Sr Silvana Dallanegra, our Development Worker for West London and Spelthorne, reflects on a recent encounter with Bishop Jim Curry following his visit to the Holy Land, a poignant reminder of how Caritas agencies around the world are spreading the Gospel through service.
Here at Caritas Westminster, the scope of our mission is predominantly contained within the Diocese of Westminster. But although our focus is local, we are also conscious that we are part of an international family – Caritas Internationalis – that reaches far beyond our 16 London Boroughs, one district council and the county of Hertfordshire.
From its humble beginnings as a local Church-run social action agency in Cologne in 1897, Caritas has spread across the globe, and is now actively present in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. That’s why when members of our team spot other Caritas agencies while abroad, we say we’ve found our ‘Caritas cousins!’
On a more sombre note, this sense of unity also means we are deeply aware of the sacrifices and sufferings of our foreign counterparts during hard times of war, injustice and natural disaster. Three years ago, we followed the humanitarian work of Caritas in both Ukraine and Poland, and more recently we have also been inspired by the tireless efforts of Caritas Lebanon, and were pleased to raise over £16,000 to help Caritas Valencia support flood victims in eastern Spain.
Over the past 18 months, we became increasingly aware of the work of Caritas Jerusalem, whose remit (the Holy Land) has traditionally included Gaza and the West Bank.
One day last month, our two worlds – West London and the West Bank – came together, during Bishop Jim Curry’s visit to the parish of Our Lady of Fatima in White City. Here, he gave me a few mementoes of his recent meeting with Caritas Jerusalem, to share with the whole team.
In January, Bishop Jim had attended his first meeting with the Holy Land Coordination, a project set up in 2000 after the Holy See proposed that bishops from various countries coordinate their involvement in the life of the Churches in the Holy Land.

The idea was for bishops from countries that have historically influenced events in the Holy Land to organise these themselves, emphasising their respective pastoral activities and concerns. Their united, regular presence in the region would also serve as a reminder of the hardships faced by our brothers and sisters in the Holy Land.
During this year’s visit, the bishops examined how the Church responds to the needs of its people, in response to the call to serve as a beacon of hope for those in need. Among their discussions was an update from Fr Gabriel Romanelli and his parishioners at Holy Family Church in Gaza, who have continued to receive video calls and messages from Pope Francis while he has been in hospital.
The bishops also spent a day with Caritas Jerusalem, visiting projects such as a medical centre in Taybeh and an elderly care centre in Ramallah. They then heard about support for vocational training and met with the directors of the local Diocesan Latin Patriarch Social Services, who work closely with Caritas Jerusalem. Bishop Jim commented: ‘We were immensely moved by the commitment of so many officials and volunteers [who are] finding hope amidst despair’.
Among the gifts Bishop Jim brought us were a small cross and Caritas Jerusalem logo, both made with olive wood from Bethlehem, where Love became flesh.
These two tokens now have pride of place in the Caritas Westminster office; reminding us to pray for our ‘Caritas cousins,’ and of our shared mission to bring to others the same self-giving love we find on the Cross. Whether it’s in the Holy Land or one of the many areas of danger and suffering around the world, it is those who put love – Caritas – into action that bring the healing presence of Christ to all those they serve.
Find out more about the Holy Land Coordination here.
Support Caritas Jerusalem here.
Header photo: Caritas Jerusalem