Mwari rudo - God is loveGod speaks in every human language - and in many other ways. In this edition of Grapevine we report how a parishioner in Leicester reached out to minority communities in the city, with their traditional foods to sustain body and soul. If you have any stories to tell of lockdown faith and action, let us know.
It's the Season of Creation, and we have a suggestion for you: a virtual parish film night, exploring how our faith calls us to care for the Earth. If you fix a date at our end, we can provide the Zoom account so you can watch it together.
We've an opportunity to listen to the Church's witness through history, as a volunteer in the diocesan Archive. And we've got the latest on the Year of the Word, with opportunities to hear God here and now, and in new and unexpected ways.
Paul (Programme Leader for Social Action)
Joe (Director of Adult Formation for Mission)
PS - Apologies to any clergy who've received this issue twice. We've updated our database with your new diocesan email address, and the next job is to find your old email address and remove it! - Paul |
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In this issue - Global Caring: host a parish film night for the Season of Creation
- Interested in Archives? Join the team!
- Distributing ethnic food parcels during Leicester lockdown
- The God Who Speaks: September update
- An opportunity to help parishioners in fuel poverty
Please feel free to forward this email to fellow parishioners,
or include content in your parish bulletin.
Sign up to receive Grapevine direct to your inbox: click here |
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 | Host a virtual parish film night on us! |
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Global Healing and Global Caring are free film-based resources to help us to respond to the damage being done to our planet – our common home. It is for parishes, groups and individuals and aims to engage you with Pope Francis’ vital call to care for the Earth.
The films feature experts and engaging testimonies. There are times for discussion and prayer to help stir deeper ecological conversion and fresh practical responses. |  |
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Why not hold a Zoom film night in the parish, as a way to bring people together amid the current Covid restrictions? You are welcome to use our diocesan Zoom account. Each film is about half an hour long, allowing plenty of time for discussion and chit-chat. We can even set up breakout rooms for you afterwards.
Here's how we can help you set up your parish Global Healing film night:- Find a couple of dates that suit your parish and contact Paul with them
- We'll set up an online booking form and check the Zoom account is free
- Advertise the date, reminding people of household social distancing guidelines
- Watch and discuss the film online with long-lost friends and fellow parishioners!
- And take it from there: plan action in your parish to care for Creation.
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Volunteers needed in the Archive teamThe Diocesan Archive Team are looking to recruit some volunteers. The Diocesan Archives are currently based in the centre of Nottingham, and the collection contains a wealth of material covering the history of the Catholic Church in the East Midlands.
The current team, Archivist Canon Anthony Dolan and Assistant John Boland-Lee, are looking for volunteers with an interest in history and with some IT skills to assist with the Archives. As part of the Archives Team, you will be undertaking general office duties including labelling, filing, sorting and cataloguing documents. Full training and support will be provided.
If you are interested, please contact Joanna Matthews for further details. |
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God is love - even in lockdownParishioners at Blessed Sacrament and St Peter's have been working with foodbanks in the west of Leicester to provide parcels of traditional foodstuffs to some of the poorest people in the city's diverse communities. Here Nancy Tsvara reflects on the project, which was funded by the Albert Gubay Charitable Foundation. |
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"God is love, and he calls us to love, generously and joyfully". This sentence taken from the Nottingham Diocese Faith Into Action website got me to reflect on my own faith and got me thinking about small practical ways I could show my love.
The message resonated with my favourite Zimbabwean Catholic Song titled Mwari Rudo (God is Love) which is the background song to the video I put together thanking our volunteers. The powerful song challenges our faith, to help those close to us first, our neighbours, friends, family etc., and also reassures us that where there is love there is no fear.
Although the COVID-19 lockdown meant postponing my final social work degree placement, it provided valuable space to reflect on my own faith. It offered an opportunity to put into practice my Catholic social teaching of challenging injustices, inequalities - principles which also underpin social work.
Through this project funded by Nottingham Diocese, we managed to provide the much needed ethnic food parcels weekly to 12 families from June to September.
Nancy tells the Leicester Mercury: “Where I come from we have this concept called Nhimbe, which is when the community works together - which is exactly what we did.” The paper profiled the project in July: read the article here. |
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Here are some updates on the God who Speaks campaign for the Year of the Word.
Click on the links to find out more.
Our September focus is Scripture and Care for Creation – read all our latest articles here
Special edition of Mark’s Gospel available to buy
Free exciting Fish with Mark Gospel poster and Whistlestop Tour of Mark - download here
Twelve new Collective Worship ideas sheets for Primary Schools
Harvest Assembly Resources - download here
If you have God who Speaks ideas, resources or events you want us to promote, please let us know so that we can advertise them on our website. |
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Keep vulnerable parishioners warm this winterFinally, do you know any parishioners whose homes are cold in the winter, or who struggle to pay their heating bills? The government's Green Homes Grant Scheme is offering vouchers of up to £5,000 which can pay for two-thirds of the cost of energy efficiency improvements - or even more for people on a low income or benefits.
Of course the people who most need the help are least likely to be able to access it. That's where you come in. Please take a moment to think of any parishioners you normally visit - especially where you've thought how chilly the house is. They could be just the kind of person the scheme is for. |
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 | Christian charity is not simple philanthropy
but, on the one hand, it is looking at others through the very eyes of Jesus
and, on the other hand, it is seeing Jesus in the face of the poor.
This is the true path of Christian charity,
with Jesus at the centre, always.
Pope Francis, Angelus, 23 August 2020 |
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