For many years, the Catholic Children’s Society (Westminster) Lenten Appeal has aimed to raise awareness of the types of poverty encountered by local children and young people as well as highlight what our Catholic faith teaches us about the season of Lent. The theme of the 2019 Lenten Appeal is ‘Shine Your Light.’ Pupils will think about how they can use their talents to make the world a brighter place.
The appeal was launched today at an special assembly led by Kimberley from the Catholic Children’s Society. She explained their valuable work.
Founded in 1859 the Catholic Children’s Society is one of the oldest charities supporting disadvantaged children and families in the UK. Their mission is to bring hope and change to children and families living in poverty, as well as those experiencing emotional and psychological distress. They seek to address material, relational and spiritual poverty. Through their services they help children overcome disadvantage, achieve their full potential and have better chances in life. Their vision is of a just society in which the voices of the poor and vulnerable are listened to and acted upon. They work with people of all faiths and none, drawing inspiration from Christian values derived from the Gospels and the teaching of the Catholic Church.
Today every child will bring home a collection box which is to be returned to school at the end of Lent, by which time it will hopefully be full of coins (and maybe some notes!) to donate to the charity. Children have also been given a Shine Your Light activity sheet. In the orange box pupils can write their talents. The white boxes form a 40 day Lent calendar in the shape of a candle. Every day during Lent pupils will complete a box, reflecting on one thing they have done to make someone’s day brighter.
Thank you for your support of this campaign. Together we can shine our light and use our talents to make the world a brighter place.