From the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales:
​
The Presidents of Churches Together in England, which includes Cardinal Vincent Nichols, President of the Bishops’ Conference, have issued a statement expressing “deep concern” about the symbols and words of the Christian faith being co-opted to support messages that breed hostility towards others.
They write:
As leaders of Christian Churches in this country, we wish to express our deep concern that in the recent rally “Unite the Kingdom” and in other places, use has been made, by some, of the symbols and words of the Christian faith to support views and attitudes actually opposed to their message. In contrast, we wish to state clearly some of the key messages of our shared faith that are a crucial contribution to the well-being of all people in our lands.
The Cross of Christ reveals God’s overwhelming and unconditional love for every single human being. The Cross calls us to love our land and its communities and to serve its well-being. But, equally, we are called to love members of other nations too. The Cross and the Gospel of Christ must never be co-opted to support the messages that breed hostility towards others. Its message never legitimises rejection, hatred or superiority towards people of other cultures.
This ethic is core to a biblical vision. In the Old Testament, God commands the people of Israel, “When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the native-born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 19:33-34). Jesus intensifies this call when proclaiming that love for the least is love for himself, saying, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” (Matthew 25:35)
As Christians, we wish all policy to be grounded in solid and compassionate values. So, we pray for a generous and just spirit, which does not demonise the other simply for being other. We pray that we can have mercy on those in need who legitimately come seeking our aid. We pray for a true Christian revival where people of all creeds and none, of all ethnicities and ways of life, can feel secure and appreciated for the gifts they bring.
Presidents of Churches Together in England:

• Cardinal Vincent Nichols, The Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster
• Bishop Tedroy Powell, CTE Pentecostal and Charismatic President, and National Bishop of the Church of God of Prophecy UK
• Rev Dr Tessa Henry-Robinson, Moderator of the Free Churches Group
• Bishop Paulina Hławiczka-Trotman, CTE President for the Fourth Presidency Group and Head of the Lutheran Church in Great Britain
• His Eminence Archbishop Nikitas, CTE President for the Orthodox Churches, and Archbishop of the Oecumenical Patriarchate (Diocese of Thyateira and Great Britain)
• The Archbishop of Canterbury (position vacant)

Source: https://cte.org.uk/unconditional-love-cte-presidents-statement/

On Saturday 27th September, the Feast of St Vincent de Paul, there will be a special celebration to mark the centenary of Holy Trinity SVP Conference. Holy Trinity Conference was founded in 1925 and ran until the Second World War. It was re-formed in 1968 under the Spiritual Directorship of Father O'Gorman, and has been active ever since. A celebration Mass will be held at 11am, followed by refreshments in the Parish Centre. All are warmly invited to attend.

Through Community Support Projects and 8,500 member strong Conferences, motivated by faith, the SVP helps support the vulnerable, visit the lonely and much more. The essence of this work is person-to-person contact, and spending time with people is our greatest gift. Respecting the dignity and confidentiality of those who receive help, much of the work of the SVP goes on quietly. There is little written about their activities in our parish records. However, at the celebration there will be archival material with some Conference reports, the parish in 1925 and a record book of meetings of the SVP at it's introduction in England in 1844.We will also have a relic of St. Vincent kindly loaned by Father Philip Griffin.

We give thanks for the devoted service of our SVP members over the century. If you are interested in finding out more about the work of the SVP and volunteering your time and talents, please complete and return the Parish volunteer form which will be circulated at Masses this weekend. 

, or Richard writes:
"I completed the cycle ride to Lichfield Cathedral and back to Holy Trinity today.  It was certainly a challenge as only ever cycled 10 miles before.  It was mostly nice weather apart from a brief thunderstorm near Stone on the way back.  I've never been to Lichfield Cathedral before, a very interesting place, full of history.  I also managed to stop into a few other Churches on the route, including Saint Michael's in Brereton, Rugeley and Saint Andrew's in Weston, near Stafford.  They were very welcoming, offering tea and biscuits, only wish I had time to visit more!"

Thank you to Richard for undertaking this challenge on behalf of the Parish, and to all who have supported him. There is still time to sponsor Richard. Visit Fundraiser by Richard Holy Trinity : Cycle ride in aid of Staffordshire Historic Churches Trust or speak to one of the Stewards at Holy Trinity. You can also donate using the card reader, or the QR code on the Parish Giving page or the newsletter. 

The Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency (CSSA) are undertaking a thematic inspection of survivor engagement and support, and the Archdiocese of Birmingham has been chosen as one of the Dioceses to be involved in this project.
As such, all Dioceses and Religious Life Groups (RLGs) have been asked by the CSSA to share a public survey inviting survivors to contribute their experiences. The purpose of this public call is to gather information from anyone who has had recent contact with the Archdiocese of Birmingham, or any other Diocese or RLG. This includes experiences that are new or ongoing, as well as those connected to non-recent abuse, both in a faith context and outside of faith. While the primary focus is the period from July 2024 onwards, the CSSA do not wish to limit what survivors choose to share. Information regarding this survey can be found via: 
www.catholicsafeguarding.org.uk/contact-us-and-other-information/public-calls-for-information/  The direct link to the survey is:
https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=SSQzRY2fT0OpJmB_Xy63KLBEXoG2tlVAm_9UYqKjMSFUOTc5TzlLTEdTWkUySjhaTlU0QURaOU05SC4u 
If you haven’t previously engaged with the Archdiocese of Birmingham Safeguarding team but feel that it would be helpful to do so, please don’t hesitate to contact the Safeguarding office on 0121-230-6240, or by emailing  [email protected]

A message from Canon Paul:
A parishioner has received a message claiming to be from me, asking them to help a person in need. If you receive any such message on your mobile phone or email please ignore it. It has not been sent by me. I would never ask a parishioner to use their own money for a pastoral emergency. If you have given your number to be published on the newsletter or website, please be especially vigilant.