Livesimply

On Saturday 15th March, almost 40 people (young and not so young) from throughout our Diocese made the journey to Manchester for the Live It! event, celebrating all the work that has been done in trying to live simply, sustainably and in solidarity with the poor throughout 2007, the 40th anniversary of Pope Paul VI’s Encyclical Populorum Progressio. Over 550 people from England and Wales came together to hear the inspiring thoughts of Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, Fr Jim O’Keefe (Chair of the livesimply Network of Catholic organisations) and David Wells (Adult Formation Adviser, Diocese of Plymouth). Here are some people’s comments on the event.

Barbara Hungin, Chair of Middlesbrough Diocese Justice and Peace Commission said:

‘This was a day of hope, a day for relationship. Everyone who came was changed as a result. From today we would think, speak and listen a little differently because of what we had heard and from what we had shared.’

Thornaby father of three, Bernard, was so moved by the whole event he wrote the following report:

‘I attended my first Livesimply ‘Live It!’ event on the 15th March 2008 in Manchester. Thanks to the Middlesbrough CAFOD Office who made it possible for me and my family to attend such a lifetime event. I didn’t know what to expect, on my way from Middlesbrough, my stomach had butterflies but thanks to the other people from my parish including my family, as well as the Middlesbrough CAFOD Manager, Dave Cross, they were an excellent company throughout the journey and they contributed well to my relief. The event began with an opening prayer and welcome by Bishop Crispian Hollis of Portsmouth. After our prayer time, Fr Jim O’Keefe touched on most of the topics affecting today’s world including how the poor are looked upon and how people can help in their everyday lives, not only in prayer but by also giving people the basics they need. How HIV/Aids is affecting millions of people all over the world, human trafficking which is illegal but adding to the traffickers’ pockets, migration of people looking for better lives or running for safety away from troubled countries, climate change, that we deny God when we rubbish the Earth, pollute rivers, cut down rainforests and many other things…. Fr O’Keefe ended up by saying that we need time for silence, prayer, and contemplation, adding; we need to be less hung up on what we own and the status we want to achieve. We need an understanding of sacrifice as a willingness to let go, knowing that God will hold us.

Kathleen Scullian, a teacher and livesimply volunteer in the Hexham and Newcastle Diocese, gave a short talk. The following quote is still in my heart today, ‘I am somebody, you are somebody, I can do something, you can do something, and together we can do great things’. This means there is no person who is called just a carer, just a gardener, just a housewife, we are all the same.

Director of CAFOD, Chris Bain, introduced The Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, who was the invited guest speaker and had some touching quotes which made us all take notice: ‘The poor look for food, the rich look for an appetite’, it was my first time to hear this quote, it makes you smile or laugh as you hear it but makes you cry as you swallow it. As the Archbishop was talking from experience, this can make you understand how important life is and that you are living in luxury while there are people out there who are surviving on next to nothing. He said he remembered when he was a child and one of the many children in his family, his mother would go without food so the children could eat one potato each and drink a lot of water.

Surely all the people who heard this speech were touched and if you cannot live simply after this, I don’t know what more you need to change.

His address was a call for all Christians to live simply. Simplicity can have a very important role in our spiritual lives. He said that we should know that we are fearfully and wonderfully made by God and that no one can serve two masters, you can pretend but surely you don’t love them both equally. The following words of Archbishop John remain with me: ‘The church is a vehicle of God’s Love. We must campaign for justice – the God who loves us leaves us no choice’.’

A full copy of Bernard’s article can be obtained from the CAFOD Middlesbrough Diocesan Office, 54 Blossom Street, York, YO24 1AP, tel (01904) 671767 or e-mail: middlesbrough@cafod.org.uk

Once again a huge thank you to all of you who do so much throughout the year to support the work of CAFOD.

David and Carol Cross