Summer 2022
Your acts of kindness are like pieces in God’s mosaic of hope in action around the Diocese
Your support helps protect marriage and family life In May, over 630 couples from across the Diocese, accompanied by family members, came together in the Cathedral to celebrate the Annual Mass of Thanksgiving for Matrimony. After the challenges and difficulties of the pandemic, the Cathedral was once again filled with their light, colour and sound. Deacon Roger Carr-Jones, Marriage & Family Coordinator, explains how the mosaics that decorate the Cathedral were accompanied and enhanced by a living mosaic. Mosaics are fascinating creations. Made from stones like marble, glass, metal, porcelain and much more, together they provide a unique look, due to their varying sizes and colours. The classic mosaic material is ‘smalti’, small hand-cut pieces of coloured glass with an irregular finish that makes them a wonderful reflector of light. In his welcome address, Cardinal Vincent Nichols said: “Marriage is a mosaic that you build with your spouse: it is as diverse as the smalti, and shimmers catching the eye of the world. Just as there are millions of mosaic pieces in this Cathedral, there are millions of stories, events and tiny moments that go into creating married love. Each mosaic, like your mutual love, is different in style and tells a unique story.” If you look around the Cathedral you soon become aware of the variety of different mosaics. Each stone has its own loveliness and when brought together they produce a coherent image of outstanding beauty. Marriage involves the creation of a unique mosaic. When
As we continue to celebrate the first ten years of Caritas Westminster, we take a look at some more examples of what your kind support has achieved. Tens of thousands of people across the Diocese have been helped, thanks to you. Working closely with parishes and schools, Caritas Westminster finds practical solutions to various challenges people face. You can find out more on pages 4 and 5, and read about what drives us on page 7.
Contents A happy couple on the Cathedral Piazza after Mass
the couple first marry, they bring with them a variety of materials and ideas for the design of their marriage mosaic. Over the years they find that new materials and panels are required, and that the overall layout requires ongoing adjustments and, at times, essential repairs might be needed. Continued on page 2
1-2 Marriage and Family Life 3 Growing faith in young people 4-5 Caritas Westminster – Celebrating 10 years 6
Fr Daniel Daley: ‘I am where God wants me to be’
7
Safe in Faith – your support is helping survivors
8 Feedback:You spoke. We listened.