Caritas Advent Appeal & Cost-of-Living Crisis Guidance for Parishes

Wednesday 30th November 2022

Caritas Salford is working hard to support those affected by poverty, isolation and homelessness during the Advent season. Read on to find out how you can help Caritas in their mission.

Caritas Advent Appeal: #BeeThere

This year’s Advent Appeal from Caritas Salford has now launched and is asking if you will #BeeThere for someone who needs it this Christmas.

The appeal, which includes a special animation film (www.caritassalford.org.uk/BeeThere) asks local people to help Caritas to support the thousands of people in our local communities who will be facing acute crisis over the festive season.

To find out more, watch the animation, or make a donation, visit: www.caritassalford.org.uk/BeeThere

Please do share in your newsletters and other networks, and on social media too, using the hashtag #BeeThere.

How to Help Your Community During this Difficult Winter

Caritas Diocese of Salford directly supports those most affected by the current cost-of-living crisis – people experiencing poverty, isolation, and homelessness. Through this work, Caritas have been approached by parishes across the diocese, asking for advice on how best to support people within their local communities as the crisis deepens and winter arrives.

Caritas Salford have detailed several steps we can take to live out the message of Catholic Social Teaching in the current crisis: they call on us to See and Listen; Discern; Pray; and Act.

See and Listen

Caritas ask us to See and Listen: to consider the specific needs of our local communities and to listen to their experiences; and to consider using sources of information on local poverty like the Greater Manchester Poverty Monitor to pinpoint the particular issues that your local area faces.

Discern

We are then called to Discern what our role could be – whether we would be most useful helping out with an existing organisation, or creating a new action group to fill a gap in local service.

Act

Once we have discerned our role, we must Act: we must pray for the wellbeing of those most affected by this crisis, and take the appropriate action that God expects of us. Caritas Salford have published a list of possible avenues for local action that you could take, including opening your parish buildings as Warm Hubs, setting up community pantries, and signposting individuals towards financial support.

Click here to read this list of actions in full.