1/ Pope Leo has invited women and men of goodwill across the world to join him in praying for peace at 5pm this Saturday (11 April). The Pope said he welcomed the news of a – albeit fragile – two-week ceasefire in Iran “as a sign of deep hope” and emphasised that “only through a return to the negotiating table can we bring the war to an end.”
Speaking in his Urbi et Orbi message on Sunday, the Pope asked people to “search for peace and not violence, to reject war—especially a war which many people have said is unjust… which is not resolving anything.”
2/ CAFOD: Stand with Sudan. Give monthly. On the third anniversary of the war in Sudan, Kayode Akintola, CAFOD’s Head of Region for Africa, asks for your help: “So many of our sisters and brothers in Sudan are facing increasing violence, hunger, and disease. That is why today, we’re asking you to consider setting up a regular gift to support families who are fleeing the violence – with food, safe water and other vital support. Monthly gifts are an act of steady love for our neighbours, a way of saying: we will not abandon you, we will stand with you until peace is restored.” Donate at Sudan Crisis Appeal
3/ The Columban commitment to living out Gospel values of justice, peace and care for creation can be seen everywhere we live and work. Examples include campaigning for peace in Korea, tree-growing with indigenous peoples in the Philippines and accompanying migrant workers in Taiwan.
Building on our mission experience here and around the world, we invite the church in Britain to confront injustice in our priority areas of ‘welcoming the stranger’ (migration and refugees) and ‘care for creation’ (action on the biodiversity and climate crises) – through practical action, education, media and campaigning. Justice, Peace & Ecology – Columban Missionaries
4/ SHOUT Helps those who are really struggling to feed their families and the homeless. If you can spare an extra item from your shopping, please donate it to SHOUT Worthing – Soup Kitchen. There are boxes for food donations at the church entrances of St Mary’s. Holy Family also support a similar charity.
5/ Live Simply Tip of the week more tips to attract Bees Here’s some Bee friendly flower’s: Poppies can bloom from early summer, right up until October – giving bees months of pollen. Evergreen clematis why not use them to brighten up a wall, or drape them over a pergola to provide shade during the summer? Foxglove Bees absolutely love foxgloves, and on some days it seems like they’re almost queueing up to crawl inside their many petals.