White City parish has become the seventh parish in Westminster Diocese and one of more than 70 parishes in England and Wales to achieve Cafod’s LiveSimply Award. Parish priest Fr Richard Nesbitt, who is a trained Laudato Si’ animator, along with parishioner Hilda McCafferty, who coordinates justice, peace and ecology work, proved the parish commitment over several years to live simply, sustainably and in solidarity with the poor when it was assessed on 17 November.
The lead appraiser was Colette Joyce, Co-ordinator of Westminster Justice and Peace Commission.
The parish has banned the use of throwaway crockery and cutlery in its parish hall and insists on the use of eco-detergents. While the parish maintains support for communities in the global south, with volunteering, fundraising and awareness raising for Cafod, Mary’s Meals and several parishes in Tanzania and Nigeria, there is a strong commitment to the local community in White City and good links with Caritas Westminster and the Catholic Children’s Society.
There are displays in the parish church of the LiveSimply project, including posters of a “care of creation quiz night”, a “green living fair” and a parish viewing of The Letter.
The parish has made its parish centre a community hub. Regular classes are offered, as well as a Thursday club for elderly parishioners, organised by Laura Allison, the parish’s community support worker. On the assessment day, senior citizens were knitting squares for blankets for Ukraine and one taught seminarian John Casey to knit. Rooms were being used for keep fit classes for seniors, IT training and an upcycling centre run by a Colombian parishioner called Marisol, who has received National Lottery funding to teach sewing and upcycling classes.
Weekly vegetarian meals are provided for the wider community, with 70-80 people of all faiths attending regularly. Surplus food is distributed in partnership with charities FoodCycle, Felix Project and City Harvest.
There is a weekly sale of second-hand clothes and an annual ethical fashion show is popular with the young people of the parish, especially confirmation candidates who help organise it. The parish offers free cycling, maintenance and safety awareness classes as part of an initiative to encourage parishioners to reflect on their transport choices. The Caritas Love in Action programme gives parishioners a deeper understanding of the core principles of Catholic Social Teaching. There are regular LiveSimply challenges in the parish newsletter and online to encourage consuming less and living more simply and sustainably.
Parishioners get involved in supporting on-line and local campaigns on environmental, trade justice and poverty issues. Hilda joined Westminster Justice and Peace at the London march for the Global Day of Action on Climate on 12 November, linked to COP27. Around 15 parishioners meet regularly in a care of creation Zoom meeting. There is an annual parish trip to a recycling centre.
The space around the church is a green oasis in a built-up area with blocks of five-storey flats surrounding. The garden has been developed, “to increase biodiversity supporting a greater variety of wildlife and an environment where parishioners of all ages can enjoy nature and get more involved in ‘hands-on’ gardening.” Evergreen laurels are supplemented with flowering plants which are friendly to pollinators. A water feature and composting bin are nearby. Benches made from recycled plastic welcome parishioners to sit in the parish grounds, where one side there is a Grotto and on the other a statue of St Francis with birds.
Fr Nesbitt said: “all this work is an expression of living the Gospel in this real and raw community.”
The Catholic Bishops of England and Wales, meeting in Leeds last week, urged parishes and schools to sign up to the LiveSimply award “as a sign of their solidarity with the poor and their desire to live in harmony with God's creation”. The programme is administered by Cafpd and first award was given ten years ago, in 2012.
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