Diss parish receives LiveSimply Award inspired by pope

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Diss parish receives LiveSimply Award inspired by pope

Diss Parish has been given the coveted LiveSimply Award, which is inspired by Pope Francis and championed by CAFOD.


Father David Bagstaff and CAFOD's parish volunteer, Judith Tooth, together with a crowd of people of all ages in the parish came forward to accept the award on Sunday May 14.

Inspired by the Pope's encyclical Laudato Si' ' a letter by the Pope addressed to the whole world encouraging us to care for the environment and the world's poorest people ' the parish felt moved to try and attain a LiveSimply award. Championed by CAFOD, the award is given to communities who show they have been living simply, in solidarity with people in poverty and with creation.

The two assessors, Bernard Shaw from St Philip Howard parish, and Pat Keating from Our Lady in Stowmarket, put the parish representatives through a rigorous check.

In giving the award, Bernard said: "I was impressed by how parishioners at St Henry Morse church were building on a special week of action that they had held earlier this year; there is a definite process there, spiritual development and plans for wider engagement.

"I particularly liked the work they did with the local foodbank, and the inclusion of concern for the earth and for its people in the bidding prayers, which are written by parishioners."

During the assessment, members of the church reported how they had risen to the challenge of eating less meat, becoming vegan, buying organic food and growing their own, using less water and not always flushing the toilet ' actions that give them a financial benefit as well as preserving precious resources for others.

The church of St Henry Morse is a new building, which incorporates a ground source heat pump and solar thermal heating panels so the carbon footprint is as small as possible. With the heating and hot water provided on site, the church only needs a little electricity, which it gets from renewable sources thanks to the diocese switching to renewable energy through the Interdiocesan Fuel Management scheme.

One couple became interested in beekeeping and their enthusiasm spread across the parish. A group of parishioners went on a beekeeping course, built a bee hive, set it up in the parish grounds and a few days ago a donated swarm of bees arrived to live in the hive. They are now looking for another swarm for their second hive. The youth group created some wildflower beds so the bees had flowers throughout the year.

Judith Tooth explained: "We chose not to rush into the assessment; although we could simply treat it as a checklist we didn't want to do that. We began after we had studied Pope Francis' teaching, Laudato Si', as a parish over four weeks in November 2015. We have certainly gained momentum this year. We have built on other activities that we were already involved with, for instance we have an annual pilgrimage from Quidenham to Diss. It is a pilgrimage in celebration of God's creation, and this year as part of our Livesimply week of action, we walked in solidarity with refugees."

Father David celebrated the work they were doing and encouraged them: "We wantspeaking and acting in favour of the most marginalised to become part of our Catholic DNA here at St Henry Morse. The greatest contribution to this massive challenge of prayer for our common home comes from Pope Francis in his letter, Laudato Si', praise to my lord. It is a deeply theological contribution."

The parish ofSt Henry Morse is the 25th in England and Wales to receive the Livesimply award and the third parish in East Anglia after St Laurence in Cambridge and Our Lady in Stowmarket. Two other parishes in the diocese are currently pursuing this award.

Invite to join bishop for day of reflection

Bishop Alan Hopes is inviting people priests, deacons, and parishioners to join him for a special day, arranged by CAFOD and reflecting on Pope Francis' Laudato Si' on Friday 30 June, in the Cathedral. If you want to find out more about this event and if you are interested in hearing from those that are becoming LiveSimply parishes, please visit: https://laudatosisummit.eventbrite.co.uk

Pictured above are Father David Bagstaff and CAFOD's parish volunteer, Judith Tooth, together with a crowd of people of all ages in the parish accepting the LiveSimply award.

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