CAFOD marks 50 years of Lent Fast Day

CAFOD is calling on its supporters to turn biscuits into bicycles and wine into water to mark the 50th anniversary of its annual fundraising initiative, Lent Fast Day. Over the last 50 years, more than £65 million has been raised by extraordinary people at Lent Fast Day, which has transformed the lives of thousands of people living in extreme poverty throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America.

This year, the Catholic agency is using the occasion to show people how they can truly make a difference with a re-launch of Lent Fast Day under the theme ‘Give it up!’ and asking its supporters to join them in making this a celebration of what has been achieved and what continues to be achieved in tackling poverty worldwide.

David Cross, CAFOD’s Diocesan Manager for Middlesbrough Diocese, said ‘Firstly a huge thank you to all of our supporters, young and old, new or long-term. Without their compassion and generosity, hundreds of thousands of people would be much worse off. CAFOD wouldn’t be able to provide food or clean water, small business loans, healthcare and education, or speak out and change the systems that cause these injustices. This money has saved lives and changed lives.

‘Over the past 50 years, Lent Fast Day has offered an opportunity for Catholics to put their faith into action by making a personal sacrifice, and making a donation to help some of the world’s poorest people. This Lent, we’re encouraging our supporters to Give it up! Instead of indulging in their favourite treat, to give it up throughout Lent so the money saved can continue to transform the lives of some-one who is less fortunate. We’re asking the question ñ could you turn biscuits into bicycles this Lent? Bicycles are vital for community health workers to reach patients in the most rural areas.’

Lent Fast Day was started in 1960 by a small group of Catholic women from the National Board of Catholic Women (NBCW), Catholic Women’s League (CWL) and Union of Catholic Mothers (UCM). They were motivated to help mothers and babies dying of starvation in Dominica, a project inspired by Belgian nun Sr Mary Alicia. This amazing group were so moved by the plight of others, their fundraising effort was not a one-off event. Supported by the now deceased Cardinal Godfrey, who argued in a pastoral letter that the money spent on pampered poodles would be better spent on helping ‘our hungry brethren’, two years later the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales agreed that CAFOD would be their official development agency. Without Fast Days, CAFOD would not exist today

David said ‘Unfortunately, the places and the reasons for poverty may have changed but there is still no reason why anyone in the world should go to sleep at night hungry. Let’s continue the legacy that has been growing for 50 years ñ we want to remind people, our families and friends, that whilst so much has been achieved, we can’t stop, the need is very great and we are still very much dependent on the generosity of people in our Catholic communities to help to bring relief to others who are suffering and food to those who are still hungry, or facing conflict in their homeland, or whose lives have been destroyed by the effects of the changing climate.

For more information, please contact David Cross on (01904) 671767, mob 07786 171367 or by e-mail dcross@cafod.org.uk