This Christmas, children in the Holy Land aren’t dreaming of gifts, nativity plays, or decorations – but rather roadblocks and bombs.

On a visit to our office in Bethlehem, a heartbroken father shared, “My oldest daughter, only six and a half, asks me why they are killing children in Gaza. It’s impossible to shield children from the horrors of war, and this constant exposure to death and destruction is severely impacting their mental health.” Other parents describe to our team across the West Bank how their children are plagued by nightmares and a loss of appetite, with some even losing interest in playing with their friends.

In launching their Christmas Appeal, Brendan Metcalfe, CEO of Friends of the Holy Land advises that “since October 2023, many children are unable to attend school due to travel restrictions, school fees, or because they’re simply too frightened to leave their homes. On a visit to Bethlehem earlier this year, a father in Bethlehem explained to me, “They are fearful that the military could come at any time.” Their fears are justified. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Education, there have been 69 attacks on schools and over 2,350 incidents affecting students and teachers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Brendan continues “Our team on the ground sees the impact every day. We have funded critical therapy and counselling services to provide regular interventions, equipping more children with the tools to navigate the ongoing trauma of their daily lives. We continue to fund school fees as many families, devastated financially by this war, are at breaking point and can’t afford these fees. This academic year we have committed to help twice as many vocational students in each area of study where we know there are labour shortages - 90% of our graduates find work. Through this work not only do we inspire in these students the hope of a brighter future, but we help build a generation of skilled young people, ready and equipped to rebuild their communities.”

As one of the few charities registered in the Holy Land with a local bank account, Friends of the Holy Land’s team of local Christians have an in-depth knowledge of the area and a better personal grasp of the rapidly changing situation than most international charities. 

Fr Fadi Diab, Chairman of Friends of the Holy Land’s local committee comments “While other international organisations may remain stuck at borders or struggle to establish local connections on the ground – Our local team based in our offices in Bethlehem and Ramallah know the families at breaking point personally so have the understanding to increase our existing programmes and devise new ones to help as many as we can, as we have for 15 years. Over the past year, as well as keeping children in school and helping vocational studies, we have been able to provide medical care and trauma therapy, build wells, install water tanks, help small businesses start and restore the dignity of those unemployed through temporary jobs in the local community. We have also helped other local Christian organisations maintain their vital social programmes.”

Friends of the Holy Land was one of the first to send funds directly to the two churches sheltering Christians in Gaza City so they could stockpile essential supplies. Through projects in Israel and Jordan the charity has impact to help vulnerable Christian communities across the region devastated by the escalating war conditions.

Though Christmas celebrations may be cancelled in Bethlehem, our brothers and sisters across the Holy Land share our hope in Christ, which is very much alive. With your help, we can ensure that hope shines brightly through these remarkable Christians who continue to witness for us so bravely.
As you spend time with your families this Christmas, we ask for your help so that we can continue to give Hope to the Children of Bethlehem.

This year our Christmas Crib offerings and the Memorial Christmas Tree offerings will go to Friends of the Holy Land. 

This is a great opportunity for you, your family and friends to make a special Jubilee Year pilgrimage to Walsingham in the footsteps of kings, saints, and holy people of times gone by to deepen your faith and reliance on our Lord Jesus Christ. The pilgrimage includes coach travel, 2 nights’ dinner, bed & breakfast in Elmham House and one packed lunch. A programme of liturgical, devotional and social activities will make a special weekend in Walsingham. The cost for adults will not exceed £227 (standard room) or £265 (ensuite room). Special offer for pilgrims under 16: travel, food and accommodation will all be half price! 
The pilgrimage will take place 23-25th August 2025 (Bank Holiday weekend).
​For more information/ booking details, contact Mary Shirley asap: 07910 605984 or [email protected]

One of the great gifts that we have as human beings is our ability to remember and to reflect upon our past experiences. 

This enables us to learn from our past, to be inspired by the lives and actions of others, and to learn from our mistakes. We acknowledge the ways in which our reflection upon history shapes us and our values. 

This gift of remembrance is also true for us as a nation. Year by year, as we approach Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day there is much for us to remember and to reflect upon. 

As these days occur in the month of November, we are moved to pray for the repose of the souls of all those who fell in the two world wars and for those who have given their lives in subsequent conflicts. ​

We are inspired by the bravery of so many men and women who in very dangerous circumstances showed great virtue and made the ultimate sacrifice in defence of the freedom and peace that we enjoy in our country today. It is right that we honour them and give thanks to God for their generosity and courage.

As Christians it is also important that we look to the future with faith and hope in Christ the King. While we lament the reality of conflicts and war in our world, this Remembrance Sunday moves us to pray for peace and for the coming of God’s kingdom. 

We pray that our politicians and those leaders who have particular responsibility in these situations may always strive for a genuine reconciliation founded upon justice and forgiveness. 
 
By Canon Michael Dolman
Rector, St Mary’s College, Oscott 

The Annual Collection for The Johnson Association takes place in all churches and parishes of the Archdiocese on the weekend of Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 November 2024. The Johnson Association provides financial help and support to the retired, sick and infirm clergy of the Archdiocese of Birmingham. Our priests rely on this support after devoting their lives to furthering the mission of the church and bringing people closer to Christ. Please give what you can. You can give as part of the parish collection, online or using a QR Code. See the Johnson Association website for more details
The Johnson Association - Home

At times of humanitarian crisis overseas, the Disasters Emergency Committee brings together 15 UK aid charities - including CAFOD - to raise money quickly. They are currently appealing for help amid the deepening crisis in the Middle East. Update from CAFOD:

In the last few weeks, a significant escalation of the conflict in the Middle East in Lebanon has seen over 1 million people flee their homes and over 2,000 people killed (as of October 10, 2024). This marks the latest chapter in a devastating year for the region. Over 1,000 public schools have been allocated as shelters for displaced people. This is seriously affecting education for students whose schools have been transformed into shelters. As of 10 October, it was confirmed that two strikes had hit shelters for internally displaced people. Lebanon’s Ministry of Education said that Israeli airstrikes have forced about 40 per cent of Lebanon's 1.5 million pupils from their homes and postponed the start of the school year for public schools from 14 October to 4 November. Moreover, five hospitals have been targeted, rendering them out of service, 22 ambulances have been attacked, and over 94 health personnel have been killed by Israeli airstrikes. Our partners have been providing much-needed emergency aid services, comprising hot meals, hygiene kits, blankets and emergency healthcare services for those in need.

Since the escalation of the conflict in September, CAFOD's partners have mobilised and are providing support in Lebanon to those who have fled their homes. CAFOD supporters played a crucial role in kick-starting emergency food distribution for people fleeing the south of Lebanon and other areas targeted by airstrikes. Additionally, our local partners are reaching hundreds of thousands of displaced people with basic relief items such as blankets, pillows and mattresses. As of 29 September, Association Najdeh was able to utilize CAFOD funding to provide emergency food parcels and non-food items including mattresses and bedding for over 1,600 households in six Palestinian camps of Shatila, Borj El Brajneh, Dbayeh, and Mar Elias (Beirut), in addition to Beddawi and Nahe El Bared camps in northern Lebanon. Caritas Lebanon have distributed over 428,000 hot meals, 6,500 pillows and blankets, and 2,500 emergency health services (such as diagnostic tests, medication and consultations).

A key aspect of the work funded by donations from CAFOD supporters includes psychosocial assistance for people experiencing trauma and grief from the horrific violence they’ve been exposed to. The trauma of conflict is intensified for young people because there is little-to-no access to safe spaces for education and recreation. Thankfully, CAFOD-funded partners are helping young people continue to study maths, Arabic and English. They are offering reading sessions and organising entertainment so children can experience brief moments of joy and relief, and they are celebrating important holidays, like Eid, so young people don’t lose their sense of culture. Recently, CAFOD granted an additional £100,000 towards these vital efforts. With this extra funding, our partners are helping even more children through these challenging times.

If you are able to donate please visit Middle East conflict explained (cafod.org.uk)  You can also donate into the 'Starving World' box by the Sacred Heart Altar at Holy Trinity to support the work of CAFOD. 
​

From the Holy Father’s homily for the Feast of the Guardian Angels and the Opening of the Second Session of the Synod:

Brothers and sisters, we begin anew our synodal path with an eye toward the world, since the Christian community is always at the service of humanity in order to announce the joy of the Gospel. In such a dramatic time in our history, when the winds of war and the flames of violence continue to devastate entire peoples and nations, there is need for this message.
 
In order to invoke the intercession of Mary Most Holy for the gift of peace, I will recite the holy rosary and make a heartfelt plea to the Virgin in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major this coming Sunday. If possible, I ask all members of the Synod to join me for this occasion.
 
The following day, 7 October, I ask everyone to participate in a day of prayer and fasting for peace in the world.
 
Let us walk together. Let us listen to the Lord and allow him to guide us by the “breath” of the Spirit.

On Sunday 6 October there will be Rosary & Benediction at Holy Trinity at 4.30pm. This will be a wonderful opportunity to come and unite your prayers with those of Pope Francis. 

Young people are facing unprecedented levels of pressure, from school, from their phones and from their peers. All of which are having a detrimental effect on their mental health.A Mind of Their Own will give parents, carers, and anyone working with young people, practical and preventative tools to understand these pressures and help your children build strong emotional resilience and healthy mental wellbeing. 

You’ll leave with …

• A greater understanding of the pressures affecting your child and the impact this can have on their mental wellbeing
• Tools to help your child build resilience that enables them to bounce back from challenges, grow in emotional strength and move forward in their character development.
• Ways to talk to your child about positive body image
• An appreciation of how vital your child’s identity is and strategies to help them become confident in it
• Tips to help your child learn to deal with failure and criticism well
• The knowledge that negative thought patterns can be rewired to become more positive 

A new edition of the Lectionary — using the English Standard Version - Catholic Edition and the Abbey Psalms and Canticles — will come into use in England and Wales on the First Sunday of Advent, 1 December. Fr Allen Morris provides reflections in the weeks leading up to its introduction.
 
Since the 1980s the readings we hear at Mass have come from the Jerusalem Bible translation. And that translation has served us well for nearly 40 years – maybe surprisingly well, given that the English Jerusalem Bible translation was first of all prepared to accompany the excellent explanatory footnotes provided for the original (French) La Bible de Jérusalem.

However from the beginning there were concerns about the accuracy and consistency of that translation. In recent years the Holy See has asked local Churches to ensure that the translations they use in Liturgy and for catechesis are as faithful to the original Hebrew and Greek as possible. 

The bishops of England and Wales have concluded that the better English translation is the English Standard Version. From the First Sunday of Advent the scriptures proclaimed at Mass will be taken from that translation.

A full and lively account of why the ESV has been chosen is to be found in the CTS booklet 'Hearing Christ’s Voice: A New Lectionary for the Church' written by Bishop Hugh Gilbert, OSB.
 
Fr Allen Morris, former Secretary to the Bishops’ Conference Department for Christian Life and Worship

 "Called to be Peacemakers" is the title of the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales teaching document which was published in May this year. It can be accessed at www.cbcew.org.uk/ Bishop William Kenny is one of the co-authors of this teaching and is a leading authority on this topic.
Bishop William will be the main speaker at the Justice and Peace Commission Annual Assembly on Saturday October 19th at St Chad's, Birmingham.  See below for details.