Why I am a strong advocate for the LiveSimply award scheme

As soon as you go into some parishes you become aware of the sense of community and the concern of people not just for other members of the parish community but for the entire local community – and often – those far beyond it. In others there seems to be very little parish life with people going along to Sunday mass but very little sense of people on a shared faith journey.

The LiveSimply award scheme is something that can really bring people in a parish together to not only worship together but to take action arising from their Catholic faith. It provides a way of working on both the environmental concerns expressed by Pope Francis in Laudato Si and how these are related to issues of poverty – which, again, was something that he highlighted in this encyclical.

The award scheme asks parishes to draw up an action plan that demonstrates the activities they are going to undertake to show how their parish will live more simply, live more sustainably and live more in solidarity with those experiencing poverty.

Because the parish themselves draw up the action plan, they can take account of the people they have in their parish and the land, buildings and other parish resources that are available to them. The plan can, and should, incorporate actions that enable individuals, parish group and the whole parish community to take part. Equally, because of the flexibility within the scheme, actions can be devised that appeal to all age groups and different

interests in a parish. For instance, when St Benedict’s parish in Garforth worked to obtain the award they decided to use some spare land to develop a garden that grew both flowers and vegetables. The people who got involved in this work were not particularly involved in other church groups prior to this. Equally, the flowers are used in church and some of the vegetables produced are shared with a local charity working with older people – thus enabling the parish to contribute to the life of the local community as well. 

The LiveSimply scheme is administered by CAFOD – but it goes far beyond the typical things that CAFOD does. In Settle, for example, the parish community there decided to show their solidarity with those experiencing poverty by taking part in the Syrian refugee resettlement scheme. Not that they have ignored the wider dimensions of poverty as this parish has always been a supporter of CAFOD both in its fundraising for those in the global South and in promoting CAFOD campaigns.

In both Settle and Burley in Wharfedale the parishes have had solar panels installed on the church roof in order to help them be more sustainable.

Drawing up the action plan is something that should involve the whole parish. Working toward the award only really works if the parish take a synodal approach. SS John Fisher & Thomas More, Burley in Wharfedale, they undertook surveys across the whole parish to find out ideas from parishioners. In Burley in Wharfedale they received back over 400 suggestions.

What I have noticed is that parishes working towards or with the LiveSimply award are much more aware of how their faith relates to their everyday life and how working together as a parish community can help them achieve so much more than if they just work as individuals.