At Corpus Christi Francis Stewart from our Theology team reflects on the Eucharist and how we are what we eat. Read more The feast of Corpus Christi, or The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, was a local celebration in Liège (now Belgium) until 1230, when St Julienne de Cornillon brought to Pope Urban IV the news of a vision she had of a bleeding Eucharistic host. From then on it became a celebration for the whole Church of the real presence of Christ’s body and blood in the Eucharist. Transformative food Within this fundamental Catholic belief is a radical claim. God gives h ..read more

Helen is a CAFOD volunteer who worked as a translator alongside our communications team for the Latin America and the Caribbean region. An opportunity as unusual as my personal strengths Volunteering with CAFOD is one of the most fulfilling things I did in the months I was looking for work after finishing my master’s degree in translation. I knew that I wanted to use what I had learned to help others in the practical ways that Jesus consistently emphasises, but finding an appropriate opportunity wasn’t easy. I don’t know exactly what it’s like to be someone else, but I often get the impression ..read more

Join us at Romero House from 15th-25th June for a brand new art exhibition entitled ‘Giving in Unity’. Read about why we are so excited to be hosting this event and hear from one of the artists about what her art means to her and why she wanted to fundraise for CAFOD. Pope Francis once called charity ‘a very beautiful gift’, a spiritual beauty at work in the hearts and souls of those living a life of true Christian charity. This June CAFOD hopes to prove that charity can be physically beautiful too by hosting an exciting new art exhibition in our very own Romero House. No fewer than eight arti ..read more

As we approach the feast of the Ascension of the Lord, Caroline Stanton from CAFOD’s Theology team reflects on what Jesus’ return to the Father means for us and how we can prepare for the coming feast of Pentecost. “He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.” This is a familiar statement, repeated week after week in the Nicene Creed at Mass, but perhaps not often pondered. Fortunately, each year bring us a fresh opportunity to reflect on these words and what they mean for our lives, as forty days after Easter we celebrate the feast of the Ascension of the Lord. Expl ..read more

Join us at Romero House from 15th-25th June for a brand new art exhibition entitled ‘Giving in Unity’. Read about why we are so excited to be hosting this event and hear from one of the artists about what her art means to her and why she wanted to fundraise for CAFOD. Pope Francis once called charity ‘a very beautiful gift’, but this was a spiritual beauty at work in the hearts and souls of those living a life of true Christian charity. This June, however, CAFOD hopes to prove that charity can be almost as beautiful physically as it is spiritually by hosting an exciting new art exhibition in ..read more

Last week, nearly 50,000 people lined up to take part in the London Marathon, and 19 of them were running for CAFOD! We are so proud to have CAFOD so well-represented and for the amazing efforts of our runners and their training and fundraising. Read on to hear how they got on! The London Marathon day itself is an amazing experience, and this year was no different. Despite the rainy weather, spirits were high both amongst the runners and the supporters. The CAFOD cheer station was at mile 16, and it was exciting to see Sir Mo Farah go by with the other elite runners. But, our main focus was t ..read more

Many CAFOD volunteers across England and Wales were inspired by their families’ examples of giving their time and gifts to make a better world. Roxinne Roxinne, 18, volunteers for CAFOD in her local parish – part of a vital network working together to get the stories and voices of people fighting injustice around the world out to the Catholic community. She said, “When I was growing up, my parents always taught me to fight for justice and that, if you feel that something is unfair or wrong, question it constantly and do something about it if you can. My grandmother was one of the most remarkab ..read more

Transforming our food system so that it benefits all of us might sound like a colossal challenge. You may well ask whether it is even achievable! But through digging in to Mother Teresa’s wisdom, we can help find the answers. One thing your parish can do this summer Mother Teresa reached global celebrity by caring for those who were uncared for by the rest of society. During her lifetime she personally cared for thousands of people and was admired by millions for doing so. Mother Teresa When Mother Teresa was asked how she did it, she responded: “I never looked at the masses as my responsibili ..read more

On the 60th anniversary of Pope St John XXIII’s papal encyclical Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth), we reflect on its important messages for our world today. Pacem in Terris was first published on 11 April 1963, in the midst of the Cold War and with the Vietnam war ongoing. It was two years after the erection of the Berlin Wall and just months after the Cuban Missile Crisis brought the world to the brink of a nuclear third world war. Written during the first year of Vatican II, it was the first time a major Catholic Social Teaching document was addressed not just to Catholics but to “all people ..read more

As we approach Easter, Caroline Stanton from CAFOD’s Theology team reflects on the risen Jesus’ encounter with Mary in the garden and the new life that this season brings. My grandma’s cross stitch In my grandma’s house was a framed, handmade cross stitch design with the words of the poet Dorothy Frances Gurney, ‘One is nearer to God’s heart in a garden, than anywhere else on earth.’ It was a saying that made sense when you saw the care and love my grandma had poured into the earth. As a child I loved to spend time in her garden; it was full of life, abundance and peace – beautiful flowers, gr ..read more