The Parish of the Nativity of the Lord

Justice & Peace

To view Justice & Peace Newsletters click here 

including latest download on Practical Action (on plastic waste)

Justice & Peace Minutes:

March 2024

April 2024

May 2024

September 2024


Live Simply Award Poster Nov 2024 (click to view)

Can we be a Live Simply Award Parish?

The Live Simply Award is an opportunity for Catholic communities to respond to Pope Francis’ invitation in Laudato Si to “work with generosity and tenderness in protecting this world which God entrusted to us”

The Live Simply Award is earned by communities which show how they have been living

  • Simply
  • In solidarity with people in poverty
  • Sustainably with creation

It celebrates what we have already done and will inspire us to do more.  It will help us to live, not just more simply, but also more fully.

Father Tony has submitted a plan on behalf of the parish which comprises our application for the award.  In the plan three main actions have been outlined which all involve smaller actions. 

Every member of the parish, of all ages, can be involved on a personal and/or communal basis. 

The main actions are:

  • Practical Action support for the Faridpur plastic pollution project, which inspires us to be aware of our own plastic usage and efforts to reduce it.
  • Laudato Si Initiative – care for the community, work for refugees, support of food banks, improvement of our environment, Fairtrade.
  • CAFOD support – Fast Days and collections, Fix the Food System.

When we are ready CAFOD will organise two assessors to visit the parish to hear about what we have been doing and to celebrate our achievements .


Live Simply Review and Report November 2024

Practical Action project launched and updated – J and P newsletters July 2023, Jan 2024, July 2024 (final article planned for Jan 2025). See PNL website  thenativityofthelord.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/JP-Newsletter-Jul-23-web.pdf

New Leaf shop promoted via pyramid scheme “invite 3 friends”

Plant Sales – April 2023 – £425 raised

May 2024 – £450+ raised.  Confirmation group participation and help.

Final plant sale April 2025

Big Green week June 2024

UCM Merstham – bulb planting October 2024, meeting discussion about how to improve lifestyles, Dr Camody Grey film shown, church flowers from own gardens, participation in Merstham Baptist Church community garden.

St Teresa’s church – work with Merstham Community Facilities Trust and local churches on local projects to enable local residents to improve their neighbourhood, learn new skills, access free mental health peer support, repair faulty equipment, run a food club collecting food that would otherwise go to waste from local supermarket for a community fridge, regular community litter picking, run an IT café for free help for residents to access their computers and mobile devices, a community allotment  to grow food for those that can’t afford an allotment and a community bee keeping project

Magical Music Marathon event – “fill St Joseph’s church with music for 12 hours” £500+ raised – see report and programme

thenativityofthelord.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/JP-Newsletter-Jan-24-_final02.pdf

Afternoon Concert planned for March 1st 2025

Beavers activities and talk on “re-use, recycle and refill” – June 20th 2024 

 

Laudato Si engagement

Diocesan Justice and Peace Assembly January 2023 (Modern Slavery) and 2024 (Domestic Abuse) attended by several parishioners.

Jan 2025 to be attended

Week for Climate Justice February 2024 ambassadors prayed Rosary outside House of Parliament with ecumenical group.

“Restoring Nature” talks at Quaker Meeting House in April 2024 attended by several parishioners.

Season of Creation Sept 1 – Oct 4 2024 prayers of intercession “caring for our common home”

Confirmation group led Stations of the Cross using CAFOD environment based sequence during Lent 2023 and 2024

Parish Book Club – chosen book Laudato Si (x2) and Fratelli Tutti 

Wild flower area worked on by team of 8+ parishioners at St Joseph’s church – in progress

Journey to 2030 – varied participation by parishioners

CAFOD

Advent and Lent Fast Day Appeals – October 2023 , Feb 2024, October 2024 -readings at 4 masses and collections.

Feb 2025 planned Lent appeal

CAFOD talk by Jenny Finlayson open to all parishioners – film, talk and discussion.

Soup brunch Friday 23rd Feb 2024

Big Lent Walk completed by individual parishioners – see Jan 2024 J and P newsletter

Confirmation Group held cake sale in aid of CAFOD

Fix the Food System signing at parish open mass in May 2024 – good response, submitted to CAFOD central office.

CAFOD pre-election training 4 May 2024

Pre-election parish open meeting with presentation and discussion, June 2024.  Agreed questions submitted to candidates. See responses on PNL website.

2 local MPs have been approached concerning support for a debt justice law October/November 2024.  Appointments to be arranged

See July 2023 Justice and Peace newsletter

Fairtrade

Support of Fairtrade fortnight via Reigate group Feb and Sept 2024 – see Face book.

UCM confirm use of Fairtrade goods

Availability in local shops only achieved via Reigate Fairtrade Group 

Other Initiatives

Peace

Jan 14 2024 – distribution of prayer cards and parish lunch – see Jan 2024 J and P newsletter.

Same proposal for Jan 2025

CND, Stop the War and other peace activities highlighted in J and P newsletters and monthly J and P minutes.

Peace Vigil for Gaza in Reigate attended by parishioners Nov 2024

Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group

Visiting detainees by trained individuals in Brook House and Tinsley House at Gatwick Airport.

Provision of clothes collected by parish members.

Participation by many parishioners in annual and monthly Refugee Tales walks – see Jan 2024 J and P newsletter

Care of the Community

Warm space provision and open church

Ongoing regular home-visiting work of SVP and weekly notice in parish newsletter informing about available help

Weekly contributions in 3 churches collected in yellow buckets and delivered by teams of parishioners to St Matthew’s church foodbank, Redhill

Care of Church and reduction of fuel use

No-mow May participation.

Lighting changed to LED lamps where possible.

Heat loss encouraged by considered use of church front doors.

Heating system use streamlined   

Recycling boxes in use for triaging plastics/paper/ card etc in 3 churches.

Candles collected from our parish and other churches – recycling of wax and metal cups.

Reduced frequency of changing altar candles.

Old Advent candles cleaned up for reuse and Paschal Candles painted (rather than purchase embossed ones)

Soap dispensers in toilets refilled (rather than renewed)

Sanctuary light containers recycled

Not mentioned in application

A and B Diocescan “Against Modern Slavery” group working with Southwark  and Chichester Anglican dioceses – ambassadors and other individuals trained, commissioned and doing ongoing work.

Diocese of Southwark event in Methodist Church Reigate – organisation and active part played by PNL ambassadors and other parishioners

Winter Night Shelter for homeless hosted on Tuesdays at St Joseph’s church centre.  Many parishioners involved.

February and March 2024

February and March 2025

See Jan 2024 J and P newsletter report


Election Questions and Responses

The Justice and Peace Group sent a number 0f important questions, based on an join initiative between CAFOD ad SVP to our local Parliamentary Candidates ahead of the General Election.  Click here to see the questions and responses received; also delayed response from Rebecca Paul (p.1 and p.2)


Our Parish has a committed Justice & Peace Group that meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 8pm in the PNL centre at St Joseph’s. All are welcome to come and join us to reflect on topical issues and how we can raise awareness in the Parish, engage with the wider community, and help to make the world a fairer place for all peoples.

Our various groups and activities in the parish include: Cafod; Traidcraft; Amnesty International; Gatwick Detainees. We also have regular prayer liturgies to pray for peace and justice.

THE PNL PARISH CHARITY

What is “The PNL Parish Charity
A charity chosen by the PNL parishioners to support as our one charity.

Why have a Parish Charity?
Fr Kevin introduced the PNL Parish Charity. The nominated charity provides focus for parishioners to work together to support one charity for a defined period of time. The charity benefits too with larger funding for bigger projects.

Who decides?
Everyone in our parish can put forward and charity and vote.

How are charities chosen?
Every 1 to 2 years a new charity is selected for the parish to support. Ideas and suggestions come from parishioners, a short-list is drawn up by the J & P group and, if there are a number of suggestions, a vote is held in the parish.

What charity do we support? ….

Since the PNL Parish Charity was introduced, overseas charities have included the CAFOD Connect2 project, Warmi Hausi in Peru and Mary’s Meals.  Previous UK charities were the Manna Society in London Bridge, Depaul UK and the Medaille Trust, which came to an end in September.

Our New Charity for the Parish – one of the projects directed by Practical Action

This project aims to transform the lives of informal waste workers in Faridpur, Bangladesh by creating a new market for a stream of plastic waste that currently has no commercial value.

This project has several hugely advantageous effects:

  • It improves the conditions of present waste-workers
  • It provides new employment for local people
  • It increases the income of local business and individuals
  • It improves the environment through the removal of plastic waste from the waterways and surrounding land
  • It helps to solve the problems incurred by the shipping of waste to Bangladesh from other countries
  • It helps to decrease the quantity of waste that is carried into the Indian Ocean every day.

Context

As plastic waste flows downstream towards the ocean, this innovative project ensures its removal from the waterways, while creating local employment and better incomes at each stage of the recycling process.

Bangladesh is facing a serious waste management issue. The population generates around 800,000 tons of plastic waste per year, along with rubbish shipped to its shores from wealthier countries. With frequent rural to urban migration and ever-growing informal settlements, the mountains of rubbish in urban areas look set to increase. Local authorities lack the necessary funds to provide adequate waste services, while informal waste workers are poorly paid, unrecognised within society and subject to unhygienic, dangerous conditions and discrimination.

Without suitable disposal means, flimsy plastic waste blocks up drainage systems, polluting neighbourhoods and creating a health risk. Since plastic doesn’t biodegrade, it finds its ways into the river and eventually the Indian Ocean where it poses a significant threat to marine life.

Functioning as a pilot, the project is presenting and trialling a social, technical and business model for reducing the amount of plastic waste pollution in the local environment and oceans, that will simultaneously improve the lives and livelihoods of waste workers.

Our goals

  • Establish a scalable, sustainable, and inclusive green business model which generates revenue through single use plastic waste treatment.
  • Test financially viable, end-of-life treatment for low-value, non-recyclable waste (i.e. by pyrolysis) to sustain and increase corresponding job opportunities in waste management.
  • Improve the local environment by reducing the disposal of single-use plastic waste into dumps and rivers by 70%.
  • Reduce carbon emissions by 3000 tons per year from the treatment of 10 tons of plastic waste per day.

It is hoped that this project will stimulate us all to review and question our own use of plastic and other waste. Besides supporting the residents of Faridpur we can play our own part in improving our environmento

Get in touch

Parish Office
122 Ladbroke Road
Redhill, Surrey, RH1 1LF
01737 761017

Email: Click Here

Office Hours: Mon-Fri 9.30am – 3.30pm

Thought for the week

Please, let us continue to pray for peace! War is a human defeat; it does not solve problems but only brings destruction. So many children and innocents die! Let us pray for all countries at war. Let us always pray for peace.
 
Pope Francis