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This Lent, we will mark CAFOD’s Family Fast Day on Friday 14 March – a day when we have an opportunity to share hope with our sisters and brothers around the world through our fasting, prayer and almsgiving.

In his decree for the Jubilee Year 2025, “Hope does not disappoint”, Pope Francis reminds us of the theological virtues - faith, hope, and charity - at the heart of Christian life. He tells us that Christian “hope perseveres in the midst of trials: founded on faith and nurtured by charity, it enables us to press forward in life.”

This Lent, CAFOD invites Catholic parishioners across Arundel and Brighton Diocese to embody these virtues by supporting the Lent appeal in Family Fast Day collections or by giving online (cafod.org.uk/envelope).  

The Lent Appeal demonstrates the power of hope in action through the story of Lokho, a farmer and mother in northern Kenya. For nearly four years, her community experienced an unrelenting drought and was supported by CAFOD during the East Africa food crisis. Livestock perished, crops failed, and Lokho was left with no means to provide for her children. Yet, amidst this trial, hope persevered, nurtured by the faith and charity of her neighbour, who shared what they had with each other to survive.

Supported by CAFOD and local Caritas expert Wakera, Lokho and her community found strength in unity. With training, tools, and seeds funded by donations from parishioners in England and Wales, they planted kitchen gardens. Innovative shade nets protected the plants from the harsh sun while allowing rain to nurture the young crops. Now, Lokho not only feeds her family but also sells the extra produce, saving money and ensuring a safety net for future climate challenges.

In this Jubilee Year, Pope Francis has invited us to be tangible signs of hope for those of our brothers and sisters who experience hardships of any kind.

Our parishes in Arundel and Brighton Diocese can respond to the Pope’s call by holding a collection for the Lent Appeal, supporting local experts to provide effective solutions to the biggest problems facing people all around the world.

Our schools and parishes in Arundel and Brighton Diocese can also support our sisters and brothers around the world by taking part in CAFOD’s Big Lent Walk, an opportunity to join in a symbolic pilgrimage of solidarity and hope during this Jubilee year.  The money you raise by taking part in the Big Lent Walk helps CAFOD support families in extreme poverty around the world. Find out more here: https://walk.cafod.org.uk/

“We are about to make a pilgrimage marked by great events, in which the grace of God precedes and accompanies his people,” Pope Francis writes in his decree for the Jubilee Year. Let us make this Lent a true journey of faith, “active in charity and steadfast in hope.”

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Source: Cafod