Prayer Vigil at Derwentside Immigration Removal Centre (DIRC)
We continue to hold a monthly prayer vigil at the gates to Derwentside Immigration Removal Centre. We believe there are currently about 30 women detained there.
Our next vigil will be on Sunday 5 March at 3.00pm. It is always wonderful to pray together in person, but we realise that it can be difficult for people to travel across to the site. However, we would urge you to pray from home for the people detained there and in detention centres elsewhere. You can find a copy of the prayers we use at the vigil, which you may wish to use here. There is also an online version of the prayer vigil, which you can access through YouTube (view here).
Future dates planned for Sundays in 2023 include; 2 April and 7 May.
Visit the Justice and Peace webpage where you will find more details, or email: lizarchibald.justiceandpeace@gmail.com.
Tyne & Wear Citizens
On 8 December, Tyne and Wear Citizens launched a new listening campaign to last until November 2023. The question we would like people to ask others is:
What is putting pressure on you, your family and your communities? Please ask around a keep a note of the issues you are hearing. They can be fed back to Fr Chris Hughes by email: northshields.stjoseph@rcdhn.org.uk.
Since the cost of living crisis is a key issue for many people, ensuring that employers are accredited by the Living Wage Foundation as living wage employers is important. This Dioccese along with four other Dioceses in England and Wales have been accredited, which means 17 Dioceses are not! If you would like to be part of the campaign to ensure all England and Wales Diocese are accredited as Living Wage Employers, please get in touch with Fr Chris on the above e-mail address.