CSAN publishes resources for first World Day of the Poor – 19th November 2017
On 19th November 2017, the Catholic Church will hold the first ever World Day of the Poor.
In preparation, Caritas Social Action Network (CSAN) have published a series of resources to assist parishes in their celebrations.
These include liturgy resources,newsletter inserts, video testimonies, prayer cards and materials for faith sharing sessions. They enable people to hear real stories from people living in poverty, creating the moment of encounter at the heart of Pope Francis’s invitation.
CSAN worked with CAFOD, SVP, Justice and Peace, the National Board of Catholic Women and Caritas dioceses throughout England and Wales worked together to produce the materials. They are available from the CSAN website: www.csan.org.uk/worlddayofthepoor.
Encountering Christ through the poor
Pope Francis announced last June that the 33rd Sunday of each year would be World Day of the Poor in the Catholic calendar. It aims to encourage people to understand that sharing with those living in poverty “enables us to understand the deepest truth of the Gospel.”
He invited Catholics worldwide to meet those in poverty in encounter, saying: “It is my wish that, in the week preceding the World Day of the Poor […] Christian communities will make every effort to create moments of encounter and friendship, solidarity and concrete assistance.”
The Pope says that the Day is to prepare us for the celebration of the Feast of Christ the King the following Sunday. He hopes it will help us to reflect on the fact that if there are destitute people on our streets there can be no justice or social peace. He says we should not think of the poor simply as the beneficiaries of our generosity, but as a way of encountering Christ.
For more information and resources, visit www.csan.org.uk/worlddayofthepoor.