Saint Dominic
2021-08-08 00:00 - 23:59 (Australia/Sydney)
“Truth was Dominic’s motto and his goal. Dominic was born in Spain, the youngest of four children. He was outstanding for his love of truth, his clear thought, his organizing ability, and his sensitive, loving nature. For Dominic, love for people was part of his love for God.” Loyola Press

Saint Lawrence
2021-08-10 00:00 - 23:59
What do you think are the real treasures of the Church?

Little is actually known about St Lawrence, but the following legend, recounted by Franciscan Media, persists:

As deacon in Rome, Lawrence was charged with the responsibility for the material goods of the Church, and the distribution of alms to the poor. When Lawrence knew he would be arrested like the pope, he sought out the poor, widows, and orphans of Rome and gave them all the money he had on hand, selling even the sacred vessels of the altar to increase the sum. When the prefect of Rome heard of this, he imagined that the Christians must have considerable treasure. He sent for Lawrence and said, “You Christians say we are cruel to you, but that is not what I have in mind. I am told that your priests offer in gold, that the sacred blood is received in silver cups, that you have golden candlesticks at your evening services. Now, your doctrine says you must render to Caesar what is his. Bring these treasures—the emperor needs them to maintain his forces. God does not cause money to be counted: He brought none of it into the world with him—only words. Give me the money, therefore, and be rich in words.” Lawrence replied that the Church was indeed rich. “I will show you a valuable part. But give me time to set everything in order and make an inventory.” After three days he gathered a great number of blind, lame, maimed, leprous, orphaned, and widowed persons and put them in rows. When the prefect arrived, Lawrence simply said, “These are the treasure of the Church.” The prefect was so angry he told Lawrence that he would indeed have his wish to die—but it would be by inches. He had a great gridiron prepared with coals beneath it, and had Lawrence’s body placed on it. After the martyr had suffered the pain for a long time, the legend concludes, he made his famous cheerful remark, “It is well done. Turn me over!” Franciscan Media

Saint Clare
2021-08-11 00:00 - 23:59
Clare was born of a wealthy family in Assisi, Italy. As a teenager she became aware that Francis, the handsome, wealthy leader of youth in Assisi, had greatly changed. Clare’s community wanted to live according to the rule of Francis. Her community still exists today, the Sisters are called the Poor Clares. Loyola Press

Saint Maximillian Kolbe
2021-08-14 00:00 - 23:59
Pope John Paul II said of Father Kolbe, “He won a victory of love. He loved both his fellow prisoners and those who put him to death. There is no greater love than this.” Loyola Press

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
2021-08-15 00:00 - 23:59
On this day, the Church celebrates the Feast Day of the Assumption of Our Lady when according to our faith, the Holy Mother, “having completed her course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.” The Catholic Weekly provides some historical background information here.

Saint Alberto Hurtado SJ
2021-08-18 00:00 - 23:59
“Christ roams through our streets in the person of so many suffering poor, sick, dispossessed and people thrown out of their miserable slums: Christ huddled under bridges, in the person of so many children who lack someone to call father, who have been deprived for many years from a mother’s kiss upon their foreheads…Christ is without a home!” St Alberto Hurtado SJ

Alberto Hurtado SJ (1901-1952) served the poor in Chile and founded the Hogar de Cristo or “Home of Christ” for the poor and abandoned young people. He was a staunch advocate of workers rights. Find out more about his life here.

As the Hurtado Jesuit Centre in the UK explain:

“Alberto Hurtado realised the great dangers of his time. In opposition to exploitative capitalism and communist revolution under way in various countries of the world, he, inspired by the social teaching of the Church, promoted a different path: a Christian Social Order, based on the two great virtues of love and justice. But he did not want charity without justice. He said: ‘Many works of charity can bear our society, but all this immense effort of generosity, much to praise, fails to repair the ravages of injustice. Injustice causes far more evils than can be repaired by charity. ‘ ‘We must be righteous before we are generous.'” Hurtado Jesuit Centre

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux
2021-08-20 00:00 - 23:59
St Bernard of Clairvaux is a Doctor of the Church and one of the founders of the Cistercian order. He earned a reputation for being able to settle disputes, and was called to various countries to give advice on affairs of Church and of government. Find out more here.

The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
2021-08-22 00:00 - 23:59
The feast of the Queenship of Mary was instituted by Pope Pius XII in 1954. Find out more here.

1999: Death of Dom Helder Camara
2021-08-27 00:00 - 23:59
“When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why they are poor, they call me a communist.” Dome Helder Camara

Dom Helder Camara (1909 – 199) was a Brazilian archbishop from 1964-1985. Richard Rohr explains that “under his guidance, the Catholic Church in Brazil criticized the country’s military dictatorships and worked for social change. Camara spoke and wrote against using violence to repress rebellions that resulted from injustice and poverty in other countries as well. In 1971, he published Spiral of Violence, which shows how basic structural injustice leads to escalating rebellion, which then leads to new repression. If you don’t nip this spiral in the bud, recognizing violence at its lowest structural level, it is much harder to stop it at the later stages.”

The process for recognising Dom Helder Camara as a saint has begun.

Saint Augustine of Hippo
2021-08-28 00:00 - 23:59
“You have made us and directed us toward yourself and our heart is restless until we rest in you.” Confessions 1.1

Saint Augustine was one of the great founders of monasticism in the Western Church. The Augustinians in Australia describe his spirituality in the following way:

“In Augustinian spirituality love for God is experienced as love for one another. Where love for another person is present God is present too. ‘Honour God in each other’. We come to God through love of one another, since love for a human being is much more concrete than love for God. In the teaching of Augustine human love has divine love running within it.

The warmth of friendship is likewise essential for Augustine.’Without a human being who is our friend, nothing in the world appears friendly to us.’ Life shared with others culminates in friendship – the gift of loving and being loved. In his spirituality it is as important to relate to one another as it is to pray with them. Thus as we strive for union with others we do so in a shared love for God.

Augustine models for us prayer of the heart, longing to know and to see God. In prayer we progress to God who is human happiness itself.

In Augustinian spirituality all good things come back to the one thing: love, the very centre of Christian existence.”

Beheading of Saint John the Baptist
2021-08-29 00:00 - 23:59

Social Justice Sunday
2021-08-29 00:00 - 23:59
From 2020 forward, Social Justice Sunday will be celebrated on the last Sunday of August. Previously it was celebrated on the last Sunday in September.

A Long Tradition

The celebration of Social Justice Sunday is a long tradition in the Catholic Church in Australia. For almost every year since 1940, our bishops have joined together to issue a major social justice statement at this time.

Of course, the bishops also make statements on matters of social and ecological justice at other times throughout the year too. These are often issued by individual bishops delegated as spokespersons for particular issues, or by commissions of bishops. By contrast, the social justice statement issued in time for Social Justice Sunday is approved by and issued in the name of the whole bishops’ conference. It is hoped that these statements will inspire reflection and action throughout the whole year.

Social Justice Statement 2021-22

You can download the Statement, launch video, five accompanying prayer cards, an action card, liturgy resources and media assets on this page of our website.

The Statement affirms that “we human beings need a change of heart, mind, and behaviour”. It draws from Scripture, from the theological tradition, from Catholic Social Teaching, and from the wisdom of the world, including the insights of the First Nations.

The Bishops provide theological foundations to ground and inspire efforts to care for creation while responding to the needs of the disadvantaged and excluded. The Statement reflects on creation in and through the Trinity; the sacramentality of all created things; the wonder and beauty available to the contemplative eye; and the need for conversion and change of life.

In the Statement, the Bishops invite the whole Catholic community to join them in taking up Pope Francis’ invitation to a seven-year journey towards total ecological sustainability, guided by seven Laudato Si’ Goals. These Goals are: response to the cry of the earth; response to the cry of the poor; ecological economics; sustainable lifestyles; ecological spirituality; ecological education; and community engagement and participatory action.

The Statement especially encourages Catholic families, communities and organisations to: listen to the First Nations; reflect on the theological foundations offered in Cry of the Earth, Cry of the Poor; and plan their next steps towards the Laudato Si’ Goals.

Previous Statements

View and download Social Justice Statements and associated resources from 2014 – 2020 here.

The Social Justice Statements from 1988 – 2013 have been published together in a book called Building Bridges.

1815: Founding of Sisters of Charity by Mary Aikenhead
2021-09-01 00:00 - 23:59
“In 1815, Mary Aikenhead, with Alicia Walsh, after completing their novitiate, founded the Religious Sisters of Charity in Ireland. They were the first, so-called Walking Nuns who visited the sick in their homes and tried to alleviate the wide spread poverty. Mother Mary Aikenhead’s dependence on Divine Providence – “God will provide” – was the driving force in all that she achieved for God’s poor. This is the legacy the Sisters of Charity of Australia hold dear.” Sisters of Charity, Australia

World Day of Prayer for Care of Creation
2021-09-01 00:00 - 23:59

Saint Gregory the Great
2021-09-03 00:00 - 23:59
“Gregory was born about A.D. 540 in Rome, the son of a wealthy senator. Like most of the nobility of his time, he was well educated. But unlike many, he was generous and concerned about those who were poor. One of the four key Fathers of the Western Church, Gregory is sometimes accredited with Gregorian chant, the Church’s liturgical chant form, was known for liturgical reform and for encouraging the Stations of the Cross and daily Mass during Lent.” Loyola Press

Season of Creation begins
2021-09-05 00:00 - 23:59
The idea of celebrating a Season of Creation began in the Lutheran Church in Adelaide, Australia in 2000. Now many different churches all over the world take part. In 2016 the Catholic Church joined in. The season embraces the four Sundays of September before the Feast of St Francis of Assisi – 4 October.

Norman Habel explains: “The season of Creation offers an opportunity for churches to introduce new visual elements into their worship and to be ecumenical and connected with creation in a particular context.” More information here.

Pope Francis’ Prayer Intention: Respect for the Planet’s Resources

Pope Francis’ prayer intention for September also focuses on care for creation. He calls us to respect the planet’s resources and to share rather than plunder them.

Some ways of celebrating

Watch Pope Francis’ video message for the Season of Creation.Share the video explaining Pope Francis’ prayer intention for September.Prepare prayers of intercession for use at Mass on the Sundays of September.Plan a prayer service or liturgy that embraces your local environment.Review the carbon footprint of your household, parish, school or organisation.Use the social media collateral available here.Participate in the Caritas Catholic Earthcare Convocation.

Saint Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa)
2021-09-05 00:00 - 23:59
“The cry of Jesus on the Cross, ‘I thirst’ (Jn 19: 28), expressing the depth of God’s longing for man, penetrated Mother Teresa’s soul and found fertile soil in her heart.” Pope John Paul II, 19 October 2003

Mother Teresa served the poor for 69 years and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. Find out more about Mother Teresa from Franciscan Media.

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
2021-09-08 00:00 - 23:59
“The Church has celebrated Mary’s birth since at least the sixth century. A September birth was chosen because the Eastern Church begins its Church year with September. The September 8 date helped determine the date for the feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8.” Franciscan Media

Image: The Birth of the Virgin | fresco by Giotto

Saint Peter Claver
2021-09-09 00:00 - 23:59
“When he was 29 years old, Peter left his home in Spain and went to Cartagena (in what is now Colombia), South America. There he continued his studies and was ordained a priest. Cartagena was the main market for the slave trade in the New World. Whenever a ship carrying Africans arrived in port, Peter was there. He would hurry down with a jug of water, and a basket full of medicine, fruit, bread, and clothing. His first concern was to tend to their human needs — to ease their suffering and somehow restore their sense of dignity. He saw the suffering Jesus in the people he served. A man of deep prayer, unbounded energy, and steady devotion, Peter Claver realized that it was his relationship with Christ that nourished his spirit and gave him the courage to go on when so many problems surrounded his work. When he died the city that had opposed so many of his efforts honored him.” Loyola Press

Learn More

Today is a good day to learn more about modern slavery.

Anti Slavery Australia provides free legal services for those in situations of modern slavery, undertakes research and advocacy, and provides training and capacity building for organisations working against modern slavery.

The Anti-Slavery Taskforce of the Sydney Archdiocese helps church organisations to eliminate slavery from their supply chains.

Pray

O God, who made Saint Peter Claver a slave of slaves
and strengthened him with wonder charity and patience
as he came to their help,
grant, through his intercession, that,
seeking the things of Jesus Christ,
we may love our neighbor in deeds and in truth.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen

Exaltation of the Holy Cross
2021-09-14 00:00 - 23:59
“The cross is a sign of suffering, a sign of human cruelty at its worst. But by Christ’s love shown in the Paschal Mystery, it has become the sign of triumph and victory, the sign of God, who is love itself.” Loyola Press

1981: Pope John Paul II's encyclical Laborem Exercens ('On Human Work')
2021-09-14 00:00 - 23:59
“Pope John Paul II issued Laborem Exercens to mark the ninetieth anniversary of Rerum Novarum. It is also known by the English title On Human Labour. John Paul II’s own experience as a manual labourer and his personalist philosophical ethics shape this social encyclical.

Unemployment and the impact of technology on work are major concerns of this encyclical. As well as affirming a right to work, to a just wage, and to form unions, Laborem Exercens introduces the concept of an ‘indirect employer’…

Laborem Exercens concludes with a spirituality of work. This spirituality focuses on the role of work in the transformation of nature and in personal fulfillment, the provision of the basis of family life, and contributing to the common good. John Paul II values the subjective over the objective dimensions of work. Work is valuable because it is the free act of a human person who is a subject and not an object.”

Sandie Cornish, Introduction to Laborem Exercens, Social Spirituality.

Saint Robert Bellarmine
2021-09-17 00:00 - 23:59
Robert Bellarmine was a Jesuit scholar who was eventually made a Cardinal. His major work Disputations on the Controversies of the Christian Faith, helped to discredit the divine right of kings theory. This paved the way for Catholic Social Teaching’s contemporary understanding of the Pope’s role in temporal affairs, and of the role of the laity.

Find out more about his life here.

Migrant and Refugee Sunday
2021-09-26 00:00 - 23:59
The Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office’s kit for Migrant and Refugee Sunday 2021 is now available: https://www.acmro.catholic.org.au/resources/migrant-refugee-kit

The theme for this year is, Towards an ever wider ‘we’.

Poster for the 107th Migrant and Refugee Sunday

Migrant and Refugee Sunday is celebrated in Australia on the last Sunday in September. This brings the practice of the Church in Australia into line with the practice of the Church around the world.

The Migrant and Refugee Section of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development also offers resources for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. The 2021 theme is ‘Towards an Ever Wider We.’ You can read Pope Francis’ Message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2021 here.

Video

For more information, contact: info@acmro.catholic.org.au

Prayer

Holy, beloved Father,your Son Jesus taught usthat there is great rejoicing in heavenwhenever someone lost is found,whenever someone excluded, rejected or discardedis gathered into our “we”,which thus becomes ever wider.

We ask you to grant the followers of Jesus,and all people of good will,the grace to do your will on earth.Bless each act of welcome and outreachthat draws those in exileinto the “we” of community and of the Church,so that our earth may truly becomewhat you yourself created it to be:the common home of all our brothers and sisters. Amen.

Rome, Saint John Lateran, 3 May 2021Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles

Saint Vincent de Paul
2021-09-27 00:00 - 23:59
“Love the poor. Honour them, my children, as you would honour Christ himself.” – St Vincent de Paul

The St Vincent de Paul Society website explains that as a young man, “St Vincent de Paul ministered to the wealthy and powerful. However an appointment as chaplain to a poor parish, and to galley prisoners, inspired him to a vocation of working with those most marginalised and powerless. Vincent urged his followers to bring God’s justice and love to people who were unable to live a full human life: ‘Deal with the most urgent needs. Organise charity so that it is more efficient…teach reading and writing, educate with the aim of giving each the means of self-support. Intervene with authorities to obtain reforms in structure… there is no charity without justice‘.”

St Vincent de Paul Society was named after him and follows his teachings and compassion for people in need.

Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels
2021-09-29 00:00 - 23:59
The Franciscan Media Saint of the Day website notes that “angels—messengers from God—appear frequently in Scripture, but only Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are named.” It goes on to explain that “each of the archangels performs a different mission in Scripture: Michael protects; Gabriel announces; Raphael guides”.

For reflection:

What are the names of some of the people through whom you experience God’s protection, communication, and guidance in your life? Do you ever think of them as angels?

Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, Doctor of the Church
2021-10-01 00:00 - 23:59
“Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face is the youngest of all the “Doctors of the Church”, but her ardent spiritual journey shows such maturity, and the insights of faith expressed in her writings are so vast and profound that they deserve a place among the great spiritual masters.” – Pope John Paul II

Popularly known as the Little Flower, Therese of Lisieux was canonized in 1925. She became the 33rd Doctor to receive the title when declared by Pope John Paul II on October 19, 1997. “Story of a Soul” is the book that made Therese known throughout the world which became a world wide bestseller, and has been translated into more than sixty languages and dialects.

Society of the Little Flower Quick Facts

Our Lady of the Rosary
2021-10-07 00:00 - 23:59
“The purpose of the rosary is to help us meditate on the great mysteries of our salvation. Pius XII called it a compendium of the gospel. The main focus is on Jesus — his birth, life, death, and resurrection. The Our Fathers remind us that Jesus’ Father is the initiator of salvation. The Hail Marys remind us to join with Mary in contemplating these mysteries. They also make us aware that Mary was and is intimately joined with her Son in all the mysteries of his earthly and heavenly existence. The Glory Bes remind us that the purpose of all life is the glory of the Trinity.” Franciscan Media

1962: Opening Session of Second Vatican Council
2021-10-11 00:00 - 23:59

Saint Teresa of Avila, Doctor of the Church
2021-10-15 00:00 - 23:59
“Teresa was a woman “for others.” Though a contemplative, she spent much of her time and energy seeking to reform herself and the Carmelites, to lead them back to the full observance of the primitive Rule. She founded over a half-dozen new monasteries. She traveled, wrote, fought—always to renew, to reform. In her self, in her prayer, in her life, in her efforts to reform, in all the people she touched, she was a woman for others, a woman who inspired and gave life. Her writings, especially the Way of Perfection and The Interior Castle, have helped generations of believers. In 1970, the Church gave her the title she had long held in the popular mind: Doctor of the Church. She and St. Catherine of Siena were the first women so honored.” Franciscan Media

Saint Ignatius of Antioch
2021-10-17 00:00 - 23:59
Born in Syria, Ignatius converted to Christianity and eventually became bishop of Antioch. Ignatius is well known for the seven letters he wrote on the long journey from Antioch to Rome. Ignatius’s great concern was for the unity and order of the Church. Even greater was his willingness to suffer martyrdom rather than deny his Lord Jesus Christ. He did not draw attention to his own suffering, but to the love of God which strengthened him. He knew the price of commitment and would not deny Christ, even to save his own life.

Franciscan Media
