Advent Shoe Boxes

Another collection we will be starting next week is presents for children who will have little or nothing to open on Christmas Day. Last year we sent presents off to the Children’s Society who distribute gifts throughout the year to families in need. This year they have asked us to collect shoe-box sized parcels specifically designed for the under-5’s. Little presents, soaps, toys etc that will be given out before Christmas. If we collect these during the four weeks of Advent, one of the Society members will come and collect them. I suggest we try to get as many boxes into church by the 3rd week of Advent, 16th December. This will leave time to have them delivered ready for Christmas Day.

Advent Shoe Boxes

The school and parish were very generous in the preparation and collection of shoe-box presents for the Children’s Society. They use these presents throughout the year for families in need and the Society is always grateful for such gifts. They have asked us if we would have a special collection this year and arrange for boxes to be collected before Christmas so that they will be able to distribute them before 25th Dec. Also could we make them specifically for the under 5’s. So lots of baby things and small gifts for small ones. We will collect the boxes during Advent and they will collect them during the week before Santa!

Justice & Peace

Thanks to those who came to the meeting on Wednesday. We were not a big group but I feel that we started to address some of the issues that the Church are asked to address. We started by looking at what the parish does in this area already, and it was moderately impressive. We are generous with the CAFOD Family Fast appeals. The Fairtrade stall is a constant reminder of what we can do with our shopping. Bridie and Hilda carry on raising money for orphans in Malawi. The APF raised funds for the Africa missions. The Little Houses helps in the constant appeal to support the families in need in the diocese. We give generously to the annual appeals by the various missionary orders who ask for our help. We assist the Poor Clares in the work of prayer. The school has links with children in Africa and raises thousands of pounds for particular charitable causes. There are individuals in the parish who support the work of Amnesty International. Others are involved in local Ecumenical projects like Homeless in Oswestry Action Partnership. This last charity is a reminder that there are many justice issues that are right on our own doorstep! All in all we are well on the way to recognising our responsibilities to work for justice and peace and so proclaim the Gospel.

We then discussed what new project we could take on and we thought that it would be a good idea to start small and be successful. So I am proposing that we have an Advent project that where we would aim at raising a set amount of money for CAFOD. I contacted them to see if there was a particular project with which we could be involved. They said that it was too wasteful of their resources to try to link a parish with a particular Third World project but that all there parish collections were being directed to works in Africa. We could raise money for this general fund. CAFOD also have a World Gifts project where the money we raised would go to buy chickens, goats, medicines or even a classroom (£3000).

There is a mass-going congregation of about 250 each week. Do you think we cold aim to give £1 each week for the four Sundays of Advent? This would give a tremendous start of £1000 to help a chosen project. Please think about this, talk among yourselves and then let me know what else you can come up with.

Justice and Peace

We are constantly being urged to put our faith into practice and to speak out against political and social injustice. There will be an open meeting on Wednesday 7th November at 7.30pm in the school hall for anyone who would either like to become involved in such issues or just to find out what such a group might do. Please give this serious thought and come along to join us.

(Picture Justice & Peace; 1759-60: Museo del Prado, Madrid)