Thank you Eric for over 25 years of volunteering

Eric Smith

I was delighted to be invited to St Peter’s Church in  Winchester on Sunday to present a papal blessing to Eric Smith to thank him for volunteering for CAFOD for over twenty-five years.  Eric had been a member of St Peter & the Winchester Martyrs’ parish for over 40 years and he started volunteering for CAFOD in 1991. He became involved in a project to collect 5ps during Advent and Lent using CAFOD pyramid boxes. He is so well-known for collecting 5ps that people even stop him in the street to give him their spare 5ps. He reckons that he has raised over £25,000 so far. Which is a fantastic amount!

As a CAFOD parish volunteer Eric promotes the Harvest and Lent fast days each year and he regularly support the monthly hunger lunches held at St Peter’s.

Eric Smith with Fr Mark Hogan

Eric was thrilled with the papal blessing and told me that he was just using the talents that God had given him to help others. He wanted to thank all those who had supported him over the years especially Lynda and Laura from the CAFOD Portsmouth office. His dream would be everyone in England collecting their 5ps and donating them to CAFOD!

Thank you so much Eric for all you  have done for CAFOD over the years  and for your love and concern for your brothers and sisters living in poverty overseas.

Eric Smith

25 Mile Walk Sharing the Journey and Raising Money for CAFOD

Fr Mark Hogan

Many thanks to Fr Mark Hogan and parishioners from St Peters and the Winchester Martyrs for walking 25 miles of the Cotswold Way from Hawkesbury to Bath on Saturday 30th June to raise money for CAFOD and “Share the Journey” with refugees.

Fr Mark told me  “Every year I join up with a group of friends as we challenge ourselves a little with bike rides or walks or climbs. This year, we fancied the Cotswolds and want to complete the last 25 miles of the Cotswolds Way into the beautiful city of Bath.

I’d love to use this as an excuse to raise a bit of money for CAFOD, a charity that has been close to my heart for a long time. If you are able to help in any small way, I’d be really grateful…”

If you would like to contribute to Fr Mark’s just giving page click here 

Do come and join one of our Share the Journey walks or why not organise your own lots of information here .

Share the Journey walks in July

Amazing Parish Volunteer Eric Smith

Eric Smith

Eric Smith has been a CAFOD parish volunteer at St Peter’s Winchester since 1991  – which is AMAZING! . For over 25 years Eric has encouraged his fellow parishioners to support CAFOD by collecting their 5ps during Advent and Lent and donating them to the fast day appeals. He told me that people even come up to him in the streets in Winchester to give him any spare 5ps that they have.  Eric reckons that over £25,000 in 5ps has been donated to CAFOD so far.

He also supports the CAFOD hunger lunches at St Peter’s on the first Friday of every month and regularly gives the short talk at mass for Harvest and Lent fast days. He told me that he supports CAFOD because he wants to respond to the needs of his “brothers and sisters living in poverty overseas”. Thank you so much Eric for everything you have done to support CAFOD.  You are amazing!

Interested in becoming a CAFOD volunteer in your parish then contact portsmouth@cafod.org.uk 

To watch a webinar by  Geoff O’Donoghue on CAFOD’s work please click on the link below.

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/3439410201905830919