Rediscovering mercy in our worldAn invitation to reconnect faith and mercy

About this resource

This resource focuses upon the concept of mercy and its connection with justice. Throughout the New Testament, Christ is shown to be the ultimate model of love (Caritas) and mercy in his solidarity with those on the margins of his society and with all of humanity. As Christians, it is our relationship with Christ that inspires us to love others and to act when we see them denied justice. “Love — caritas — is an extraordinary force which leads people to opt for courageous and generous engagement in the field of justice and peace.” (Caritas in Veritate, 1)

Participants will also be encouraged to reflect on the many other charitable and missionary organisations within the Catholic Church which strive to express the merciful love of Christ.

‘Rediscovering Mercy’ is a programme that brings participants into a space to rediscover God’s sacrificial love for them and for the world. It is also an opportunity to see how they are being called to love others in their own family, community and indeed the world around them.

Facilitating the sessionsIdeally, there should be two facilitators for this session. There is no ideal number of participants, but a maximum of 15 course participants is recommended.

It is also possible to divide this session into two shorter sessions, to give greater time for discussion and reflection. Simply finish the first session after Stage Four: Reflection and begin the second session with Stage Five: Meditation on Jesus, the woman and the Pharisee.

Preparation Facilitators should be at the venue to set up at least an hour in advance, and to ensure the room is warm and comfortable. The prayer space will be the focus of the room, with chairs arranged in a circle. If you decide to use the film a data-projector and computer will be required.

Where possible, the room should be spacious enough to allow for movement of chairs for discussion purposes but also small enough to create a prayerful atmosphere. It is also helpful if lights can be dimmed in the room, if showing the film.

Resources needed for this session: Flip-chart and markers.

Handout with an adaptation of the prayer of Pope Francis for the Jubilee of Mercy (Handout one)

Handout with points on Catholic Social Teaching. (Handout two)

Copies of case study for group-work. (Handouts three, four, five and six)

Ball of wool/string for web exercise. For the prayer space: cloth, large candle, small bowl with essential oil for

use during blessing ritual; seven small candles (unlit). A bible for the Scripture reading (Luke 7:36-50) Litany of the senses prayer cards & pen for each participant (Handout

seven) Small piece of card for each participant to write their intended ‘Act of

Solidarity’ More information about how to get involved as a parish or individually

(Handout eight) A prayer from Zimbabwe (Handout nine)

All handouts are available at the end of this resource.

Stage One: Introduction (5 mins) Welcome everyone to the session and encourage the group to introduce themselves to one another, if they don’t already know each other. Then introduce the theme of the session:

This session will look at Catholic Social Teaching, the Church’s teaching on social issues; it will reflect on the practical outcome of this teaching in CAFOD’s work, and consider how this is a sign of mercy and compassion in our world. It will also be an opportunity to reaffirm our Christian mission to “act justly, love mercy and to walk humbly with our God” (Micah 6:8) and to pray and reflect on the theme of mercy and compassion in our world.

Give out Handout one – which is adapted from the prayer of Pope Francis for the Jubilee of Mercy.

As the session begins, invite one of the participants from the group to light a large candle in the prayer space and another to read aloud the prayer of Pope Francis for the Jubilee of Mercy:

Lord Jesus Christ, you have taught us to be merciful like the heavenly Father, and have told us that whoever sees you sees him. Show us your face and we will be saved. Your loving gaze freed Zacchaeus and Matthew from being enslaved by money; the adulteress and Magdalene from seeking happiness only in created things; made Peter weep after his betrayal, and assured Paradise to the repentant thief. Let us hear, as if addressed to each one of us, the words that you spoke to the Samaritan woman:

“If you knew the gift of God!”

You are the visible face of the invisible Father, of the God who manifests his power above all by forgiveness and mercy: let the Church be your visible face in the world, its Lord risen and glorified. You willed that your ministers would also be clothed in weakness in order that they may feel compassion for those in ignorance and error: let everyone who approaches them feel sought after, loved, and forgiven by God.

Send your Spirit and consecrate every one of us with its anointing, so that your Church, with renewed enthusiasm, may bring good news to the poor, proclaim liberty to captives and the oppressed, and restore sight to the blind.

We ask this of you, Lord Jesus, through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Mercy; you who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.

Stage Two: The global Church – Thoughts on Catholic Social Teaching (10 mins)

The presentation begins with a quotation from Joyce Rupp:

“Compassion includes awareness, attitude and action. A deeper and clearer look at compassion, the central quality of Christ, enables us to accompany the hurting ones of our personal lives and the larger world with loving kindness.”

Give out Handout two - Points on Catholic Social Teaching

Mercy/compassion is a core value in Catholic Social Teaching. The facilitator gives a short input on Catholic Social Teaching, based on the handout, and can also use the animated video available on the CAFOD website if desired. Further resources on Catholic Social Teaching are available on the CAFOD website. (http://cafod.org.uk/Pray/Catholic-Social-Teaching)Invite participants to buzz in small groups their response to the presentation of Catholic Social Teaching.

How much did they already know?

Does anything surprise them?

As far as they know, how does the work of CAFOD and that of any other Catholic organisations they can think of demonstrate Catholic Social Teaching in action in the world, locally and globally?

Record the group’s responses on a flip-chart.

Ask the whole group

Does it answer any questions about why such organisations engage in the work they do e.g. supporting people to make a living, responding after an emergency such as an earthquake or cyclone, supporting those living with or affected by HIV, or working towards equality?

Based on the principles of Catholic Social Teaching are there areas that you would like to see them working in, that they’re not currently?

What, to you, should be the priority areas of focus for these organisations given the current needs that you see in the world or your community and based on these principles of Catholic Social Teaching?

Go to CAFOD’s website at cafod.org.uk to find out more about our work

Stage three: Case studies (20 mins)

Give out handouts three, four, five and six

Four case studies, each illustrating the work of one of CAFOD’s partners will be explored in pairs. Invite individuals to select one of the handouts then allow them time to read and become familiar with the story. Then, in pairs, explore the following questions......

How did the story make me feel? When I hear stories like this, how do I usually respond? Have I any role to play in this story? Does my community have a role to

play? Where is there compassion in this story? Highlight the factors which led to the poverty/injustice in this story? What is your response to the agency’s role in the situation?

Ask four different people to read the different case studies out loud to the group. Then choose one story to focus on. Welcome feedback from the pairs who discussed it, then open the discussion to the wider group. Use the story to draw out some key points:

The compassion at the heart of the story: in the neighbours’ responses to people in need; in the practical work of the organisations; in the ‘unseen’ people who contribute to the Church’s work through donations/campaigning

Being ’merciful’ calls us to be open to transformation: of our own lives, that of our communities and of our world

The causes of poverty and injustice are multi-dimensional. In two of these stories, climate change, flooding or drought contribute to poverty, along with destruction of the environment

Issues affecting people here in England and Wales, like asylum seekers and refugees, are the consequence of injustice and poverty in other parts of the world

Social justice work, the work of ‘mercy’, involves addressing the causes of poverty, not only addressing the symptoms

Our part of the world contributes to poverty and injustice e.g. unfair trade, climate change, oppressive governments etc. but it can also be involved in seeking solutions to poverty and injustice. Social justice involves eco-justice and trade justice

We can become involved in the Church’s call to work for social justice in a variety of different ways

Bringing about a more just and fair world begins with each of us e.g.: being more conscious of choices which affect the environment; of our consumption; of our waste; of choosing fair-trade products and conflict-free goods

“An interdependent world not only makes us more conscious of the negative effects of certain lifestyles and models of production and consumption which affects us all; more importantly, it motivates us to ensure that solutions are proposed from a global perspective, and not simply to defend the interests of a few countries. Interdependence obliges us to think of one world with a common plan.” (Pope Francis, Laudato Sí’ #164)

Stage Four: Reflection (15 mins)

The ‘Web’: Invite all to stand and pass a ball of string/wool back and forth around the group, so as to create a ‘web’ shape.

(This works best in a group of eight or more. For a smaller group, the facilitator can prepare a web in advance from wool/ string, or draw a web on a large sheet of paper and invite participants to note the connections).

Invite participants to stand, the facilitator reads the following reflection:

Catholic Social Teaching’s vision of a just and peaceful world is dependent on each of us recognising our place in the web of relationships in the world of which we are part. We are all connected to one another. If one part of the

web is damaged, it collapses. If our brother or sister in another part of the world is suffering, we join with them in their suffering. If the earth is damaged, then we are all damaged. The compassionate life is community life, locally and globally. Relationship with Christ is relationship with our brothers and sisters.

Ask participants to share a word, phrase or image which they feel best reflects the work undertaken by CAFOD, and the other Catholic organisations that have been reflected on today. Once each participant has shared this, they pass the wool to another person within the circle. When the web is fully formed, and everyone has contributed to the exercise, pause to pray and to think of this network, and all who are involved in it.

Gently place the ‘web’ in the prayer space and invite participants to pray aloud in their own words, for people or situations in the world, where compassion and mercy are needed.

Stage five: Meditation on Jesus, the woman and the Pharisee (Luke 7:36-40; 44-47) (20-25 mins)

Invite participants to listen to the Gospel of Luke 7:36-39; 44-47. Extend an invitation to one participant to read the following passage of Scripture...Luke 7: 36 – 40; 44-47 Jesus, the woman and the Pharisee

One of the Pharisees invited Jesus to a meal. When he arrived at the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table, suddenly a woman came in, who had a bad name in the town. She had heard he was dining with the Pharisee and had brought with her an alabaster jar of ointment. She waited behind him at his feet, weeping, and her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them away with her hair; then she covered his feet with kisses and anointed them with the ointment.

When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who this woman is and what sort of person it is who is touching him and what a bad name she has. Then Jesus took him up and said, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” He replied, “Say on, Master.”

Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “You see this woman? I came into your house, and you poured no water over my feet, but she has poured out her tears over my feet and wiped them away with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but she has been covering my feet with kisses ever since I came in. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. For this reason I tell you that her sins, many as they are, have been forgiven her, because she has shown such great love. It is someone who is forgiven little who shows little love.”

Invite all to sit comfortably in their chairs and to prepare to meditate on the word of God. The story is told from the perspective of the woman, inviting participants

to engage emotionally with the experience of ‘mercy’. This meditation is read slowly, with pauses, to allow participants to imagine the scene.

Touched by mercy: A meditation from the perspective of the woman, based on Luke 7:36-40, 44-47

(To be read by a leader)

Close your eyes….relax your shoulders…..take a moment to notice sounds around you and let them go…..breathe out any tension in your body….and when you are ready, allow yourself to gently enter the scene from the story….imagining yourself seeing and feeling the experience of the woman on that day…..“I am still not certain what drew me there……

I had heard people talking….”He is here….in the city…at the Pharisee’s house….!”

“He is here….he is here…..he is here”……something about those words wound their way through the emptiness, to my heart….

“He is here”……

Some impulse set me on the path to the house that day…..

My hands grasping the alabaster jar…every step heavy with guilt…desperation…doubt…. ‘Turn back…..he won’t want to see you. You…..with what you have done?’

But somehow, there was no going back….

The doorway appeared black…..unseen, I peered inside…heart pounding….bones shaking….Eyes drawn to the light at the centre….a flickering candle….spreading its gentle glow….casting shadows….the low murmur of conversation…..shapes gradually coming into focus…..

….and there he was……..!

….as if sensing my presence he lifted his gaze and his eyes met mine…..I looked away…startled…embarrassed……

…I held my breath…nothing had prepared me for that look….

…deep within, I felt the stirrings of grief and shame for all I had been….for all I had lost….for all I had seen and felt in my ruined life….

…at that moment, I could have turned away…..I could have run away from here….but the same impulse which led me to the house that day, led me running to him….until I found myself beside him….spilling welled-up tears at his feet…..drying them with my hair as if to wipe away my shame…..kissing them…..blessing them with ointment…

Looking up at him…..I waited for the judgement….the judgement I had heard so many times before from the holy men of this city…..the harsh words of reproach…..but none came….not from him…..

….not even a question…..

….just that look…..seeing through the tears to my broken heart….to the person I am…..the person I long to be…

….I have no more to give……..no more tears….the alabaster jar at his feet now empty……but my heart now full……wide…..open….anointed with the healing ointment of mercy and compassion…….”

Allow a few moments of silence

……when you are ready, slowly withdraw from the scene….. What about my own story?When have I experienced compassion, like the woman? (pause)When have I responded with compassion, to another? (pause)Where do I need compassion in my own life? (pause) What prevents me from receiving compassion? (pause) What prevents me from being compassionate? (pause)

Allow a few moments of silence for personal reflection and then lead out of the meditation.

……..notice your breath once more……become aware of how you feel…….be aware of being back in this room…when you are ready, open your eyes.

Stage six: Litany of the senses (20 mins)

Give out handout seven – Litany of the senses

Based upon their understanding of all they have heard so far, invite everyone to take some time on their own to write a personal litany. They may wish to connect their reflection to something that has stayed with them from what they heard previously about Catholic Social Teaching, CAFOD’s work or the Gospel story.Printed on each of the handouts will be the following phrase: “We have been given eyes to....“We have been given ears to.... “We have been given hands to.... “We have been given mouths to.... “We have been given feet to…. “We have been given hearts to…. “We have been given Christ to....Give an example to illustrate e.g. “We have been given ears to listen to the voices of those who are unheard”. Allow a few minutes for the completion of this exercise.

You might like to play some reflective background music as people complete this task.

Lighting of Candles

Begin by lighting seven candles (one to represent each of the senses). Place each candle in the prayer space and invite those who wish to, to share their prayer (line) which corresponds with each sense. Repeat this ritual for each of the senses.

Stage seven: Blessing of the hands with oil

Following the Litany of senses, introduce the the blessing of the hands.

As Christ’s mission to serve began with his baptism in the River Jordan, we call to mind our own baptism and our mission as followers of Christ.....

We have been given hands and hearts to bless one another with the baptismal waters of compassion and mercy. You are now invited to enter into that beautiful image of blessing each other with the oil as a symbol of receiving and giving mercy.

Participants pass around the bowl of holy oil and mark each other’s hands with a sign of the cross, saying:

“May your hands be Christ’s hands to those who are poor.”

Stage eight: Be the difference, get active, and get involved (10 mins)Ask participants to list all the examples of agencies and charities in their local community, parish or diocese, or overseas that are involved in works of mercy and write these on a flip chart. Ask people to look at the flip chart and think for a moment on how we can act for transformation, in justice and charity. How can we be Christ’s hands in our world?

Open a brief discussion, based on the flipcharts, on how participants might join with the work of the Church in making our world a more just and peaceful place, through - for example - campaigning, volunteering, educating and fundraising.

Give out handout eight – Suggestions of ways to get involved.

Alternatively, you could log on to CAFOD’s website for more information on how people might like to join with CAFOD in making our world a more just place, through campaigning, volunteering, educating and fundraising with us.

Ask participants to write on a small card their commitment to an ‘Act of Solidarity’ that they will take away with them at the end of the session.

Invite participants to take time over the coming week to research more about

their chosen act of solidarity and reflect on the following questions in light of CAFOD’s work:

What are CAFOD’s current campaigns and focuses that interest me? (Water, Climate justice, Refugees)

What groups in my parish might benefit from learning about/ engaging with CAFOD?

What groups have we reflected upon that exist in my parish/ diocese that I might like to get involved with?

Stage nine: Concluding song and prayer

Listen to/sing the hymn ‘Make me a Channel of Your Peace’ as a group

Give out the prayer from Zimbabwe (Handout nine)

Conclude the session by saying the prayer together:

We have been given eyes to see and ears to listenWe have been given tongues … to speak for the innocent… and the guilty,To praise, encourage and support,To proclaim in season and out, the news that is good news.

We have been given hands to reach out and strengthen the fearful,To protect the weak and lift up the fallen,To embrace the dying,To share burdens and wipe away tears…To build up, not to tear down,To fan the embers not to quench the smouldering wick,To bless, not to strike,To give not to withhold.

We have been given minds to judge… ourselves, not others,Situations, not motives;To seek solutions, not excuses, justice not expediency;To discern the essential from the merely desirable,The good from the less good and the less good from the bad…We have been given hearts to feel,To interpret the hidden meanings beneath the words spoken,To open doors closed by despair,To discover the best in others and set it free,To understand and to forgive… or to simply forgive…To comfort the sorrowful, to love and thereby heal the scars.

We have been given all these things so that people around usMay neither doubt nor forget God’s presence among them;That in our touch, our words, our actions,God may touch and speak and act and others, in turn, may sense the presence of

God when we pass by, and seeing us know with little effortThat they can catch a glimpse of God.

After a moment of silence, the facilitator invites the participants to become aware of those around them and to share with each other the sign of peace, before drawing the session to a close.

This session outline was adapted with permission from the Trócaire resource Rediscovering Mercy.

Please see below for the handouts to be used in this session.

Handout oneAdaptation of the Prayer of Pope Francis for the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy

Lord Jesus Christ, you have taught us to be merciful like the heavenly Father, and have told us that whoever sees you sees him. Show us your face and we will be saved. Your loving gaze freed Zacchaeus and Matthew from being enslaved by money; the adulteress and Magdalene from seeking happiness only in created things; made Peter weep after his betrayal, and assured Paradise to the repentant thief. Let us hear, as if addressed to each one of us, the words that you spoke to the Samaritan woman: “If you knew the gift of God!”

You are the visible face of the invisible Father, of the God who manifests his power above all by forgiveness and mercy: let the Church be your visible face in the world, its Lord risen and glorified. You willed that your ministers would also be clothed in weakness

in order that they may feel compassion for those in ignorance and error: let everyone who approaches them feel sought after, loved, and forgiven by God.

Send your Spirit and consecrate every one of us with its anointing, so that the Jubilee of Mercy may be a year of grace from the Lord, and your Church, with renewed enthusiasm, may bring good news to the poor, proclaim liberty to captives and the oppressed, and restore sight to the blind.

We ask this of you, Lord Jesus, through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Mercy; you who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.

Handout Two Introduction to Catholic Social TeachingWhat is Catholic Social Teaching?The Catholic Church’s social teaching is a rich treasure of wisdom about building a just society, and the call to people of faith to be participants in that, amidst the challenges of modern society. Catholic social teaching sums up the Church’s Teaching on issues of social justice, and peace.

“The immediate purpose of the Church’s social doctrine is to propose the principles and values that can sustain a society worthy of the human person”. (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church 580)

Catholic Social Teaching calls us...

• to be aware of injustice in the world• to challenge and change our attitudes• to take action to bring about a more just world

What is it based upon?The Church’s teaching on social justice is grounded in scripture and in the knowledge gathered from the Christian community’s response to issues of justice throughout history.

Modern Catholic social teaching has been articulated through a tradition of papal documents. The depth and richness of this tradition can perhaps only be best fully understood through a direct reading of these documents.

Methodology: See, Judge, Act Following Vatican II the methodology that has been promoted asks us to read the ‘signs of the times’ by means of the ‘see’, ‘judge’, ‘act’ method that Cardijn, a young Belgian priest and founder of the Young Christian Workers movement made popular amongst student and workers alike. It asks us to approach issues with an open mind, first looking at the issues of social justice as they exist in our communities, before measuring what is happening, and what is at stake in the light of our faith. Finally we need to decide what action to undertake in response to this injustice.

Key Themes of Catholic Social Teaching

Human Dignity: We are made in the image of God. This is the simple starting point of all Catholic social teaching. Each member of the human family is equal in dignity and has equal rights because we are all the children of the one God.

Solidarity: We are our ‘brother’s/sister’s keeper’. We are responsible for one another in real ways.

The Common Good: The conditions that make it possible for each social group and each individual member to achieve their full potential. The rights and responsibilities of individuals and groups must always therefore be kept in balance.

Participation: People have both a right and a duty to participate in those decisions that most directly affect them. We are all called to shape our own destinies and have the right and duty to do so.

Subsidiarity: The principle of subsidiarity places responsibility as close as possible to the grassroots. The people or groups most directly affected by a decision or policy should have a key decision-making role.

Promotion of Peace: peace is a positive, action-oriented concept. In the words of Pope John Paul II, "Peace is not just the absence of war. It involves mutual respect and confidence between peoples and nations.” There is a close relationship in Catholic teaching between peace and justice. Peace is the fruit of justice and is dependent upon right order among human beings.

Stewardship of Creation: The goods of the earth are gifts from God and are intended for the benefit of everyone. We have a responsibility to care for these goods as stewards and trustees, not as mere consumers and users. How we treat the environment is a measure of our stewardship.

Fundamentally Catholic Social Teaching reminds us that our faith is a faith that does justice and commits us to take action.

(Adapted from Sandie Gornish for the Loyola Institute www.loyola.org.uk & http://www.cctwincities.org/CatholicSocialTeaching )

Further resources on Catholic Social Teachinghttp://www.catholicsocialteaching.org.uk/ http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catholic-social-teaching/seven-themes-of-catholic-social-teaching.cfm http://www.caritas.org.au/learn/catholic-social-teaching http://cafod.org.uk/Pray/Catholic-Social-Teaching

Catholic Social Teaching: Our Best Kept SecretBy Edward P. DeBerri, James E. Hug with Peter J. Henriot, Michael J. SchultheisOrbis Books, 2003 ISBN 1570754853, 9781570754852

Following Jesus as Pilgrims, Servants and Prophets in the 21st Century: Letters to my Grandchildren.By Michael Hornsby-SmithISBN 978-178035-015-7

Catholic Social Teaching and movementsBy Marvin L Krier MichTwenty Third Publications, ISBN 9 780896 229365

Handout Three Water in Uganda

Proscovia looks down at the blue rosary beads she thumbs nervously. “I found it very difficult to put on a uniform after walking so long for water.”  It is hard to hear the 14-year-old’s quiet voice over the noise of her friends. “I didn’t want to go to school dirty or late.”

Her mother, Teko Anna, had taken three jobs to support the family and so the essential task of collecting water fell to the eldest girl in the home – Proscovia. “Proscovia would come back late and see her younger sisters, brothers and neighbours go to school,” says her mother. “It was heartbreaking.”

This northern region of Uganda is one of the driest in the country – making sure you have clean, safe water is a daily challenge. During the 1980s, a severe famine devastated the region – one in five people starved to death. The famine was due, amongst other causes, to increasing droughts.

Father Paul Ngole from our church partner in the area said, “We face drought here every two years. It is very difficult. Crops die. Animals die. People die. Those who survive have to deal with it any way they can. I come from this region and I have faced these problems in the past. I will have to face these problems in the future.”

Girls under the age of 15 in the world’s poorest countries are twice as likely to be the ones to collect water. It is a terrible reality that if a family is to survive, the oldest girl often has to give up her education. But it isn’t a choice, it is a necessity: without it their families would die of thirst.

A study of neighbouring Tanzania showed that if a water source is placed near a family’s home, there is a 12 per cent increase in school attendance nearby.

The water pump outside Proscovia’s home splutters to life. It was installed just when Teko Anna thought she would have to take her daughter from school. Proscovia’s face changes as she pumps the water – a stunning, a broad smile.

She was free to get water when the family needed it. She was free to drink, wash and clean herself. She was free to study, to get an education, to have

a future. She was free to be a girl again.

The pump was installed in her village thanks to the kindness of CAFOD supporters. And because water flowed into her life, her dream of getting an education lived on. “When I am older,” she says, the smile lighting up her face again, “I want to be an engineer.” With water so close, Proscovia knows anything is possible.

Handout FourMaternal health in Nicaragua

One in four of all the people on God’s earth are women who live in rural areas. Highly dependent on natural resources and agriculture for their survival, many rural women are solely responsible for putting food on the table, often because their husbands have had to travel in search of work.

These women often fulfil vital roles in their local communities as volunteer health workers, carers, counsellors and custodians of valuable local knowledge.

Basilia Centeno is 70 years old, petite and as fit as a fiddle. As a volunteer health worker – a brigadista, as they’re known in Nicaragua – she has dedicated her life to protecting the health of men, women and children in the isolated villages that surround the small town of Terrabona in the mountainous Matagalpa region.

Basilia walks many miles each day to tend to her patients and to spread awareness of

good hygiene measures, food and nutrition, childcare, malaria prevention and how to treat common ailments and injuries. Basilia and her fellow brigadistas, many of whom are women, are trusted and respected by villagers, which is vital because the communities are isolated and could otherwise struggle to access care and information.

As part of her many duties, Basilia has been the local birth attendant for more than four decades. Over this time she has delivered more than 50 children; usually single-handed and without even the most basic medical equipment.

Basilia’s contribution is crucial, as Nicaragua has a very high infant and maternal mortality rate. Most women in Nicaragua are lucky if they receive one prenatal check-up during their pregnancy and it’s particularly rare for women in Terrabona to see a medical professional at all. Here, it’s a local tradition for new mums and babies to be confined for a period of 40 days and that, combined with geographical isolation, means it’s hard to overstate just how much responsibility Basilia bears for those in her care. But it’s a responsibility she bears gladly.

“I feel really happy when a new child is born. At every birth I save two lives: a mother’s and a child’s. I support the mum and baby for 40 days after the birth. I wash their clothes and look after the baby. I feel really happy to see these babies grow up. The mums tell their children: ‘She is the midwife who brought you into this world.’ That’s what gives me motivation to continue: the gratitude and seeing families grow up.”

Our local partner, the John XXIII Social Action Institute, trains and supports brigadistas like Basilia. In 2012, your donations helped the Institute to build a health clinic. Now treating over 1,700 patients a month, including 270 children, Basilia says the clinic is “a dream come true”. One of the centre’s many achievements came in 2013 when clinic’s staff and the brigadistas helped to stop

an aggressive outbreak of dengue fever by alerting local people to the symptoms and treating patients quickly before the disease could spread.

Basilia and her fellow brigadistas are not wealthy, well-resourced or well connected. But they are among the most dedicated, hard-working and generous people you could hope to meet. Modest and humble to a fault, they love their communities and know that their work has a positive impact on people’s lives. Basilia feels that the difference the health clinic makes is part of her legacy. She says: “Even when I have died, this clinic will serve my children and grandchildren.”

Handout FiveRefugees in Greece

Our partner Caritas Hellas (Greece) are on the frontline of the refugee crisis and because of the compassion and support of the Catholic community across England and Wales, they are able to reach exhausted and traumatised refugee families fleeing conflict.  

As temperatures plummet to minus five degrees your support will help us provide warm clothes, blankets, food and baby hygiene kits for families arriving in Idomeni on the Greek Macedonian border, as well as on the islands of Lesbos, Chios, Kos and Rhodes.

Perilous winter conditions do not stop refugees from arriving to Europe

“Each kilometre is like death. It has no guarantee for our life” says Ali, an Iraqi refugee describing his journey to the Greek island of Lesbos. 

Ali was an art teacher in Iraq, but with armed groups approaching his town he had to leave to avoid persecution for his profession. “We left the country. My district is under armed groups, I need to save my life,” he said.

The perilous winter conditions have not stopped refugees from risking their lives in search of sanctuary in Europe. In the month of January our partners report that over 44,000 women, men and children made the terrifying journey by boat to reach Greece - more than 25 times the total number for all of January 2015.

"The weather in Greece is getting much colder, says Maritina Koraki, Caritas Hellas Field Officer on Lesbos. We are giving out sleeping bags and sleeping mats, which is very important because on Lesbos the winters can be quite intense”.

More women and children arriving

Our partner Caritas Hellas, need to constantly make sure that the emergency aid they have available is suitable for the refugees arriving. For example the proportion of women and children arriving has increased steadily into 2016. This new demographic was brought  tragically into focus this January, when reports of two boats sinking off Farmakonissi and Kalolimnos islets near Leros and

Kalymnos islands, killing 42 refugees. 18 women and 17 children lost their lives.

Thanks to you we have been able to distribute:

Over 120,000 food packages, 70,000 in Serbia and 52,000 in Greece

Over 26,000 hygiene kits in Serbia

500 baby kits in Greece

Over 5,000 rain macs and ponchos

Over 17,000 pieces of winter clothing - hats, insulated jackets, socks, and shoes

"One year ago there was no need for baby kits. A year ago shoes and transport were the main issues" explains Caritas Hellas's Maritina Koraki. 

In Idomeni, on the border between Greece and Macedonia, temperatures have fallen below freezing.  Caritas Hellas is helping refugees by providing them with food and other items, including warm clothes, raincoats and rucksacks, and sanitation.

There are hundreds of refugees waiting at the camp in Idomeni. A few months ago their wait was on average four hours, now it is one or two nights. The Macedonian border opens sporadically for a few hours and then, without explanation, is suddenly closed.

“It is so cold here. We slept on the bus because there was no room in the tents. Two blankets and I am still so cold”, a Syrian woman travelling with her mother, told Caritas Hellas's Maritina Koraki.

Handout sixExtreme weather in MyanmarIn the early hours of tomorrow morning, 46-year-old fisherman, U Myi will wake in the dark and take his boat out onto the huge, quiet river next to his jungle home.

He brushes his oar-roughened hands together and looks towards the river. “The problem I face” he says, “is the struggle for life – to make a living. I try to do my best, but all I do is sleep, eat and work. I work hard and work for my community. I just want to help the village.”

When the vast tropical storm Cyclone Nargis hit U Myi’s small jungle village here in Myanmar, it destroyed the community in seconds. Family homes were reduced to matchwood. The few possessions that anyone had – photographs, identity cards, clothes – were strewn across the floor. Loved ones spent the next few weeks searching for news of children, parents, wives and husbands.

The cheerful fisherman looks nervous as he describes those moments in the early morning when the surviving villagers knew the storm had passed. “We opened the doors of the church where we were hiding and light streamed in. It was blinding. Where there had been trees before, it was bare. We had lost our jungle protection.”

How you helped

After helping the village with their immediate needs – food, shelter and water – our expert church partners started more long-term work. Paul Steinheuer, CAFOD’s representative in Yangon, Myanmar states: “A disaster doesn’t end when the film cameras and newspapers leave. The work is ongoing. In the case of U Myi’s village, one of the life-saving activities we started was to train the community in disaster drills and to protect their drinking water sources from flooding and contamination. This means supporting them to be ready for when the next cyclone hits. The people learn how to organise an evacuation, where to find safety, to maintain the protection of their wells and water pumps, and to build a temporary shelter so that the injured and sick can be helped.”

In the case of the recent devastating floods in Myanmar, some of the disaster preparation work our partner did with the villages meant that they did not have to flee, but were able to stay safely and securely in their villages and to recover much more quickly after their homes and communities were struck.

Families survived

Paul Steinheuer says, “Because of our partner’s disaster preparation work with communities here, people were able to get clean, safe water quickly so they could drink without becoming sick and were able to recover some of their possessions.”

Tomorrow, U Myi will go out into the dark, onto the river and at some point, sail to a calm and silent location only he knows. There, he will sing at the top of his voice. “Singing helps me to be at one with God. Singing is spiritual, it is how I give thanks. I am alive today because God kept me alive. We people may not take notice of God, but I think he takes notice of us.”

Handout sevenLitany of the Senses – Prayer Card

“We have been given eyes to....“We have been given ears to...“We have been given hands to...“We have been given mouths to...“We have been given feet to...

“We have been given hearts to...“We have been given Christ to...

Handout eightThe next step – how your parish can engage more with the work of the Church for social justice

Find out more about the work of CAFOD and how you can get involved. The Share the Journey campaign invites us to take action to support those who have been forced to flee their homes. To find out more about CAFOD’s campaigns visit cafod.org.uk/campaign or to find out about other aspects of our work visit http://cafod.org.uk/News/International-news

Find out what local organisations working on social justice exist in your parish. Are there any issues that are not being responded to that the parish could take action on?

Invite a speaker from CAFOD to speak in your parish. Get in touch with your local CAFOD office to find out more: cafod.org.uk/local

Have a Fairtrade coffee morning in your community/parish centre. Send a special invitation to those working or volunteering in any organisation that serves others or works for social justice. The money raised could be a contribution to the work of a local organisation working for social justice

Have a night of prayer in solidarity with a community in another part of the world where CAFOD is working. You could ask them for information to highlight or share

Discuss ways you can live more simply as a community to reduce your impact on God’s creation and people living in poverty. Perhaps you could start a car-pooling scheme for those who drive to Mass or encourage people to come up with their own pledge to reduce their carbon footprint. Why not think about becoming a livesimply parish? Find out more at cafod.org.uk/livesimply

Have an art competition/ exhibition on the theme of ‘the environment’, ‘justice’ or ‘community’ for schools within the parish or between neighbouring parishes

Have a reflection evening for young people in the parish. See CAFOD’s website for youth/schools resource and ideas.

Launch, or relaunch, a Parish Justice & Peace group. In parishes around the world, individuals come together to pray and act upon injustices towards those most vulnerable and in need. As baptised Catholics we are called to act justly and to speak for the marginalised. Having a Justice & Peace group can add a new dimension to the faith of a community. It ensures that parishes are listening and acting out the demands of the Gospel message. Most Justice & Peace groups meet on a regular basis. Their aims are to highlight injustices against humanity or creation, to educate their own parish communities about these injustices, to build a local campaign around them and thus bring about a lasting change in

affected areas.

Handout ninePrayer from Zimbabwe

We have been given eyes to see and ears to listenWe have been given tongues… to speak for the innocent… and the guilty,

To praise, encourage and support,To proclaim in season and out, the news that is good news.

We have been given hands to reach out and strengthen the fearful,To protect the weak and lift up the fallen,To embrace the dying,To share burdens and wipe away tears…To build up, not to tear down,To fan the embers not to quench the smouldering wick,To bless, not to strike,To give not to withhold.

We have been given minds to judge… ourselves, not others,Situations, not motives;To seek solutions, not excuses, justice, not expediency;To discern the essential from the merely desirable,The good from the less good and the less good from the bad…We have been given hearts to feel,To interpret the hidden meanings beneath the words spoken,To open doors closed by despair,To discover the best in others and set it free,To understand and to forgive… or to simply forgive…To comfort the sorrowful, to love and thereby heal the scars.

We have been given all these things so that people around usMay neither doubt nor forget God’s presence among them;That in our touch, our words, our actions,God may touch and speak and act and others, in turn, May sense the presence of God when we pass by, And seeing us know with little effortThat they can catch a glimpse of God.

Just One Year: Prayer and Worship Through the Christian Year,Timothy Radcliffe and Jean Harrison, eds., London: Darton Longman and Todd/CAFOD, Christian Aid, 2006