African Mission Activities

1. As an umbrella chaplaincy for African Communities

It provides special pastoral care for African Communities without Chaplaincies – “Umbrella chaplaincy catering for all those countries that do not have their own chaplaincies. It is important for it to be seen as such and every effort made to bring the different African Communities together regularly” said by Bishop O’Donoghue, Chairman of the Bishop Conference for Migrants in England and Wales -1998.

 

2. Area of operation

This includes London and other parts of the Country: especially in the various cities  – Liverpool, Birmingham, Cambridge, Luton, Leeds, Leicester, Hull, Tee Side, Liverpool, Slough etc.

 

3. Encouragement to African Catholics

(a) Form National Chaplaincies, Associations and African in Parishes. (b) To establish Catholic Charismatic Groups. (c) Join parish groups- Eucharistic ministers, readers, altar servers etc. (d) Deal with Local matters- encourage African Catholics to become school governors etc, (e) Join Knights of St Columbas and play an active part in it. (f) Join Knights and Ladies of Marshall.  (e) Join Knight of St John International. (f) Go on a pilgrimage.

 

4. Support to African Catholic Communities

Reaching out to those Africans in desperate needs of spiritual guidance, pastoral care, friendship and healing: (a) bereavement (b) depression, (c) marriage problems (especially mixed African Marriages), (d) Visitations- prisons, hospitals, refugee centres, homeless Lapsed African Catholics have come back.

 

5. African Information Centre

(a) African Communities- Mass, socials, (b) Individuals- linked to their communities, legal support, friendship, accommodation, Christmas etc. (c) Parishes- looking for African Priests, African Choirs, Interpretation of some customary rites and practices of Africans ( e.g. funerals etc) (d) The media-newspapers, radio interviews on African Affairs- (e) Refugees outreach, Greatmy (f) Local and national organisations.

 

6. African Link-Point of Contact for African affairs

(a) SECAM (b) Regional Bishops Conferences in Africa (c) Job Vacancies in Africa (d) African Union Contact.

 

7. African celebrations

(a) Pan-African Annual Mass, (b) Pentecost,   (c) Uganda Martyrs Day, (d) African Youth  (e) African Community Celebrations (f) Parish multicultural celebrations, School Masses for African Students (g) Mass in parishes (Tee side, Cambridge); Migrant Workers etc. (h) Vibrancy to the parishes.

 

8. African Choirs

Encouragements to form African Choirs to participate in Parish Masses, Diocesan and national events.

 

9. Links with Parishes and various organisations

Examples: Parishes in London and outside London, CARJ, CAFOD, London Citizens and TELCO, Ethnic Chaplaincies and other Agencies.

 

10. Support applications

Various institutions such as Schools, Universities, Home Office (Immigration) and Job Centres. We also advise priests in Africa how to apply for summer supplies in the parishes and provide references for jobs linking.

11. Organise Fundraising Activities

a) Various Communities organise fundraising to support projects in their own countries in Africa and their local parishes in the England b) African Communities together support charitable work African.

12. Organise other events such as

  • Pilgrimage, Retreats,
  • Pan African Open Forum, etc
  • Annual Christmas Party for African Catholic
  • Ordinations

13. Visit African Catholics in

  • School  (Mass for African Students)
  • Prisons
  • Hospitals
  • Old people homes
  • Housebound and the sick