Mary Help of Christians, Patron of Australia
Mary Help of Christians is the Patroness of Australia.The feast focusses on Mary’s help to those in need through her intercession to confront sin and to stand against anti-Christian forces.
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Liturgy & Church
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National Sorry Day
Sorry Day has been observed since 1998, one year after the Bringing Them Home report was presented in the Australian Federal Parliament. This report detailed the impact of the forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families. Sorry Day offers an opportunity to reflect on the hardship faced when children were… Read More »National Sorry Day
2004: Queensland Bishops issue ‘Let the Many Coastlands be glad!’ Pastoral Letter on the Great Barrier Reef
"The Holy Spirit is clearly guiding us into a deeper sense ofcompanionship and care in regard to all the varied forms of life onplanet Earth. Not only is the Reef a precious ecosystem in itself, but alsoan integral part of the one web of planetary life that connects us all –the human species and all… Read More »2004: Queensland Bishops issue ‘Let the Many Coastlands be glad!’ Pastoral Letter on the Great Barrier Reef
Nativity of John the Baptist
John the Baptist is the herald for the Messiah, his cousin Jesus. He forms a bridge between the Old and New Testaments, and like Jesus, pays the ultimate cost for speaking truth to power. John challenged what was evil and immoral in his day, witnessing to the promise of a loving God. John was often… Read More »Nativity of John the Baptist
Day of the Seafarer
Courage, I am with you. Matthew 14: 27 The International Day of the Seafarer is co-ordinated each year by the International Maritime Organisation. In 2021, the focus is again centred around encouraging governments to support seafarers amid the pandemic. The organisation is calling for a fair future for seafarers. Major issues include fair treatment, fair working conditions, fair training,… Read More »Day of the Seafarer
2009: Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth)
“Knowing that we, as persons and communities, are part of God’s family gives us a vision and energy to serve a truly integral human development.”Pope Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate, n 78. Read a general introduction to Caritas in Veritate here.
St Thomas, Apostle
We feel great kinship for the apostle Thomas because, like him, most of us curiously combine faith and doubt. We sometimes share the enthusiasm St. Thomas expressed when upon Lazarus’s death Jesus decided to go to Bethany. “Let’s go too,” Thomas said to the other disciples,“that we may die with him” (see John 11:16). But… Read More »St Thomas, Apostle