CAFOD Clifton - 20 years in the Clifton Diocese

22 May 2009

CAFOD (Catholic Agency for Overseas Development) Clifton Manager Tony Vassallo writes for cliftondiocese.com marking a milestone.

It's a milestone year for CAFOD Clifton.  We're celebrating 20 years of CAFOD in the Clifton Diocese and we're marking our 20th year by visiting each deanery in the diocese to celebrate what your support and generosity has helped us to achieve over the last two decades.

We'd like you to come with us as we reflect on the faith, hope, joy, warmth, compassion, friendship and solidarity that we've encountered in the twenty years that CAFOD Clifton has been established in the Clifton Diocese and the work that that response and commitment has enabled us to realise.  But we shall also look forward to renewing and continuing our partnership with you as we work together over the coming years to lift people out of poverty.

We kicked off our road show in the Gloucester Deanery which is very appropriate as the very first parish I was invited to speak at is in the Gloucester Deanery.  We were last Wednesday (13 May) at St Peter's Social Centre.  On Saturday (16 May) we stopped off in the Bath Deanery and Tuesday (19 May) night was Bristol North West.
Followed by:

Tonight (22 May) we visit St Francis Parish Hall, Ash Hayes Road, Nailsea, Bristol BS48 2LP for the Weston-super-Mare Deanery.  Come and join us at 7.30 pm.

The other events are:
Trowbridge Deanery - 7.30 pm Wednesday 3 June at St John's Parish Centre, Wingfield Road, Trowbridge BA14 9EA.

Swindon Deanery - 7.30 pm Thursday 4 June at St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Davenwood, Stratton, Swindon SN2 7LL.

Bristol East Deanery - 7.30 pm Wednesday 8 July at the Shore Room, St Patrick's, Dillon Court, Redfield, Bristol.

Cheltenham Deanery - 7.30 pm Tuesday 22 September at the Old Priory, St Gregory the Great, St James Square, Cheltenham GL50 3PR

Stroud Deanery - 7.30 pm Thursday 24 September Immaculate Conception Parish Hall, Beeches Green Stroud.

Dates for Bristol South, Glastonbury, Salisbury and Taunton deaneries are being arranged.

Things have been going really well so far and we've had some very positive, very encouraging feedback.
 
Jean and Mark Wallis from Thornbury sent us this message: "Just to say thank you to you and Gill for a wonderful evening yesterday, we all enjoyed it very much. You had obviously put a great deal of thought and work into it and it was appreciated"
 
Mike and Liz Nash from Bath said this: "We want you to know how much the afternoon was enjoyed by everyone who came.   We were deluged with enthusiastic comments from people who truly found it a fascinating afternoon."
 
It's been really great having the Deans present at each celebration to accept a gift for the Deanery of an Icon of Mary of the Magnificat: Mother of the Poor and a CAFOD candle, as a token of CAFOD's appreciation for the support given to us over the last 20 Years.

All are welcome and if you can't get to the celebration in your deanery, you'll be very welcome to any of the other celebrations.

Tony Vassallo