Caritas Sunday is coming! Make a note in your diary…

Caritas Sunday is an important date in the annual calendar – and it’s coming up very soon. 

Here, Patrick O’Dowd, our director, tells us more… 

Over the Christmas period, teams of Caritas staff and volunteers worked in our services to support people facing acute crisis.   

With cold weather, challenging economic times and multiple other factors more people than ever are turning to us for much-needed help, so it’s vital we continue to ensure we can be there to support as many people that need us as possible. 

As January begins, our teams are already working on ways to ensure we can continue to be there for individuals and families from our local communities in Greater Manchester and Lancashire – whether at that time of urgent need, or to help and accompany them as they transform their lives over the long-term. 

Without doubt, it’s also a difficult time for us as a charity too.  The costs to run services, such as heating our day centres or providing food to people who are experiencing hunger, have risen significantly. 

This is set against a really difficult challenge for fundraising as individuals, businesses, councils and others that support our work feel the pinch.  This means we are often juggling resources and having to make difficult decisions to ensure we can continue to meet everyone’s needs. But, as we do so, the people we work alongside who require support remain at the heart of every decision we make. 

On Sunday 26 January, Caritas Sunday, we’re asking you to join us in thinking of those people and also to reflect on Caritas and our work in your local community too. 

It’s an opportunity for parishes, individuals and others across Greater Manchester and Lancashire to reflect on the social action work which has taken place in their local communities over the last year, to take stock of ways they have been able to help, and also a chance to find out more about Caritas Salford and our work. 

Many parishes and individuals also hold collections and make donations in support of that work across Greater Manchester and Lancashire as the diocesan charity. These donations mean we can continue to support thousands of people every year, at a time when they need us the most. We couldn’t be more grateful. 

Taking place early in the New Year, particularly in this Jubilee Year of 2025, Caritas Sunday is an opportunity to renew our dedication to making meaningful differences in our communities, no matter how small, to put love into action, in tangible, transformative ways.   

We have a range of free resources available to support you on our Caritas Sunday website page and would love to hear from you if you’re interested in raising funds for us this year or supporting our work in other ways. 

If you’d be interested in becoming a Caritas Parish Representative, please get in touch too. We’d love to tell you more about what the role involves and can support you every step of the way. 

Thank you in advance for getting involved with Caritas Sunday. Remember to tag us on social media if you share any ways in which you’re supporting on 26 January. 

Thank you for your ongoing generosity and kindness. It really does make a difference to the lives of people from communities right across Greater Manchester and Lancashire.