only last month that we were reporting on the 300 or so young people who have attended SPARK workshops in the last few months – using drama to explore issues of social justice such as UK poverty and the devastating impact that it can have on people’s lives.With the lockdown, of course, all […]
06 Feb – Fixed term job opp with Caritas Leeds
The Diocese of Leeds is seeking to appoint a dynamic and enthusiastic researcher with a passion for social justice. Your main task will be working with volunteers to develop outcomes from an exciting action research project: the Caritas Leeds Criminal Justice Inquiry. This is a fixed term contract of two-days a week (April-September 2020). Closing […]
23 Jan – St Monica’s Housing needs a Treasurer
St Monica’s Housing Ltd. is a small charity providing accommodation for failed women asylum seekers. It is based in Leeds and is working to extend to other parts of the Diocese. Members of the Commission were instrumental in helping to set this charity up and continue to be involved. We quite regularly provide updates about […]
02 Dec – Great Progress at St Monica’s Housing
This update was provided by John McLaughlin, a member of the St.Monica’s Housing Management Committee and a member of the J&P CommissionSt. Monica’s Housing was founded in 2010 by a member of the Justice and Peace Commission and a member of the SVP. Since then many women who are made deliberately destitute when their first […]