Who we are...

​We are a small, friendly group of parishioners who undertake a range of activities to
support the mission and aims of CAFOD within the Parish. We have a commitment
to fairness, the integrity of creation, and justice and peace for all. We see the work of
CAFOD as an important way to live out our faith and the social teachings of the
Church. 
We particularly feel that raising awareness and campaigning are important as both
can lead to positive change. Our faith calls us to address injustice in the world and
CAFOD’s campaigns enables us to put our faith into action – it is a very effective way
of loving our neighbour.

​What we have done in 2023…

Lent Fast Day Friday March 3rd, 2023

Thank you for your generous donations to CAFOD's Family Fast Day during Lent.
The theme of this year’s Fast Day was to highlight the needs of communities that are
already affected by climate change. CAFOD featured Dristy and her mother Rupali
from Bangladesh. Your support has helped Dristy and other families to work with
local experts to build raised seed beds to give young drops a better chance of
surviving floods, to plant a protective barrier of trees on the coast near their village
to break up cyclones and reduce damage to their crops, and to grow a wider variety of
healthy fruit and vegetables. This is just one of many long-term development projects
that CAFOD has funded with the money from this Fast Day. Thank you.

Promote a showing of the ‘The Letter’ to raise awareness of climate and environmental issues.

A screening of the film ‘The Letter’ in partnership with St Augustine’s school took
place in June 2023 and was attended by students and a small number of parishioners
who took part in a discussion about what action to take next.

Support the CAFOD national campaign – ‘Fix the Food System’ – July 2023

​CAFOD urges government to protect the right of farmers to use their own seeds
Small scale farmers in developing countries are increasingly experiencing difficulties in
respect of their use of traditional seeds. For generations, small-scale farmers have freely
swapped and shared a wide variety of seeds to produce food and maintain biodiversity. More recently, farmers have also developed seeds that ensure crops are resilient to climate change. However, their right to choose what seeds they use is increasingly under threat as new laws, supported by the World Bank and the IMF, are introduced that limit what small farmers can do with their seeds. This increases their costs as they often have to buy commercially produced seeds with their attendant problems making life even more difficult for them. Salina, one such small-scale farmer from Bangladesh, has written a letter to the World Bank and with CAFOD's help is asking Catholics here to support her by adding their signature. Archbishop Bernard and our local area Bishop David Evans had already signed it and passed the letter to the parish so we could add our signatures. This took place after all masses on the weekend of 15th/16 th  July. Over 230 parishioners signed it.

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​Ecumenical event to mark the Season of Creation (1 st September to the feast of St.
Francis on October 4 th )

​In partnership with students from St Augustine’s High School, we held an ecumenical
vigil after the 5pm Mass on 30 September to link with the worldwide ecumenical
vigil led by Pope Francis in Rome for the Season of Creation. Our vigil included
readings and hymns and reflection on our role in promoting and supporting positive
actions that will have a beneficial impact on our planet, our common home.
Autumn Harvest family fast day (Friday 6 th October)

Appeals were given at all Masses on 30 Sept and 1 st October 2023.
When we started, and some of the things we have done…
We started in 2005 inspired by the Make Poverty History campaign when three
coach loads of parishioners went to the rally in Edinburgh. Activities since then have
included organising a Rich World Poor World supper; promoting card signings to
lobby for political change; a Livesimply picnic; promoting Fair Trade; a creation walk;
ecumenical activity and supporting CAFOD Fast Days in Lent and at Harvest time..
We now also host an annual ecumenical service for the Season of Creation (1st
September to 4th October).
Promoting CAFOD's Family Fast Days and campaigning for justice we see as
particularly important.
 
Climate change is having a devastating effect on the lives of many people in
developing countries, this has been happening for many years now and the damage to
lives continues. Because of this CAFOD has been campaigning for greater action, at
all levels, to combat climate change and this is now a major priority for the group.
We merged with the informal Climate Change group which arose out of the creation
celebration Mass in September 2019 to form the CAFOD/Laudato Si Group.  During
and following the Covid pandemic, we engaged with our local councils and MPs on
climate issues and embarked on CAFOD's vitally important 2021 campaign Reclaim
Our Common Home.
Here are some photographs of activities organised or promoted by the CAFOD group
in recent years –

Discussion group after 2019’s creation celebration Mass

A Climate change meeting in 2017 with Fr Cornelius from Cameroon

Hosting visiting speaker from CAFOD in 2018

Ecumenical walk in September 2021 – Bordesley Abbey

Ecumenical walk 2021 – prayers outside our MP’s office

Ecumenical walk 2021, closing prayers in the Presbytery garden

Parish Climate Project


In July 2021 the group met with Fr Tony to discuss ways of how the parish could
help address the vitally important issue of combating climate change – something
we are all called to do. Fr Tony suggested we engage with parish schools as well.
We now have a developing and productive working relationship with St
Augustine’s. Contact has also been made with St. Bede’s and Our Lady of Mount
Carmel First School Joint action between parishes and their schools is also
something encouraged by the Archdiocesan Climate Action Group which includes
representatives of the Diocesan Education Service. We look forward to working
more closely with our schools in the future.

Promoting Fairtrade


Buying fairly traded goods is an important way of helping producer communities
in developing countries work and trade their way out of poverty, so promoting
and selling fairly traded items continues to be a priority. Our “experimental”
monthly after mass refreshments and fair-trade stall last year, (October -December
2022) was, after a slow start, a success but we were unable to find anyone willing
to help us make it a permanent part of parish life. We continue however to
promote Fair trade Fortnight and would welcome opportunities to sell items at
parish events.

Given the focus of CAFOD on the teachings in ‘Laudato Si’, the CAFOD group here
at Our Lady of Mount Carmel have changed our name to reflect this and we are now
known as the CAFOD/Laudato Si group. Further details about Laudato Si and its
impact on CAFOD nationally and locally are given at the end of this webpage.

We would love to have new members join us, particularly those with fresh ideas and
enthusiasm! Come and join us – changing the world is fun. We would particularly
like to include members of the parish’s Keralan and Polish communities.

For more information, please email us at:  [email protected] or
contact Susan, Jim, Jo, Bob, Kate, Steve via the Parish Office