Coordinator’s

Kit

Caritas Lent

Appeal 2012In this Folder...

• Activities Timeline for Lent 2012This guide details the tasks to be carried out prior to, and during Lent.

• Notes for Parish SpeakersProvides information about Caritas for parish speakers if they wish to use it.Other resources are the Family Lenten envelopes, back issues of the Caritas Update (our newsletter) and the Annual Report. Visit our website: www.caritas.org.nz or call us on 0800 22 10 22 or (04) 496 1742 for copies.

• PowerPoint Presentation NEW FOR LENT 2012 To help someone in your parish be able to give a quick and interesting presentation on Caritas and the Lent Appeal, we have prepared a short power point presentation that is available for you to download from our website: www.caritas.org.nz As this is a new initiative, if you use the presentation in your parish we would love to hear your feedback on it.

• Notes on Almsgiving The notes on almsgiving are a useful collection of comments made by Pope John Paul II regarding the essential elements of Catholic Devotion.

• Guide for Announcements at Mass

These are simply guides for someone to address parishioners each week. Use them, or make up your own if you prefer. • The Pope’s Lenten Message for 2012The Pope’s message is a valuable resource for everyone, especially parish speakers or prayer groups. Due to the timing of Lent this important resource is not yet available; copies will be sent out in early February.

• Parish Bulletin Notices and Prayers for use during Lent Copies of the prayers for each week of Lent are provided in a format for both an overhead projector during the Prayers of Intercession at each Mass, and for the parish bulletin so parishioners can join in. The prayers are also available for downloading from our website: www.caritas.org.nz

• Lent PostersThree translations of the posters are available. On the back of the larger poster there are Maori and Samoan versions. To build awareness of both the coming Lent appeal and its theme, put the posters in prominent positions where they will be easily seen by everyone, such as Church foyers and on outdoor signage if you have it. You can also display them in public places so that Catholics who are not regular Mass-goers can have the chance to learn about the Caritas Lent Appeal. We are happy to supply additional posters if you would like them – just give us a call on 0800 22 10 22 or drop us an email at caritas@caritas.org.nz

• Six Week Lenten EnvelopesThese are the six-in-one envelopes; one envelope for each Sunday during Lent. These envelopes have the multipurpose of introducing the gospel for the week along with a reflective prayer; looking at how the work of Caritas ties in with the gospel through five of our current projects; and finally serving as a method of collecting donations. The intention is that every family or parishioner receives a pack preferably before the start of Lent. Your parish should have been posted enough for this, but if not, please contact the Caritas office and we will gladly post you some more. The Lent Appeal six week envelope packs should be given out at all Saturday and Sunday Masses on the 18th and 19th of February, the weekend before Ash Wednesday and continue to be available throughout Lent.

• One Total Lent Donation EnvelopeThis envelope provides donors with the ability to make one total lent donation instead of using the six week family envelopes. There are not enough included to be handed out to everyone. Instead we recommend that you make people aware of them as an alternative option when giving out your envelopes, and also have them available in your parish during Lent. Then in week 6 (1st April), offer them to people who haven’t had a chance to contribute yet.

• Koha BoxThe Koha box is intended for use by the Children’s Liturgy. More boxes are available from Caritas on request, just contact the Caritas office and we will gladly post you some more.

• The Caritas Lenten Reflection Programme (this has already been sent to your parish)Lent is traditionally a time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving.  As well as running the Bishops’ Lent Appeal, Caritas also provides resources to assist Catholic parishes and schools deepen our understanding of the Gospel call to justice.  The Caritas Lenten reflection programme, which is based on the six Lenten Gospels, has been sent to all parishes in December.  A number of parishes have a specific person who takes on this responsibility (such as a pastoral or education worker); in other parishes the programme is sent to the parish priest. 

We would be grateful if you could introduce yourself to the person who is coordinating the Lenten reflection programme in your parish, and take opportunities to let people know this is available for them to participate in, either for group discussion or individual reflection.  The programme is available in English, Tongan, Samoan and Tokelauan language versions.

Caritas is happy to supply Lent Appeal coordinators with a hard-copy of the Lenten reflection programme; or it is available for download from our website at http://www.caritas.org.nz/sites/default/files/Lent%202012%20reflection%20booklet%20A4%20English.pdf

Arrange to meet with the Parish Priest to organise speakers to address the congregation at all Masses. Effective announcements are usually brief and enthusiastic.

For the Lent Appeal to be a success it needs to be visible and available. Think creatively about poster placement, handing out envelopes, and giving notices to ensure that the Lent Appeal has the best possible chance in your Parish - giving your parishioners and Caritas the best chance to make

18th and 19th of February: Weekend Masses before LentHave speakers at all Masses in your parish to explain that the Lenten campaign is beginning next week and show parishioners how to use the Six week envelopes.

Ensure that Six week Lenten envelopes are given to all parishioners as the envelopes serve the dual purpose of collecting donations and informing people of our work. Ideally, you will be able to arrange for them to be given out personally; or alternatively staple, or insert, the envelopes to the parish newsletter. If your parish is holding any special events during Lent it is a great idea to get your speakers to mention these during their weekend speeches.

26th February - First Sunday of LentDistribute the remaining Six week Lenten envelopes at Masses to those who missed out last week. Let parishioners know what activities are planned in the parish. Send notices about events to community radio and newspapers in time for publication.

Each Weekend during LentArrange with your Parish Priest for an opportunity at the end of Mass to announce updates on the Appeal. Remember to draw people’s attention to Lenten notices and to the weekly Lenten prayer in the parish newsletter.

Have spare envelopes available in church for anyone who needs one.

25th March and 1st April - 5th and 6th Sundays of LentDistribute the Individual Lenten Envelopes to those who were not given Six week Lenten envelopes at the beginning of Lent. This is the last chance to contribute

JanuaryIntroduce yourself to:•  Parish Priest(s) or Pastoral Leader(s)•  Parish Council and Liturgy Group• Youth Group•  Renew, Prayer or Discussion Group•  JPD or Social Justice Group• Family Group Coordinators•  School/College Principal and DRS

Explain what you will be doing as Parish Lent Appeal Promotional Coordinator.

Invite individuals and groups in the parish to join in the Lenten Campaign - a personal approach is often the most effective.

Consider arranging a parish event. A Fast Day, video evening, guest speaker at Masses, Social Justice oriented Stations of the Cross, etc. Videos on poverty & development, and justice can be obtained from Caritas or the Diocesan Coordinators.

1st FebruaryThe Lenten posters can go up in and around the church from the 1st of February. This will give people time to prepare for the appeal and familiarise themselves with the theme.

Important: Remember to always ask permission from the appropriate people in your Parish, when seeking to give notices, display posters or arrange speakers or other activities.

The week of 13th Feb: Arrange for notices. Put a notice in the parish newsletter for the weekend before Ash Wednesday (18th and 19th of February)

Arrange speakers for all Masses next Saturday (18th) and Sunday (19th Feb). Assign helpers to distribute the Family

If you are missing any of these materials, contact the Caritas office straight away. Either ph 0800 22 10 22; fax (04) 4992519 or email: caritas@caritas.org.nz so we can gladly resupply you.

Some Suggested Activities — Each WeekAsk those running the Children’s Liturgy to highlight the week’s intention. The children can contribute to the Mass by drawing pictures and composing prayers. Also give the Children’s Liturgy the enclosed Koha Box for their own donations each week.Put a special Lenten Box at each entrance to the Church to collect envelopes and donations.At the Offertory, include an offering of Lenten envelopes — families could take turns bringing Lenten envelopes forward.

Special Parish EventsMention special events while speaking to the congregation after Communion and put notices in the Parish bulletin

Activities Timeline for Lent 2011This timeline gives the key dates for the Caritas Lent Appeal. If you have any questions, yourDiocesan Coordinator or the Caritas Office are only a phone call away.

Notes for Parish SpeakersOne of the most effective ways of promoting the Caritas Lent Appeal is to have speakers at Masses early in Lent. Some general points which are useful to note, especially if someone is new to speaking at Mass are:

Explain who you are, where you come from and why you are doing this.

If you speak at Homily time and the priest has not given an explanation of the Scripture readings, make sure you link your message with one of the readings.

Use personal experience; if you have missionary or overseas experience you may find it easy to build your talk around that experience.

Below are some general points about Caritas which may be useful for speakers. Each week during Lent, the brief outline of the project story printed on the envelopes could be read out at Mass. It should be made clear that these projects are only 5 examples of the many different projects that parishioners support through the Lent Appeal. Other information that may be useful can be found in the ‘Guide for announcements at Mass’ on the last two pages of this booklet.

General Points about Caritas

Caritas means ‘love in action’ and ‘love of neighbour’. Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand was established by the Catholic Bishops of New Zealand to be a Catholic response to poverty and injustice in the world. Caritas is one of 165 sister organisations providing effective emergency relief & long-term development in over 200 countries and territories. This means that Caritas can respond to every disaster and get your donations to anywhere in the world.

The great advantage of Caritas is that they work through local organizations and Churches who are already helping people on the ground before, during and after the headlines, and often in the absence of any media awareness at all. This method of operating keeps Caritas administration costs to a minimum. In 2011, Caritas administration costs were 10% and fundraising and promotion 8% of the total income. Unlike many other aid and development organisations Caritas does not have a significant marketing and promotions budget. We are very reliant on the awareness of the Catholic Community for our support.

The Lent Appeal is an opportunity for all Catholics to participate in making the world a better place, and not only for those interested in overseas and/or justice issues. To be Catholic is to be part of a worldwide family of believers; it means to be called to witness to our faith. It is clear from reading the Gospels that Jesus held the poor in a special place in his heart. Our Church calls for us to follow Jesus’ example. We are asked to give a ‘preferential option for the poor’, meaning that we should imitate God in being especially concerned about the poor and vulnerable. If everyone who has not supported the Caritas Lent Appeal in the past gives just one gold coin a week, it will add up to a world of difference for those in poor communities overseas.

The more concrete and specific your talk is, the more people will listen. Use examples of actual projects sponsored (see past editions of the CARITAS Update or Annual Report for examples). If you need back copies of these publications, please contact the office (04) 496 1742 or 0800 22 10 22, or visit our website www.caritas.org.nz.

Notes on AlmsgivingIn the face of the terrible challenge of poverty afflicting so much of the world’s population, indifference and self-centered isolation stand in stark contrast to the ‘gaze’ of Christ. Fasting and almsgiving, which, together with prayer, the Church proposes in a special way during the Lenten Season, are suitable means for us to become conformed to this ‘gaze’.

Pope Benedict XVI, Lenten Message 2006.

For the Catholic community, the season of Lent is a time of conversion. In this season, there are three essential elements to Catholic devotion. Pope John Paul II summarises these as:

Prayer, as an opening to God; fasting, as an expression of self mastery also in depriving oneself of something, in saying “no” to oneself; and finally almsgiving, as opening “towards others”. Alms understood in this way has a meaning which is in a certain sense decisive for conversion.

Address of Pope John Paul II, 28 March 1979

Pope John Paul II recognises that the word “alms” is sometimes not understood properly. He points to the Prophets of the Old Testament, on whom the liturgy often draws during Lent.

The Prophets consider that there is no true conversion to God, and that there can be no real “religion”, without putting right offenses and injustices in relations among people and in social life.

It is in this context that the Prophets exhort the people to almsgiving. They use a word for alms that is precisely “justice”. They ask for help for those who are victims of injustice and for those in need; not so much by virtue of mercy as rather by virtue of the duty of active charity” (cf Isaiah 58: 6-7).

Pope John Paul II, ibid.

Pope John Paul II reminds us that Jesus gave a warning about the superficial, “exterior” attitude of almsgiving (cf. Matthew 6: 4; Luke 11: 41) and notes that it is a very real problem.

If we realise the essential significance that alms has for our conversion to God for the whole of Christian life, we must avoid at all costs all that falsifies the meaning of almsgiving, mercy, works of charity and all that may distort their image in ourselves.In this field, it is very important to cultivate interior sensitivity as regards the real needs of our neighbours, in order to know in what we must help them, how to act in order not to wound them, and how to behave in order that what we give, what we bring to their lives, may be a real gift.”

Pope John Paul II, ibid.

The Caritas Lent Appeal offers Catholics the opportunity to give real gifts to the poor of the world. It is an essential dimension of Lent and complements the prayer and fasting undertaken within families, schools and parishes.

Guide for Announcements at MassPlease note that these announcements are guides only. Feel free to use the pieces you find most useful.

Appeal Notice - Sunday 19th February.During Lent, Caritas - the Catholic agency for justice, peace and development - invites you to participate in the Caritas Lent Appeal. It is a time for us to pray, fast, and share with others who are not as fortunate as ourselves.

Caritas is an official agency of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops’ Conference, established by the Bishops as a Catholic response to poverty and injustice in the world. Caritas addresses the causes of poverty, advocates against injustice and responds to disasters.

The Caritas Lent appeal begins next Sunday. Each of us is able to take one of these Lenten packs [hold one up]. There are six envelopes in the pack. You open it like this [demonstrate]. Each week tear off an envelope and its coupon. Fill in your name, address, parish and details of your donation. Indicate how much you gave on the coupon slip to ensure you receive an accurate receipt. Then slip the coupon and your donation into the envelope, seal it and bring it along to Mass each week or post it directly to Caritas. By giving weekly you will have used up all six of the envelopes by the end of Lent. On the outside of the envelopes are short descriptions of 5 of the many projects you will be supporting, and a prayer which ties in to the theme of the week.

If you have not given to the Lent Appeal before, please consider giving just one gold coin a week this year. Across the country this will add up, resulting in Caritas being able to continue its work supporting communities. In the past the majority of funds Caritas put towards overseas community development work were subsidized through the government’s overseas development aid budget by a ratio of 4:1. BUT this is no longer the case! As for most charities in New Zealand, government funding to development agencies had been substantially reduced in the last 18 months. This means that the future is uncertain for a lot of our overseas development projects including the ones shown on these envelopes. Therefore now, more than ever, your donations are invaluable to Caritas and the communities we support as we work to break the cycle of poverty and injustice.

The Caritas Lent Appeal is to raise funds for the long-term development work that Caritas does in communities throughout the world, who are suffering as a result of conflict, political turmoil or are trying to rebuild their lives following a natural disaster.

Sunday 26th February - Week 1

Thank you to all those who remembered to bring along your envelopes to Mass today. If anyone doesn’t have a pack these are still available in the church foyer after Mass. I’ll give you your envelopes and show you how to use them.

This year the theme of the Caritas Lenten Appeal is ‘Called by faith to act with generous hearts’, and for this first week of Lent our ‘call by faith’ is to respond to those who are suffering as a result of an emergency. We have chosen the Christchurch earthquakes as our emergency both because this week is the one year anniversary of the February 22nd quake, and also as a way of saying thank you for the wonderful amount of $220,000 that was raised from the 25% for Christchurch component of last year’s Lent Appeal.

Sunday 4th March - Week 2Last week our Parish raised $ for the Caritas Lenten Appeal. These donations are one way we can turn our Lenten sacrifices into work for a more just world.

This week the Lent envelope focuses on a one of our partner projects in Chiga Kenya. The Chiga Livelihoods Support project works with poor rural families in Eastern Kenya who have been affected by the HIV/AIDS crisis in the country, families who have survived the loss of one or both parents. Through this project Caritas is helping to keep these families together. Read the Lent envelope for week 2 to find out how.

Sunday 11th March - Week 3Welcome to this 3rd Sunday of Lent. Your past support has enabled Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand to work with poor and vulnerable communities in Fiji alongside our partner ECREA, for more than a decade. This successful programme has empowered people to advocate for their rights, established loan schemes to support small businesses, built water tanks and latrines and provided awareness on hygiene and disaster preparedness. Thank you for helping us to make this possible.

Sunday 18th March - Week 4Welcome to this the 4th Sunday of Lent. So far our Parish support for the Lenten Appeal stands at $ . This week’s project is a mission of health and hope carried out in the Holy Land. With your support Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is helping Caritas Jerusalem to extend their health services into the community, especially targeting women and children to prevent illness and disease.

Sunday 25th March - Week 5The Caritas education staff are teachers who provide primary and secondary schools with resource programmes that bring justice and compassion into the classroom through live encounters and stories for change from our partners. Their goal is to lead students to become more aware of injustice, more concerned and compassionate towards those who suffer injustice, and more committed to working for justice.

Sunday 1st April - Week 6I’d like to thank you for all the gifts you may have already made to the 2012 Caritas Lent Appeal. By working together we can make a real difference to poor and vulnerable communities in many parts of the world. Together as Caritas and supporters; together

as Caritas and its partners; together as Caritas and the communities we are working with; and together with God.

If you haven’t had a chance to contribute, it is not too late. Please take one of the special ‘One Total’ Lenten envelopes and bring it back at Easter with your gift. If you have Lenten envelopes at home, please remember to hand them in next week, or post them directly to Caritas, because together we can make a difference!

Lenten Prayers for 2012First Sunday of Lent: He was in the wilderness forty daysChrist – e Hēhu Karaiti – during this season of Lent we recall your time of fasting and temptation in the wilderness. Bring hope to all people who experience this wilderness through the loss of loved ones, homes, jobs and personal security following a disaster, Amen.

Second Sunday of Lent: He was transfigured before themHeavenly Father – e tō mātou Matua i te Rangi – we are witnesses as you are revealed to us every day. Help us to overcome fear to be present in the solidarity and love extended to the most vulnerable members of our human family, Amen.

Third Sunday of Lent: He poured out the coins of the money changersHoly Spirit – e te Wairua Tapu – you inspire us to challenge injustice wherever we see it in financial dealings and in the treatment of our poorest brothers and sisters. Strengthen us to work for justice and fairness in the marketplace, Amen.

Fourth Sunday of Lent: Light has come into the world

Lamb of God – e te Reme a te Atua – you show us the way to bring light to situations of darkness. May those who work with love in the land of your birth bring peace to our troubled world, Amen.

Fifth Sunday of Lent: Whoever serves me must follow me Lord God – e te Ariki – you call us to follow you in a life of service to others. Inspire young people to take up your challenge to live and act in ways that will bear the fruit of compassion and justice, Amen.

Sixth Sunday of Lent: The Passion of Christ Almighty God – e te Matua kaha rawa – you call us in faith to act with generous hearts, to work for justice and peace in our world, and to share what we have with others. Through the example of your Son and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, grant us the strength and love to contribute to the common good of all, Amen.

Important note regarding receipting for 2012: Donation receipts for weekly donations will be issued in one run in early April after the close of the financial year. This is the fastest and most cost- effective method to receipt all who donate to the Lent Appeal.

Donations made using our ONE TOTAL Lent Donation (Red/Brown) envelope will be issued a receipt at the time the donation is received.

As we look to the celebration of new life at Easter, let us thank God for this season of Lent. Through our reflections, our renewal, our sharing in the sacrifice of Jesus, we help to bring peace and salvation to the world. Our final Lenten Appeal prayer asks God to grant us the strength and love to contribute to the common good of all – called by faith to act with generous hearts.

The Lent Appeal is successful because of the time and care you take to co-ordinate it in your Parish. On behalf of everyone here at Caritas - Thank you!