Catholics gather to challenge poverty in Salford

More than a hundred Catholics are set to gather in Bury for a landmark event to energise and expand Church associated social action in the North West.

Caritas Faith in People is being organised by CSAN, Caritas Diocese of Salford and St Antony’s Centre for Church and Industry on 13 October. It will bring together professional charities, local projects, clergy and parishioners to celebrate social action, tackle current local needs and share their experiences.

The Right Rev Terence Brain, Bishop of Salford, will give an overview of the current challenges facing people in the Diocese. Helen O’Brien, CEO of CSAN, will link local social action to the wider network of CSAN across England and Wales. Speaking in advance of the event, Bishop Brain said: “Caritas Faith in People will be an opportunity to celebrate and expand the excellent social action work carried out by Catholics in the Diocese of Salford.”

A central part of the day will be a ‘market place’ where social action organisations of all sizes are invited to display their work. Social activist John Battle, who was a prominent Catholic MP for 23 years, will guide delegates through the displays to give people a better understanding of social action taking place in their local area.

Helen O’Brien is looking forward to an “exciting opportunity to meet new people involved in social action and to learn from each other.”

Workshops, including De Paul’s Nightstop scheme and Parish for the Youth, will provide people with practical advice on how to set up social action activities themselves. Fr Andrew who is running one of the workshops and has turned his parish hall into a community hub, with music projects, a garden and a cafe has a simple philosophy: “if you see a need – do something about it!”.

Mark Wiggin, CEO of Caritas Diocese of Salford, said: “Bouncing ideas and good practice off of others in the Diocese of Salford will allow us all to deliver quality support to our neighbours in need.”

CSAN (Caritas Social Action Network) is the official social action agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales www.csan.org.uk

See also: Caritas Diocese of Salford www.caritassalford.org.uk

and St Antony’s Centre www.stantonyscentre.org.uk/