Diocesan News

"Get involved and make a difference" says Fr Jonathan Cotton

By Fr Jonathan Cotton, Will Cruddace & the CAFOD Volunteer Team

Saturday, February 18, 2023
3
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Communications

My change in ministry, since retiring as a parish priest, has seen me responding to requests from parishes and schools far and wide around the great expanse of our Diocese. Celebrating weekend Masses when priests are ill, or awaiting a more permanent assistant priest or having a long-awaited holiday, or when there are simply just not enough priests to cover all the weekend Masses, I have soon realised that there is never a dull moment even for a priest in retirement.

On the occasional call to celebrate school Masses, it was clearly noticeable what an influence the work of CAFOD has in our schools. Noticing CAFOD fundraising events, wall displays, special assemblies, and so on, promoting the Social Teaching of the Church and how to be a good Samaritan to the poorest on our common home of earth, made me realise what a crucial role CAFOD has in forming missionary hearts and minds in our Church communities. So, when I was invited to be a School Volunteer for CAFOD, visiting five local Catholic Primary Schools and one Secondary School, it did not take me long to say “yes”, especially as CAFOD provides all the training, resources and support I need for the volunteering. Being a school volunteer is only one of many volunteering opportunities to support CAFOD’s work.

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