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Parish Project for HMP Hewell Visitors Centre
A new parish project to collect goods for released prisoners at HMP Hewell Visitors Centre has been initiated by
the Justice and Peace Group. Parishioners have been generous in their response, collecting men’s clothing
according to the season. Also items such as snacks, bottles of water, toiletry items, notebooks and pens, and other
useful items for prisoners, especially those with no family support, or who are homeless. The items are collected in
boxes at the back of Saint Peter’s church and delivered to the manager of the Visitors Centre, Miss Asima Akhtar
who distributes them appropriately to released prisoners.
Report by Susan Porter, June 2025.
LiveSimply
Livesimply at St. Peter’s (reviewed 7/2025)
Pope Francis in his encyclical ‘Laudato Si’ invited us to “work with generosity and tenderness in protecting this world which God has entrusted to us”. An important part of our faith is to care for creation and to develop respect for other people in the world. The climate emergency endangers peoples around the world and affects the futures of our children and grandchildren. You will be familiar with the climate crisis, from the regular news coverage of its effects in different parts of the world, and from efforts by governments across the globe to introduce legislation to reduce carbon emissions. Also many charities and organisations aim to raise people’s awareness as well as hold governments and multinational companies to account. In response, the Archdiocese of Birmingham has drawn up its own environmental policy. At the heart of this is the encouragement to all parishes to take up the Livesimply programme. The programme covers three areas:
Living simply /Living in solidarity with people in poverty /Living sustainably with creation.
St. Peter’s is registered as a parish with CAFOD to follow the Livesimply programme and we already as a parish follow actions in these areas. These include:
Living Simply
Living in solidarity with people in poverty
We have a new parish project to collect goods for released prisoners at HMP Hewell Visitors Centre. This has been initiated by the Justice and Peace Group.
You are no doubt carrying out your own actions to do what you can to protect the natural environment in which we live and on which we depend.
CAFOD has produced a resource list of ideas for living simply, which may contain actions you have not thought of:
cafod.org.uk/content/download/29754/339060/version/6/file/LiveSimply%20-%20A4%20100%20Ideas%20list.pdf
Livesimply prayer
Compassionate and loving God,
you created the world for us all to share,
a world of beauty and plenty.
Create in us a desire to live simply,
so that our lives may reflect your generosity.
Creator God,
you gave us responsibility for the earth,
a world of riches and delight.
Create in us a desire to live sustainably,
so that those who follow after us
may enjoy the fruits of your creation.
God of peace and justice,
you give us the capacity to change,
to bring about a world that mirrors your wisdom.
Create in us a desire to act in solidarity,
so that the pillars of injustice crumble
and those now crushed are set free.
Amen.
LINDA JONES/CAFOD
Pope Francis in his encyclical ‘Laudato Si’ invited us to “work with generosity and tenderness in protecting this world which God has entrusted to us”. An important part of our faith is to care for creation and to develop respect for other people in the world. The climate emergency endangers peoples around the world and affects the futures of our children and grandchildren. You will be familiar with the climate crisis, from the regular news coverage of its effects in different parts of the world, and from efforts by governments across the globe to introduce legislation to reduce carbon emissions. Also many charities and organisations aim to raise people’s awareness as well as hold governments and multinational companies to account. In response, the Archdiocese of Birmingham has drawn up its own environmental policy. At the heart of this is the encouragement to all parishes to take up the Livesimply programme. The programme covers three areas:
Living simply /Living in solidarity with people in poverty /Living sustainably with creation.
St. Peter’s is registered as a parish with CAFOD to follow the Livesimply programme and we already as a parish follow actions in these areas. These include:
Living Simply
- the Finance Committee conducted an audit of energy use in all our Church buildings and to improve insulation in the Community Centre, replacement uPVC windows are being installed this summer (2025)
- we now use a green energy supplier for all our gas and electricity: Inter-diocesan Fuel Management
- Recycling printer ink cartridges and used postage stamps and there are collection boxes for each of these at the back of church.
- Recycling paper waste at church.
Living in solidarity with people in poverty
We have a new parish project to collect goods for released prisoners at HMP Hewell Visitors Centre. This has been initiated by the Justice and Peace Group.
- Donations of men’s clothing, according to the season and items such as snacks, bottles of water, toiletry items, notebooks and pens for prisoners, especially those with no family support, or who are homeless. The items are collected in
boxes at the back of Saint Peter’s church and delivered to the manager of the Visitors Centre, Miss Asima Akhtar who distributes them appropriately to released prisoners.
- support for fair trade for farmers around the world through the use of Fairtrade products in the Centre and encouraging parishioners to use Fairtrade products where available.
- Awareness raising events on issues such as homelessness and modern slavery,
- collecting food donations for New Starts? Basement Project? in Bromsgrove
- holding collections for CAFOD’s Family Fast Day twice a year
- creating an environmentally-friendly churchyard with wildflower sections, A nettle border to promote insect habitats, recycling wreaths and flowerpots for re-use and collecting all garden waste for composting.
- Holding events such as a parish litter pick and Creation walk and prayers.
You are no doubt carrying out your own actions to do what you can to protect the natural environment in which we live and on which we depend.
CAFOD has produced a resource list of ideas for living simply, which may contain actions you have not thought of:
cafod.org.uk/content/download/29754/339060/version/6/file/LiveSimply%20-%20A4%20100%20Ideas%20list.pdf
Livesimply prayer
Compassionate and loving God,
you created the world for us all to share,
a world of beauty and plenty.
Create in us a desire to live simply,
so that our lives may reflect your generosity.
Creator God,
you gave us responsibility for the earth,
a world of riches and delight.
Create in us a desire to live sustainably,
so that those who follow after us
may enjoy the fruits of your creation.
God of peace and justice,
you give us the capacity to change,
to bring about a world that mirrors your wisdom.
Create in us a desire to act in solidarity,
so that the pillars of injustice crumble
and those now crushed are set free.
Amen.
LINDA JONES/CAFOD
