For the Cardinal's Lenten Appeal 2022, Cardinal Vincent Nichols wrote the following letter to go alongside the Mosaic Newsletter.
As Lent begins, we start a spiritual journey together.
For some of us, Lent means ‘giving something up’: making a sacrifice that helps us dedicate ourselves to prayer and reflection. Many of us also commit to ‘taking something on’. We may try to attend Mass each day, or put aside an hour to read or listen to God’s word. Others will challenge themselves to perform acts of kindness, such as donating to their local foodbank, or spending time with a friend or neighbour who is struggling with loneliness.
Each of these acts helps deepen our commitment to living a Christian life and arrive at Easter renewed in our faith.
As you know, this is a time when kindness and compassion are desperately needed. In our communities, there are people hit hard by job losses or reduced hours. Families who were already struggling now face rising food and energy prices. A period of illness or poor mental health may leave them unable to make ends meet.
The foodbanks run in parishes and schools show our commitment to helping our brothers and sisters who are spending their days and nights in unheated homes, where the cupboards are bare. But a foodbank is there to help someone in the short-term through a crisis period.
On the first two pages of Mosaic, you can read about Copenhagen Street foodbank. Recently, someone who used the foodbank came in to say they had got a job; their next visit would be to donate food. This is heartening, but the truth is many people aren’t able to get back on their feet in a matter of weeks or months. Their problems run deeper. That is why our challenge is to provide the kind of support that helps them onto a firmer footing, we call this the Road to Resilience.
This year, we mark the tenth anniversary of Caritas Westminster. Through Caritas, we see love in action, the love that we all have for our less fortunate brothers and sisters. In Mosaic, you can read about its role in ensuring that everyone is able to live a life of dignity and worth, and in supporting projects in the community so that they have greater impact.
My great hope is that supporting this year's Cardinal's Lenten Appeal will be part of your own spiritual journey, one of your acts of charity, kindness and love.
Your generous gift could help someone on a journey of their own as they rebuild their life on firmer foundations. As you'll see on page two of Mosaic, volunteers in schools, parishes and foodbanks are training to offer advice on budgeting, managing bills and becoming more stable financially.
There are two other articles in Mosaic I don't want you to miss as we follow the progress of Rev. Daniel Daley, who is preparing to be ordained this year, and Fr William Johnstone who became a priest last year.
As you know, there is a desperate need for more priests. We're losing more priests to illness and retirement than we are gaining through new vocations. With your kind help, we can support men like Rev. Daniel and Fr William as they train for the priesthood. It is no exaggeration to say that the future of parish life as we know it rests on this vital work, which is why I hope you'll continue to give as generously as you can.
A mosaic is made up of many different tiles of many colours, each one unique. By supporting the Cardinal's Lenten Appeal, you're making your own unique contribution to a mosaic of hope that brings light into the lives of people across our Diocese.
Thank you for whatever you are able to give and whatever way you're able to help.
God bless you,
Cardinal Vincent Nichols
Archbishop of Westminster
