Office For Justice, Ecology and Peace

Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels
2022-09-29 00:00 - 23:59 (Australia/Sydney)
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
2022-10-01 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
2022-10-07 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
2022-10-11 00:00 - 23:59

Saint Teresa of Avila, Doctor of the Church
2022-10-15 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
2022-10-17 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

Saint John Paul II
2022-10-22 00:00 - 23:59
Pope John Paul II was beatified in Saint Peter’s Square on 1 May 2011 by Pope Benedict XVI, his immediate successor and for many years his valued collaborator as Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. He was canonised on 27 April 2014, together with Pope John XXIII, by Pope Francis.

World Mission Sunday
2022-10-23 00:00 - 23:59
“Here am I, send me.” (Is 6:8)

“Mission is a free and conscious response to God’s call. Yet we discern this call only when we have a personal relationship of love with Jesus present in his Church. Let us ask ourselves: are we prepared to welcome the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, to listen to the call to mission, whether in our life as married couples or as consecrated persons or those called to the ordained ministry, and in all the everyday events of life? Understanding what God is saying to us at this time of pandemic also represents a challenge for the Church’s mission. Illness, suffering, fear and isolation challenge us… The celebration of World Mission Day is an occasion for reaffirming how prayer, reflection and the material help of your offerings are so many opportunities to participate actively in the mission of Jesus in his Church. The charity expressed in the collections that take place during the liturgical celebrations of the third Sunday of October is aimed at supporting the missionary work carried out in my name by the Pontifical Mission Societies, in order to meet the spiritual and material needs of peoples and Churches throughout the world, for the salvation of all.” Message of His Holiness Pope Francis for World Mission Day 2020.

Read the full text of the here:

Saints Simon and Jude
2022-10-28 00:00 - 23:59
Jesus chose some unlikely people: a former Zealot, a former (crooked) tax collector, an impetuous fisherman, two “sons of thunder,” and a man named Judas Iscariot. It is a reminder that we cannot receive too often. Holiness does not depend on human merit, culture, personality, effort, or achievement. It is entirely God’s creation and gift. God needs no Zealots to bring about the kingdom by force. Jude, like all the saints, is the saint of the impossible: Only God can create his divine life in human beings. And God wills to do so, for all of us.

Franciscan Media

All Saints Day
2022-11-01 00:00 - 23:59
From the first centuries after Christ, Christians who died a martyr’s death were considered saints, who live in God’s presence forever. In the ninth century, Pope Gregory IV designated November 1 as the day to remember all the saints living in God’s presence.

Loyola Press

All Souls' Day
2022-11-02 00:00 - 23:59
On the feast of All Souls, and throughout November, we remember and pray for our deceased relatives, friends, and all the those who have died.

Prayer

Let perpetual light shine upon them,with your Saints forever, for you are merciful.Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,and let perpetual light shine upon them,with your Saints forever, for you are merciful.Amen.

Saint Charles Borromeo
2022-11-04 00:00 - 23:59
“Trained in civil and canon law in Pavia, Charles Borromeo was called to Rome as a young man by his uncle, Pope Pius IV, to be secretary of state at the Vatican. “Always clear and precise in his views, firm in his demeanor, and constant in the execution of his projects,” as one biographer has remarked, he played an important role in convincing Pius to reconvene the Council of Trent, which sought to address corruption in a sixteenth-century church beleaguered by Protestantism. Under the auspices of that council, beginning in 1563 Borromeo supervised the writing of an accurate catechism, rewrote liturgical texts and music, and began enforcing clerical reform in Rome. Charged with implementing the reforms dictated by the Council of Trent, Borromeo had to blend tough love and personal integrity.” Loyola Press

Day of Prayer for Anglican-Roman Catholic Reconciliation
2022-11-04 00:00 - 23:59
In 2002 the Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches in Australia agreed to set aside 4th November as a day of prayer for reconciliation and greater understanding between the two communities. On 4th November, Anglicans and Roman Catholics are encouraged to pray either individually, as communities or small groups, for greater mutual understanding and reconciliation. Find out more about the Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue here.

Saint Leo the Great
2022-11-10 00:00 - 23:59
“At a time when there is widespread criticism of Church structures, we also hear criticism that bishops and priests—indeed, all of us—are too preoccupied with administration of temporal matters. Pope Leo is an example of a great administrator who used his talents in areas where spirit and structure are inseparably combined: doctrine, peace, and pastoral care. He avoided an “angelism” that tries to live without the body, as well as the “practicality” that deals only in externals.” Franciscan Media

Saint Josaphat
2022-11-12 00:00 - 23:59
In 1595, the Orthodox bishop of Brest-Litovsk in present-day Belarus and five other bishops representing millions of Ruthenians, sought reunion with Rome. John Kunsevich — who took the name Josaphat in religious life — was to dedicate his life, and die for the same cause. Josaphat was the first saint of the Eastern Church to be canonized by Rome.

Franciscan Media

World Youth Day
2022-11-20 00:00 - 23:59
World Youth Day is celebrated every year in local churches and every two or three years at the international level. It is now practiced on Christ the King Sunday at Diocesan level. Lisbon, Portugal will host the next international gathering for World Youth Day in 2022.

Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
2022-11-21 00:00 - 23:59

Saint Andrew Dung-Lac and companions
2022-11-24 00:00 - 23:59
Andrew Dung-Lac, a Catholic convert ordained to the priesthood, was one of 117 people martyred in Vietnam between 1820 and 1862. Members of the companions group gave their lives for Christ in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, and received beatification during four different occasions between 1900 and 1951. All were canonized during the papacy of Saint John Paul II.

Franciscan Media

1986: Meeting of Saint John Paul II with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Alice Springs
2022-11-29 00:00 - 23:59
“Dear Aboriginal people: the hour has come for you to take on new courage and new hope. You are called to remember the past, to be faithful to your worthy traditions, and to adapt your living culture whenever this is required by your own needs and those of your fellowman. Above all you are called to open your hearts ever more to the consoling, purifying and uplifting message of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who died so that we might all have life, and have it to the full.“ Pope John Paul II, Address to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People in Blatherskite Park, Alice Springs, 29 November 1986.

Action

Visit the website of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council to learn more about St John Paul II’s visit to Alice Springs.

Read St John Paul II’s address and consider its call to you today.

1980: Death of Dorothy Day, Founder of the Catholic Worker Movement
2022-11-29 00:00 - 23:59
Dorothy Day was a journalist and social activist who cofounded the Catholic Worker Movement with Peter Maurin. Her approach to social issues combined direct service of the poor, prayer, advocacy and civil disobedience.

People began hailing Dorothy a saint shortly after her death in 1980. The cause for her canonisation is underway and in 2012 she was recognised as a Servant of God.

You can read more about Dorothy’s life and spirituality here.

1971: Synod of Bishops' Statement "Justice in the World"
2022-11-30 00:00 - 23:59
The Post Synodal Statement of the 1971 Synod of Bishops contains some of the most quoted words in the body of modern Catholic Social Teaching:

“Action on behalf of justice and participation in the transformation of the world fully appear to us as a constitutive dimension of the preaching of the Gospel, or, in other words, of the Church’s mission for the redemption of the human race and its liberation from every oppressive situation.” Synod of Bishops, Justice in the World, Introduction,1971.

Action

Remember or research what the world was like in 1971. What were the most important messages of Justice in the World at that time, and what does it say to us today?

Read this introduction to Justice in the World. Identify and reflect on what struck you or surprised you.

Saint Andrew
2022-11-30 00:00 - 23:59
“St. Andrew was a fisherman who lived in Galilee during the time of Jesus. He often followed John the Baptist and listened to his teachings. Like the other apostles, Andrew became a missionary. He preached about Jesus in the area around the Black Sea. Tradition tells us he preached in northern Greece, Turkey, and Scythia (now the southern part of Russia). Andrew died as a martyr. Tradition says that in Patras in Greece he was tied to a cross shaped like the letter X. Ever since then, a cross in the shape of an X has been called St. Andrew’s cross.” Loyola Press

Saint Nicholas (Santa Claus)
2022-12-06 00:00 - 23:59
Children all over the world know him and love him. In Germany, he’s Kriss Kringle. In France, he’s Pere Noel. British children call him Father Christmas. Of course, you know him as Santa Claus.

He’s got another name – it’s an ancient one that goes back hundreds of years. It’s one of the very first names people called him: St. Nicholas. St. Nicholas was the bishop of Myra which is in the country we now call Turkey. Nicholas was loved for one reason. He loved. He loved God and God’s people so much that he would do anything for them.

St. Nicholas showed his gratitude for God’s gifts by giving to others. What gifts can your family share with those in need?

Source: Loyola Press.

1965: Vatican II Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes ('Joys and Hopes')
2022-12-07 00:00 - 23:59
“The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the people of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ.” (#1) – Second Vatican Council, 1965

The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes was promulgated by Pope Paul VI on 7 December 1965. Read an introduction to Gaudium et Spes here.

The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
2022-12-08 00:00 - 23:59

Our Lady of Guadalupe
2022-12-12 00:00 - 23:59
“The feast in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe goes back to the 16th century. Mary appeared to Juan Diego dressed as an Aztec woman to show her love and compassion to an oppressed group of people. Mary had heard the prayers and pain of these people, and she came to give them hope. Mary’s visit to Guadalupe is a reminder that God will remember his mercy for all people. In Mary’s song of joy, the Magnificat, she praised God because he has put down the mighty, exalted the lowly, filled the hungry, and sent the rich away empty. People honor Our Lady of Guadalupe because they recognize her motherly concern for them.” Loyola Press

1831: Founding of Sisters of Mercy by Catherine McAuley
2022-12-12 00:00 - 23:59
Catherine McAuley was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1778. In 1824 she used her inheritance from an Irish couple she had served for twenty years to build a large House of Mercy where she and other lay women would shelter homeless women, reach out to the sick and dying and educate poor girls. The House on Baggot Street opened in 1827. To give these efforts greater stability, Catherine and her co-workers founded a new religious congregation. On 12 December 1831, she and two others professed their vows as the first Sisters of Mercy. Before her death on 11 November 1841, Catherine founded convents and works of mercy throughout Ireland and England.

Source: Mercy International Association

Saint John the Cross
2022-12-14 00:00 - 23:59

Christmas Eve
2022-12-24 00:00 - 23:59

Christmas Day
2022-12-25 00:00 - 23:59
“The face of God has been revealed in a human face. It did not appear in an angel, but in one man, born in a specific time and place. By his incarnation, the Son of God tells us that salvation comes through love, acceptance, respect for this poor humanity of ours, which we all share in a great variety of races, languages, and cultures. Yet all of us are brothers and sisters in humanity! Our differences, then, are not a detriment or a danger; they are a source of richness. As when an artist is about to make a mosaic: it is better to have tiles of many colours available, rather than just a few! The experience of families teaches us this: as brothers and sister, we are all different from each other. We do not always agree, but there is an unbreakable bond uniting us, and the love of our parents helps us to love one another. The same is true for the larger human family, but here, God is our ‘parent’, the foundation and strength of our fraternity.” Pope Francis, Urbi et Orbi, Christmas Day, 2018.
