At the beginning of May was the joyful celebration of the annual Mass for Migrants.
We were delighted that Caritas Brentwood were hosting this year for the 20th anniversary of the Mass. With people from across the communities of the Dioceses of Brentwood, Southwark and Westminster, the day was a fitting tribute to the gifts and the presence of migrants in our parishes and beyond.
To read the articles about the day, we recommend checking out the following:
We wish to express our thanks to the following:
And lastly, the biggest thank you goes to everyone who attended on the day!
We also had the privilege of facilitating May’s Youth Mass, which we naturally wanted to tie into the Marian theme of the month, so we invited Molly from Mary’s Meals to provide input.
Having gone through the history of Mary’s Meals and the impact that it has had, Molly invited the young people to consider what they would prioritise if they had the opportunity to change the world with their own charitable organisation. Following this, Molly invited everyone to consider what out-of-the-box fundraisers they could host to raise money for the charity. Some ideas included a boxathon, a film festival, and a charity football match and a school staff sumo wrestling contest.
The energy in the room – especially the young people’s passion for social justice – was really inspiring. We are grateful for those fantastic contributions from young people in our diocese, likewise we are also grateful for the work and mission of Mary’s Meals.
Siân and Michael were invited to an event co-ordinated by Caritas Westminster hosted at the CCLA offices. Bringing together charities and Caritas organisations across the ‘pan-London dioceses’ of Southwark, Westminster and Brentwood, the day focused on “practical networking”.
Some of the charities represented included: SVP, Project Basecamp, Rainham Foodbank, SJOG, Your Place, BCCS and the Irish Chaplaincy.
We were encouraged to network not just by talking, but also by thinking about and planning how we could work together and support each other. We came away from the event inspired and eager to build new ways of working with charities as well as working across diocesan boundaries to help promote the common good.
We were pleased to host our Caritas Conversation – our online meeting where we could discuss each of our areas of focus, updating those in our diocese of work we have done as well as work we are doing in the future.
We are now at a point where we would like to continue running and developing our in-person events throughout the year, and we are excited to announce that we have the following dates and locations booked in for each area of focus:
Keep your eyes peeled for registration coming soon!
The whole Caritas team: Siân, Michael and Fr Dominic, attended a symposium organised by Caritas Social Action Network, on the topic of dignity of workers for the 135th anniversary of Rerum Novarum. The day was a rich discussion of the theory around dignity of workers, how we can promote it, and the current threats against it.
The speakers on the day were from a range of expertise: from parish priest, to theologian, to journalist and politician, each of the inputs were inspiring and the gave a unique insight into the role of the Catholic voice and the Church’s social teaching.
The day also allowed individuals and organisations from across the country to have conversations around what practical steps we can take to safeguard the dignity of workers in the time we currently live in.
A write-up of the day and the publication on the dignity of workers in the 21st century can be found here<<
The Director visited the staff at De La Salle Basildon for their follow-up training on implementing Catholic Social Teaching into the curriculum and ensuring the identity of a Catholic School is deeply rooted in the lives of both staff and students.
The staff were engaged in discussion and future planning as they looked at how the principles of CST and the values of the Lasallian Network can be highlighted in each school subject and department.
If you would like us to give input at your staff training days, contact us here<<
Michael was fortunate to be able to attend the annual diocesan pilgrimage to Walsingham. Blessed with sunny skies, the day was a beautiful celebration of Mary and her role in the life of the Church, especially in anticipation of Pentecost.
The history of the shrine dates back to the 10th century when the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a woman, asking her to build a shrine in honour of the Annunciation – specifically to build a replica of Mary’s house in Nazareth. For over 500 years, the shrine stood as a testament to God’s love especially for the poor, shown by him making his home in a humble place and with a humble family.
Speaking about the day, Erin from the diocesan youth service said:
Going on pilgrimage with the Brentwood Diocese, representing the Walsingham House Team and the Brentwood Catholic Youth Service, was a truly joyful and meaningful experience. The warm weather added to the wonderful atmosphere of reverence, community and faith, and it was inspiring to see so many parishes from across the diocese represented by groups of people coming together in prayer and celebration.
Bishop Alan had designated the theme of the day as ‘Mary, Mother of the Poor’, emphasising that each of her apparitions across the world showed her love and Jesus’ love for the poor.
To watch the Bishop’s full homily, click here<<
“Faith in action is love, and love in action is service.” — St Teresa of Calcutta
Our heartfelt thanks go to every parish and parishioner who contributed to our Lent Appeal 2026. Your support is a powerful reminder of what we can achieve when we act together in faith. Each donation sent in through our return envelopes helps us provide shelter, support, and a path forward for those facing homelessness. Your love in action is making a real difference to those facing hardship in the Diocese of Brentwood, and we are deeply grateful for your continued partnership.
Together, lets end homelessness one person at a time.
Your Place
