Showing posts with label Britain. Show all posts
In London
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by Charles
In a place where I thought that Big Ben is the best sight to see.
In a place where I thought that Buckingham Palace is the best castle to see.
In a place where I saw green because Wimbledon tournament is on grass and green.
In a place where I thought, women are powerful, because the ruler is a Queen.
In a place where women can choose regardless of their background, as dear Princess Diana did.
But London, with hooliganism, you gave us the impression that you are not immaculate.
But London, you start your shy revolution with Protestantism.
But London, you gave us the impression that you are the best place to acquire education.
Although you, London are welcoming, life is hard in you.
Although you, London are very tolerant, racism still exists.
Although you, London are equal, competition is tough – London, you may have saved some lives but you did not save our soul.
This poem was written during a series of workshops organised for refugees at JRS-UK by English PEN and Free Word Centre.
Let Us Pray on 18 January for Migrants and Refugees!
Louise Zanré, Director of JRS UK, invites us to dedicate time this New Year to pray in solidarity with refugees who face the year ahead with uncertainty. This reflection first appeared in the Catholic Universe newspaper.
For the people we accompany at Jesuit Refugee Service, a new year can be a time for dejection and tiredness, rather than filled with promise. A new year marks the passage of another year of waiting for a decision in an asylum claim; another year with no answer or certainty for the future. And they have already waited for a very long time, with no leave to remain, no permission to work and no access to benefits.
They put on a brave face, but the mood in our day centre is normally much quieter and much lower in January. The weather and the short days do not help; but the bravery is there and is for us so that we, the staff and volunteers at JRS, don't feel too bad.
For 101 years the Catholic Church has celebrated migrants and refugees with a special day of prayer, standing in solidarity with them and offering support and hope (on 18 January in the UK is year).
The message given by the Pope for the day of prayer for migrants and refugees is challenging. This year Pope Francis takes as his theme "Church without frontiers, Mother to all". He reminds us that the Church has no frontiers, but "a heart open to all". And he issues us with a challenge:
"The Church without frontiers, Mother to all, spreads throughout the world a culture of acceptance and solidarity, in which no one is seen as useless, out of place or disposable. When living out this motherhood effectively, the Christian community nourishes, guides and indicates the way, accompanying all with patience, and drawing close to them through prayer and works of mercy."
In order to be effective, this accompaniment has to be based on encounter:
"Migration movements, in fact, call us to deepen and strengthen the values needed to guarantee peaceful coexistence between persons and cultures. Achieving mere tolerance that respects diversity and ways of sharing between different backgrounds and cultures is not sufficient. This is precisely where the Church contributes to overcoming frontiers and encouraging the “moving away from attitudes of defensiveness and fear, indifference and marginalization … towards attitudes based on a culture of encounter, the only culture capable of building a better, more just and fraternal world” (Message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2014)."
Many of the people attending our day centre derive a great deal of resilience from their faith and hope from the support offered to them by day centres, charities and people of good will they meet in their lives. The practical support, care and attention offered by these groups and individuals stand as a direct contrast to the anti-migrant messages we can see or hear in the media or from politicians. Without this practical support and kindness, lives would be more difficult, obstacles more insurmountable.
It is particularly important for us to show practical support and kindness, to demonstrate tolerance and acceptance, to be counter-cultural at the beginning of the year, when those we welcome find things more difficult. A good starting place is to say a prayer for migrants and refugees on 18 January, to spare a kind thought or another prayer for migrants and refugees whenever we see or hear anti-migrant stories. If we can we might also support with our time or financially a local project welcoming refugees and migrants. In this way we can shine as a beacon of hope and hospitality to those who may feel unwelcome and tired of waiting.
For more information about the work of JRS please phone 020-74887310 or go to www.jrsuk.net
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Advent Together
Kate and Rosemary both took part in Pax Christi’s annual Advent Service at St Aloysius church near Euston in London this week. Kate shares what she enjoyed about the occasion.
Jesuit Refugee Service UK was invited to offer a testimony and focus for prayer for a gathering of people who work for justice all the way through the year. We were together to listen to stories, reflect on scripture and sing. The event was both intercession for people who all year round struggle in impossible circumstances and a festive celebration at the same time.
This service was particularly important to me. It was beautifully designed and presented with a lot of thought and love - whether through the choir, Westminster Deaf Service interpreters or the different creative stations for prayer. It is not often that I feel my worship truly reflects my work and commitment to working for peace. So I am grateful that on occasion we were able to honour refugees, those caught up in the troubles in the Holy Land, women who suffer from violence and those who seek to transform conflict throughout the world.
Each theme had a scripture verse, a personal story, a prayer from Pope Francis or a litany and a song. During the service we were all invited to make a pilgrimage around the church to each area, by way of accompanying people throughout the world who find themselves in situations of flight, discrimination, trafficking or isolation. We sang in English, Arabic and Hebrew and made a commitment to instil in our hearts the courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace. It meant a lot to me to share those words with a mix of people who I know do that in their daily lives.
After the service, we all went downstairs to share a mince pie and glass of wine. JRS had a stall with crafts made by refugees in Kenya (www.jrsea.org/mikono) and sold more than £100 of products. Thank you to everyone who bought something from us.
Read more about Pax Christi’s work: www. paxchristi.org.uk
Read more about JRS’ work in Syria: http://en.jrs.net/campaigns_
The collection was taken for Pax Christi and JRS Syria. You can donate here: https://en.jrs.net/donate
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