Ū tonu ki te pae o te tūmanako Lent 2014 Open up a Horizon of Hope Ū tonu ki te pae o te tūmanako  

Lent 2014: Open up a horizon of hope In his inaugural homily Pope Francis speaks of the Church’s imperative to work for the good of those who are vulnerable and suffer from poverty. Through the assistance of those who enjoy material wealth, developing nations can be empowered to ‘open up a horizon of hope’ for the future of their people. To read the full homily, go to:   http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/homilies/2013/documents/papa-francesco_20130319_omelia-inizio-pontificato_en.html The Lenten theme, Open up a Horizon of Hope, comes from Pope Francis’ call to be protectors of creation and one another, particularly the poor and vulnerable.

The NZ Bishops Lent Appeal The annual Lent appeal is run by Caritas on behalf of the NZ Catholic Bishops. It enables Caritas to respond immediately to emergencies, help communities meet their basic survival needs and to advocate for justice to influence attitudes and create change. Last year, your support of the Bishops’ Lent Appeal meant that over $1 million was raised from parishes across the country. The Bishop’s Lenten Appeal supports the work of Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand in different ways. The three main areas are: international aid and development; advocacy for social justice within New Zealand; and education resources and activities for Catholic schools in New Zealand.

Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is the Catholic agency for justice, peace and development, charged by New Zealand’s Bishops to provide a compassionate Catholic response to poverty and injustice locally and around the world. Caritas Internationalis is a network of 165 Catholic relief, development and social service organisations working in over 200 countries territories worldwide.

Emergency response Donations to the Bishops’ Lent Appeal help Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand to be there when disaster strikes. When Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines, Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand was able to provide immediate relief and deployed their Humanitarian Coordinator Mark Mitchell (pictured) to lead the international response. Closer to home, Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is supporting Caritas Tonga to help communities to recover and rebuild after Tropical Cyclone Ian devastated the Ha’apai islands in January. To date $45,000 has been provided to ensure water, shelter, and food needs are met. On the other side of the world, civil war in Syria has killed thousands and displaced 7 million people. Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand has partnered with Caritas Lebanon to help some of the 1.2 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon and provide support for host communities under stress.

Development projects In Solomon Islands diseases such as malaria and meningitis, coupled with poor health systems to treat ear infections, have resulted in a high rate of deafness. The situation is made worse by the unavailability of hearing aids and opportunities for young deaf people are very limited. Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is implementing a training programme for the teachers of the deaf students. Cathy (pictured) is an experienced teacher for deaf students, but says most of her techniques have come from books and the internet, and feels she ‘is making a lot of it up and learning as she goes’. Cathy and other teachers are eagerly awaiting a formal training course which will be supported by donations from the 2014 Lenten Appeal.

Advocacy for justice Caritas advocacy work involves speaking out on the truth about poverty and oppression on both New Zealand and international issues. This work includes solidarity visits, prayer, writing letters to those with power and educative work within New Zealand to raise people’s awareness. Lamepasola Timu is a young mother living a state house damaged by the Christchurch earthquake. When changes were proposed to state housing policy impacting on her close knit community, Lamepasola went to Parliament with Caritas to make her voice heard. She said that when state house tenants are asked to vacate earthquake damaged homes, they are often moved away from the important and strong schools and communities that sustain and support them. Though the bill was defeated, Lamepasola spoke out and was listened to by decision makers. She put a human face on the impact of their decisions and policies and contributed to wider public debate on the issue.

The Caritas Challenge One day of difference for a lifetime of change 4- 6 April 2014 www.caritaschallenge.org.nz The new and exciting Caritas Challenge launches during Lent to motivate hundreds of young people nationwide to join a 24 hour ‘challenge’ to build solidarity with those living with poverty or injustice, through hands-on experiences that are fun and informative, while raising money for projects in Solomon Islands. The Caritas Challenge takes place 4- 6 April 2014. www.caritaschallenge.org.nz [Insert image of Caritas challenge poster]

SingOut4Justice Song writing competition for years 7 to 13 Enter online by 6 April 2014 caritas.org.nz/schools/singout4justice The annual Singout4Justice song-writing competition for Years 7 to 13 is back. The theme ‘Open your eyes and see the need’ encourages people to grow their awareness of needs within their own communities and to notice the injustices in the world. Enter online by 6 April 2014. www.caritas.org.nz/schools/singout4justice

Lent Reflection Programme For reflection and discussion of the Lenten Gospels by groups in parishes, families, rest homes, communities, and chaplaincies and for personal reflection. The programme is available in English, Tokelauan, Tongan, Samoan, and for the first time in Māori. Two English Booklets are available in the parish and can be downloaded from: www.caritas.org.nz/resources/lent

Giving at Lent Donate throughout the weeks of Lent or make a one off donation using Lent Appeal envelopes in your parish. Or online www.caritas.org.nz or call 0800 22 10 22 A Lenten Calendar is new and exciting part of our Lent resources. I encourage you to give one to every family and individual in your parish. The Calendar, designed to attach to a wall, pin board or even the fridge, will help guide us through Lent with reflections, key dates, inspiration and is a handy place to keep Lenten donation envelopes. Donate throughout the weeks of Lent or make a one off donation using Lent Appeal envelopes in your parish. Leave donation envelopes in your parish’s collection basket or post to Caritas, PO Box 12193, Wellington 6144. Or donate online www.caritas.org.nz or call 0800 22 10 22

facebook.com/caritasaotearoa Ngā mihi - Thank you Go to our website for more information www.caritas.org.nz www.caritas.org.nz facebook.com/caritasaotearoa