Friends of the Cardinal Hume Centre filled the Sacred Heart Chapel at the Cardinal Hume Centre on Tuesday night to remember the late Cardinal on the 16th anniversary of his death in 1999.

The Mass was celebrated by Bishop Nicholas Hudson, a trustee of the Centre, and had the theme of ‘mercy’ ahead of the Holy Year of Mercy announced by Pope Francis which begins in December.

During the celebration, words of Cardinal Hume inspired and challenged those gathered. In his book, To Be A Pilgrim: A Spiritual Notebook, the Cardinal reflected that ‘God’s love is manifested in Jesus Christ… a love which is merciful… that understands the weakness of humanity’. This merciful approach to all those who come to the Centre for sanctuary is fundamental to its ethos.

Cathy Corcoran, CEO of the Centre, said, ‘The annual Mass of Thanksgiving is an important part of our year. It is a moment when the Centre’s whole community is reminded of our founder’s abiding compassion for people on the margins of society. It is also a time when we recommit ourselves to offer sanctuary and support to those people in most need in these increasingly difficult times, with more people in working families living below the poverty line, struggling to make ends meet.’

The Mass was also the first for Dr Robert Arnott as Chair of the Board of Trustees, who expressed his gratitude for all those involved with the Centre: ‘I am pleased to be able to thank all the volunteers and staff of the Centre for their tireless work and commitment. Each one lives out the words of Cardinal Hume in the way they work alongside whoever comes through the Centre’s doors when he said, “Every person matters. No human life is redundant.” It’s good for friends of the Centre to be able to gather together – all of whom play their own unique part. The Centre is a community of which we should be rightly proud.’