We are a community of faith. We are Catholic. We live in, work in and serve the local communities across Hampshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Isle of Wight and the Channel Islands.
The Bishop is the “Chief Shepherd” of the Diocese: he is appointed to govern, teach and guide the priests and people of the diocese.
Our mission is to live out our Catholic faith and through witness and example bring people closer to Jesus Christ through His Church.
Every human being has a value and dignity which we as Catholics acknowledge as coming directly
from God’s creation of all men and women in his own image and likeness.
The parish lies at the heart of every community. Families, churches, schools, chaplaincies to hospitals and prisons. Parishes provide an inclusive hub for people of all walks of life to journey together in faith and to reach out to the wider community to serve in social action.
Young people are visible in the Church. They are involved in parish life, school and university communities and the wider community, witnessing to their relationship with Jesus Christ. The Diocese supports young people to respond to the invitation of faith in various ways.
The fast pace of today's world often has us rushing through our daily life, with little direction or thought as to the kind of life we should be leading. Fortunately, the Catholic faith provides us with a solid moral compass and many great role models to help us find our way.
Got Questions? We believe that everyone should have the chance to explore the Christian faith, ask questions and discover their purpose in life.
Whether you want to offer your time and talents or support our vital work financially, it's all part of Christian Stewardship and you can really make a difference.
Good communication is really important to us. Whether it's sharing the impact of our community projects and sharing the witness of inspiring individuals, or reaching out to collaborate and dialogue with groups and individuals, and providing resources to enable others, we want to build long lasting effective relationships and help people to develop their faith journey.
Caritas Portsmouth works at grassroots level through our parish communities. Inspired by Catholic faith, Caritas is the helping hand of the Church – reaching out to the poor, vulnerable and excluded, regardless of race or religion, to build a world based on justice and fraternal love.
We look for opportunities where the need is greatest and where there is no service provision, or where there are gaps in service provision. Caritas develops and proves pilot projects in the social justice and environment arenas, working with the most vulnerable groups and individuals in need, with people of any faith and of no faith.
Caritas helps parishes identify the needs in the local community, looking to fill gaps in the existing support networks to make sure no one is forgotten. This might be through provision of hot meals, food, welcoming new arrivals, people struggling with financial insecurity or socially isolated.
Caritas also works with third party organisations who can bring their expertise to create a partnership, making the best use of resources and skills to reach those most in need.
Caritas partners with schools within the Diocese to support environmental and social action projects. We encourage students to learn more about the communities and areas around them and look at ways in which they can respond to specific needs in line with Catholic Social Teaching. This is done through a mix of assemblies, workshops and consultation exercises to engage students and identify specific areas of interest. This is then followed with concrete action through the development of projects based on their ideas and needs.
Caritas is building a network of social action and environment volunteer ambassadors to enable information and best practice sharing and opportunities for learning, discussion and formation.
This network will also make it possible to respond to unexpected needs that arise quickly, either across the diocese or in specific areas. If you are interested in volunteering with Caritas, please email caritas@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk
We use our environmental role, that of promoting “Care for Creation”, and the integral human ecological conversion that is necessary for us, as Christians, to understand the connection between “the cry of the poor and the cry of the earth” … we use this environmental role to join up, on a day-to-day basis, in direct action projects, concern for the environment with our social justice work.
We also work in the communication arena, advocating the concepts and themes of Catholic Social Teaching (social justice and environment) here within the Diocese of Portsmouth and wider in our geographic area. We work with other Diocesan departments, CAFOD and Laudato Si groups to alter our organisation’s structural behaviour, looking at ethical investment, at greening up the diocesan estates, at transport policies and at energy consumption. We work with other Diocesan departments, CAFOD and Laudato Si groups to alter individual behaviours, in providing best practice guidance to parishioners, and others outside the Catholic Church, on environment and social action changes.
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