Advent Carols at the Cardinal Hume Centre

It was wonderful to welcome over a hundred supporters and friends to our annual Advent Carol Service this week. As usual, it was held in Sacred Heart Church, next to the Cardinal Hume Centre, on Horseferry Road. The service was led by Fr Mike Guthrie from Westminster Cathedral and Fr Paul O’Reilly, who runs the Dr Hickey surgery next door to the Centre, which is dedicated to working with the homeless. The wonderful London Oratory School Chamber Choir joined us once again with a beautiful repertoire of music.

Mark Hoban, the chair of trustees at the Cardinal Hume Centre, addressed the congregation and spoke about the journeys that come to mind at this time of year. 'The journey that Mary and Joseph made from Nazareth to Bethlehem as they travelled there for the census before the birth of Jesus and, of course, subsequently the flight to Egypt to flee persecution by Herod. The Three Kings travelling to find the Messiah. And perhaps more mundanely, the journeys we will make over Advent and Christmas as we travel the length and breadth of the country to meet up with family and friends. Each of these journeys are journeys of hope and expectation.

And I think too of the children, young people and families who use the Centre and their journey to us. Many of those we help are asylum seekers: refugees from persecution at home and travelling here in hope: seeking safety and security. Young people in our hostel who have found shelter and support here with us: finding a safe space, escaping domestic abuse; or a home, having left care. Families living in temporary accommodation wanting space for their children to play or to do their homework. But for them their journey to us is only part of a longer journey. Arriving at the Centre is not an end in itself, but a staging post: from a hotel room in Victoria or Paddington to a permanent home, moving from the hostel to a flat of their own, or getting the benefits, housing and employment advice needed to secure their home.

Our team journey alongside the children, young people and families who use our services at either the Centre or who we encounter across Westminster as part of our outreach work. We journey alongside them as they take the next step in their lives. But we know each step of the journey is difficult, as the causes of homelessness are complex, so too are the solutions.'

He ended by thanking the Centre's supporters, saying that without them, 'We would not be able to help the children, young people and families at the Centre continue on their journey of hope and expectation.'

Our chief executive, George O'Neill, also thanked the Centre's supporters, saying they were a 'quiet choir of angels who helped care for the 1,400 people facing homelessness we supported last year.'

He went on to tell the story of someone who lived at the Cardinal Hume Centre's supported accommodation  - one of the 56 young people we helped last year - who said the most important thing he learned at the Centre was that, 'life is good.'

At a reception at the Family Centre after the service, we asked a few of our supporters their thoughts on how the values of the Cardinal Hume Centre resonate particuarly at this time of year.

Listen to their thoughts, and enjoy the music from the London Oratory School Chamber Choir here:

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