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Bringing the Good News: Caritas Ambassadors Festival

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Our Catholic Social Teaching Lead, Sr Silvana Dallanegra, reflects on the Caritas Ambassadors Festival held in Westminster Cathedral on 11th June, which celebrated the achievements of primary school students who live out the principles of CST by starting their own social action projects. She also shares with us the homily given by Bishop Paul McAleenan for the occasion.

One of the highlights of our summer is the Caritas Ambassadors Festival, now in its third year, where students who have participated in the Caritas Ambassadors programme come together to celebrate their learning of Catholic Social Teaching, and to share the often innovative social action projects this inspires them to create.

The event is always joyous and lively, but also filled with the passion and commitment of our Ambassadors, who are able to articulate the calls of Catholic Social Teaching in ways which belie their average age of 10. 

This year’s Festival had a special focus on the Jubilee, with processions led by a ‘Pilgrims of Hope’ banner carried by Ambassadors from The Rosary School in Heston. During the liturgy, we listened to presentations about the social action projects of four primary schools, with Ambassadors from St Adrian’s (St Albans), St John XXIII (White City), St Joseph’s (Chelsea) and St Mary of the Angels (Bayswater) sharing their projects.

We heard about bingo sessions for elderly parishioners and care home residents; using the school’s refill shop to provide essentials for a local project; recycling preloved toys; and creating and hosting ‘Stay & Play’ sessions for parents/carers and toddlers from the school community.  

This was just a sample of the social action carried out by our Caritas Ambassadors: other groups have campaigned for Fairtrade, supported local foodbanks and homeless projects, cared for their local environment, and built relationships with local care homes. In many cases, it is hoped that these initiatives can become embedded in the life of the school, leaving a legacy that will endure long after the Ambassadors have moved on to secondary school.  

During the Festival, Bishop Paul McAleenan, Chair of Caritas Westminster, offered the following reflection, which can certainly speak to all of us, too: 

‘Caritas Ambassadors — you will remember the banner which was processed in at the beginning. You will see it again later when we leave. It tells us who we are: “Pilgrims of Hope.” 

‘A pilgrim is one who is on a journey from one place to another. Often, we go on journeys, travelling from one place to another. There are many reasons for going on a journey, for example to go on holiday or perhaps to attend an event like a concert or a football match. But when a pilgrim goes on a journey, they always bring something with them. They carry their faith with them and so they bring Good News.  

‘When Jesus explained why he came to earth, he said: ‘I come to bring good news to the poor.’ Friends of Jesus do the same; they go never go empty handed. If someone were to ask you what you do as Caritas Ambassadors, you could explain the details of your project, but you could also say: I bring Good News. The Good News you bring is the love of Jesus for us; wherever the friends of Jesus go, they have something to give. 

‘Through your activities, Caritas Ambassadors, you also bring a message to everyone you meet.  Not a sad message, but one that brings and communicates the love of Jesus and the good life he wants everyone to have. Your message is one of hope.’  

‘All your work, all your activity, all your actions — those which we heard of in the testimonies and all your projects — speak of the value and the importance of every person, and of the human life that God has given us.’ 

‘You are Pilgrims of Hope bringing Good News.’ 

‘You have a special name – a name you can be proud of. You are a Caritas Ambassador, which really means a messenger of God’s love. You bring to those you serve the most important thing we have: God’s love.’ 

‘Jesus, we know, was concerned about people and their welfare. He healed the sick, he fed the hungry, he visited those in need, he listened to those who were in difficulty. He brought Good News to the poor.’ 

‘Some people may be poor in the sense that they have no material goods or money; others may be poor because they are unhappy, and others may be poor because they have no friends.’ 

‘In your activities you are being like Jesus, because you bring something good into the world, into your school, into your community, into your area.’  

‘Being a Caritas Ambassador makes you a Pilgrim of Hope. And being a Pilgrim of Hope makes you a messenger of the love of God. So thank you, and may God bless all your activities and projects.’

The Caritas Ambassadors programme aims to equip Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3 pupils with a strong understanding of Catholic Social Teaching, with an emphasis on putting it into action in their daily lives and school communities. Find out more about the programme here.


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