Jubilee Year Mass for Migrants at Westminster Cathedral

In this special Jubilee Year, the three 'London' Dioceses of Brentwood, Southwark and Westminster will be gathering at Westminster Cathedral for the annual Mass for Migrants, on Bank Holiday Monday, 5 May - starting at 2pm with a procession of banners.

The Mass for the Feast of St Joseph the Worker is prepared by the Justice & Peace Commissions, Caritas and Ethnic Chaplaincies of the three Dioceses and celebrates the contributions made to the life, work and faith in the UK by all those who come from other countries to make a home here.

Music will be provided by musicians from the Lourdes Mass and a variety of chaplaincies. The Mass will also be joined by community organisers from London Citizens.

The celebrant and preacher this year is Cardinal Michael Fitzgerald MAfr OBE. Cardinal Fitzgerald is a British Cardinal who headed the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue from 2002 to 2006. He has held the rank of archbishop since 2002 and was apostolic nuncio to Egypt and delegate to the Arab League, prior to his retirement in 2012. Pope Francis raised him to the rank of cardinal on 5 October 2019. He is one of the leading experts on Islam, Christian-Muslim relations and interreligious dialogue in the international Catholic Church. He is fluent in Arabic.

Parishes and Catholic organisations are welcome to bring banners for the procession. Everyone is invited to wear national dress. Those taking part in the procession are invited to arrive from 1.30pm where light refreshments will be provided and a locked space in which to leave possessions during the Mass.

Do come along and bring the family, whether you are from a migrant background or not! It is always a colourful and a lively occasion.

Fr Dominic Robinson SJ, Chair of the Westminster Justice and Peace Commission, writes: "We truly hope that you can join us and we can fill the Cathedral on this day when we give thanks to God for the universal gift of work and for the huge contribution of migrants to our city. This annual event is such an important one in our Churches' calendar as it represents the presence and involvement of so many Catholics from diverse ethnic communities, a mark of our true catholicity.

And at a time when we see a reluctance or hostility to truly welcome the stranger in our midst, this gathering takes on a prophetic role too as we are called to celebrate with great enthusiasm our diverse musical gifts, national dress, our cultural diversity in all its richness, and so witness to the dignity of every human person and the dignity of fulfilling work as a gift from God for all."