CAFOD | St Helen's

"Becoming the Church God is calling us to be"

CAFOD
(Catholic Agency For Overseas Development) St Helens

History

The Catholic Agency For Overseas Development was established by the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales as its official agency for overseas development and disaster relief in 1962.

It grew from original appeals starting in 1960, initiated by a group of women from different Catholic Women’s groups, initially to support maternity provision in Dominica, and the principles they established, seeking to empower people in the developing world so that they could provide for themselves, are the basis of CAFOD’s work today.

Unlike Missionary societies, CAFOD does not seek to provide general education and health care, those being the proper responsibilities of the civil authorities. Missionary societies fill the gaps very often in such provision. CAFOD does not support church building and indeed its drive to empower and secure sustainable development means it rarely gets involved in any capital projects. It supports people of all faiths and those of none.

CAFOD is quite unique in its approach. Requests for support for individual development projects are made in the country concerned to local agencies partnered with CAFOD. Those deemed most potentially impactful are forwarded to specialist groups within CAFOD in London. Inevitably there are never sufficient funds to meet all requests. Those that are agreed are funded through local partners. CAFOD does not work through national governments.

Whilst the major focus and distribution of funds are directed towards development there is a recognition that there will be a need to respond to emergencies. CAFOD is a member of the Disasters’ Emergency Committee, DEC. This is a consortium of several British charities which maintains emergency funds in order to make a rapid response in times of desperate need. CAFOD’s accounts show an overall income from the DEC. This is because CAFOD is able to direct funds through partners on the ground when emergencies happen. They can describe need, and funds and material can be transferred more quickly than would otherwise be the case. Other members of the DEC most often work through their own representatives in countries. They can’t be represented in all but CAFOD does have access through its partners. The absence of such paid workers makes CAFOD one of the leanest charities in terms of central costs.

Welcome

The Catholic Agency For Overseas Development was established by the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales as its official agency for overseas development and disaster relief in 1962.

To find out more about CAFOD at St Helens as well as how to get involved, contact Peter Lee on 07913651623 or email by clicking the button below

CAFOD | St Helens

Over 40 years ago the Bishops of England Wales relaxed the requirement to abstain from meat on Fridays, suggesting that other acts of self-denial might replace the proscription.

CAFOD seized the opportunity to suggest that there might be a “Friday Self-Denial” scheme which people and parishes could opt into. They produced envelopes for distribution at Sunday Masses.

A group of St Helen’s parishioners, many involved in the Justice and Peace group operating in the parish and more widely, were inspired by the opportunity to organise such a collection. Fr Shaw gave enthusiastic support to this initiative and from then on there has been a CAFOD collection sustained every week after Sunday Masses.

Initially, the large group involved met regularly to combine study of various campaigns promoted by CAFOD, often with a Justice and Peace theme, sometimes with an ecological approach to preserving the planet’s resources. These didn’t continue and the numbers involved reduced as its members passed away.

Over the years the number of donors on a Sunday has also reduced but there is still a steady income of around £10,000 a year, and there are many others who contribute through standing orders and to online appeals. The total forwarded to CAFOD over the 40 year span is in excess of £¾ m.

Currently just two people sustain the collection with occasional support from friends when one or the other can’t make it.

If anyone would like to get directly involved they would be most welcome, either as a collector or on the admin side. This involves an hour a week in counting and banking and occasional contact with head office to replenish supplies of weekly envelopes.

There is also an Archdiocesan support network if anyone wished to avail themselves of it.

Anyone who might be interested, or if a group in another parish would want to consider starting a similar collection they could, in the first instance, contact Peter Lee.