Aid to the Church in Need

Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is a Pontifical Foundation of the Catholic Church supporting Catholics and other Christians where they are persecuted, oppressed or in pastoral need.
To find out more please visit the Aid to the Church in Need website.

Recent News

Deacon Tim Anthony from 'Aid to the Church in Need' made an appeal to the Parish in September 2019.  £589.27 was raised by the Parish.  At the time ACN reported that: there has been an abrupt rise in the persecution of India’s Christians in the last few years. Over 450 incidents were reported in 2018 including physical violence, attacks on churches, Bibles burned, nuns raped and priests murdered. Last year, about 20,000 Christians took part in a peaceful protest after a pastor from south-east India was hanged and killed after his previous complaints to the police were ignored.
In Easter Sunday 2019 bombs were detonated in Churches and hotels across Sri Lanka.  More than 250 people, mostly Catholics, were killed.  Bishop Menids of Chilaw, Sri Lanka, said "As an act of solidarity, we must pray for all Christians who are suffering because of their faith".
Saint Peter's had an emergency collection and raised £372.15, the Open Door Brunch club donated £50 and an anonymous donor gave £425 for a total of £803.15 raised for ACN.
​The House of Commons voted on 21st April 2016  to recognize the persecution of Christians and Yazigis and other minorities by ISIS as genocide.  The following motion was resolved by voting 278-0 :
"That this House believes that Christians, Yazidis, and other ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq and Syria are suffering genocide at the hands of Daesh; and calls on the Government to make an immediate referral to the UN Security Council with a view to conferring jurisdiction upon the International Criminal Court so that perpetrators can be brought to justice."

Our Parish Representative

ACN has a Parish Representative at Saint Peter's.  Her name is Helen Marie Martyn.  Of you would like some material about ACN or would like to help in ACN's work in the Parish please email her: [email protected]