The annual collection for the Sunshine Fund of the Society of St Vincent de Paul will take place after our Masses this weekend. Instead of their usual ‘bucket’ collection they are doing an envelope collection. Like many charities they have been unable to fundraise for over two years now and as a result many children have missed out on a holiday. This is their sole fundraiser for this aspect of their work so they ask you to please be as generous as you can.
Following a request from the Holy See, Archbishop Dermot Farrell has asked that we take up a collection ‘Pro Terra Sancta’ on Good Friday for the parish churches and sanctuaries in the Holy Land. This collection takes place in dioceses throughout the world. As Cardinal Sandri said in a letter to bishops worldwide: ‘For two consecutive years, the Christians of the Holy Land have celebrated Easter and Christmas in a sort of isolation, without the warmth and solidarity of pilgrims visiting the Holy Places and local communities. Families have suffered beyond measure, more from the lack of work than from… the pandemic itself.’ You will have the opportunity to contribute to this collection for the Holy Places in the Church porches on Good Friday.