Pope Leo’s message challenges us to help our communities move beyond words or gestures of comfort, towards a faith that inspires genuine responsibility and structural change to uplift the poor.
We know these words come at a time of deep hardship. The cost-of-living crisis continues to weigh heavily, and many families who once managed are now struggling to afford the basics. As winter approaches, we see homelessness rising not only among those sleeping rough but also among the hidden homeless: individuals and families sofa-surfing or living in insecure housing.
We also face a divided public conversation around refugees and asylum seekers, where fear too often replaces compassion. Yet we remember that the Holy Family themselves sought refuge. Pope Leo reminds us that a society’s hope is measured by how it treats its most vulnerable.
Across our Diocese, many parishes already witness powerfully to this hope through food banks, warm spaces, winter shelters, drop-ins, clothing drives, and befriending programmes. This World Day of the Poor offers an opportunity to draw these efforts together, and here at Caritas Brentwood, we continue to support and direct people to the most appropriate help. Please do share what is happening in your parish and local communities so that we can strengthen our diocesan network of care. As Pope Leo reminds us, “if our prayer does not lead to concrete action, it is in vain; yet if our charity is detached from prayer, it risks becoming mere philanthropy that quickly fades.”
To help parishes mark this World Day of the Poor, we have attached a range of resources that you may wish to draw upon. An online version of everything can be found on our website resources page: www.caritasbrentwood.org/resource/wdp
With blessings,
Siân Thomas-Cullinan, Director of Caritas Diocese of Brentwood
Fr Dominic Howarth, Episcopal Vicar for Caritas Diocese of Brentwood