World Emoji Day
2021-07-17 00:00 - 23:59, 2022-07-17 00:00 - 23:59 (Australia/Sydney)
This day was created by Emojipedia to celebrate the use of emojis. An emoji is a small digital image or icon used to convey an idea or emotion. They are different from emoticons which use characters rather than images, for example the smiley face emoticon is :). Emojis are commonly used in text messages and on social media.

Emoji exist in various genres, including facial expressions, common objects, places and types of weather, and animals. They are much like emoticons, but emoji are actual pictures instead of typographics.

If you are confused about the meaning of the many emojis that you see, that’s what Emojipedia is for – is is a visual encyclopedia of emojis.

Originating on Japanese mobile phones in 1997, emoji became increasingly popular worldwide in the 2010’s after being added to several mobile operating systems. They are now considered to be a large part of popular culture in the west. For example, in 2015, Oxford Dictionaries named the Face with Tears of Joy emoji Word of the Year. Find out more about emoji here.

Image Credit

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

1988: Formation of Burma's National League for Democracy by Aung San Suu Kyi
2021-09-27 00:00 - 23:59, 2022-09-27 00:00 - 23:59
The Nobel Prize website explains that Peace Prze Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is “the daughter of the legendary liberation movement leader Aung San. Following studies abroad, she returned home in 1988. From then on, she led the opposition to the military junta that had ruled Burma since 1962. She was one of the founders of the National League for Democracy, and was elected secretary general of the party. Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, she opposed all use of violence and called on the military leaders to hand over power to a civilian government. The aim was to establish a democratic society in which the country’s ethnic groups could cooperate in harmony.”

1989: Opening of the Berlin Wall
2021-11-09 00:00 - 23:59, 2022-11-09 00:00 - 23:59
“On November 9, 1989, as the Cold War began to thaw across Eastern Europe, the spokesman for East Berlin’s Communist Party announced a change in his city’s relations with the West. Starting at midnight that day, he said, citizens of the GDR were free to cross the country’s borders. East and West Berliners flocked to the wall, drinking beer and champagne and chanting “Tor auf!” (“Open the gate!”). At midnight, they flooded through the checkpoints. More than 2 million people from East Berlin visited West Berlin that weekend. The reunification of East and West Germany was made official on October 3, 1990, almost one year after the fall of the Berlin Wall.” The Berlin Wall: The Fall of the Wall

1995: Execution of nine Nigerian environmentalists and human rights activists
2021-11-10 00:00 - 23:59, 2022-11-10 00:00 - 23:59
On this day in 1995, writer and human rights activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa was executed in Nigeria despite worldwide pleas for clemency. The country’s military rulers ordered the execution of Mr Saro-Wiwa and eight other dissidents.

BBC On This Day

1991: Dili Massacre, Timor-Leste: more than 271 people killed
2021-11-12 00:00 - 23:59
On November 12, 1991, 271 unarmed and peaceful protesters were massacred by Indonesian troops at Santa Cruz Cemetery in Dili, the capital of Timor Leste. 250 people are still listed as missing. Timorese protesters attended Mass at Motael Church on the morning of the massacre to honour and remember Sebastião Gomes, a fellow protester, who had been killed by the Indonesian military on October 28. The protesters then walked two kilometres in procession to Santa Cruz Cemetery where they were met by an unprovoked assault by automatic weapons. Those who were not killed in the initial attack were bayonetted. People who fled to nearby houses for shelter were hunted down and murdered. In the following days, Indonesian security forces arrested suspected protesters, and many were tried and imprisoned. Others were tortured and killed.

This horrific episode in the history of Timor Leste was minimised at first by some governments around the world, including the Australian government. Indonesian government officials alleged that the deaths in Dili were the result of isolated actions from rogue elements within the Indonesian military, capping the death toll at 19. However, a video record of the massacre taken by British journalist Max Stahl was smuggled out to the BBC. The truth of the ongoing and sanctioned violence against the Timorese people by the Indonesian government and military could no longer be denied.

The Timorese people had suffered violent oppression since the Indonesian invasion in 1975, and thousands of Timorese has been killed. Xanana Gusmão proved to be an effective and galvanizing resistance leader against the Indonesian occupying force, and the Santa Cruz Massacre turned the eyes of the world on Timor Leste. The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture was in Dili on November 11, 1991. Evidence of the massacre, and the brave witness of survivors of torture over many years, led to Timor Leste becoming an independent nation in 2002. Gusmão became the first President of the Democratic Republic of East Timor (Timor Leste).

Prayer on the 30th Anniversary of the Santa Cruz Massacre

by Sr Susan Connelly RSJ

Ever-living God, refuge of the oppressed and comforter of the sorrowing, we trust in your infinite mercy and care.

Today we remember the young Timorese who died for freedom in the Santa Cruz cemetery thirty years ago.

We pray for them, their families, and for all the Timorese people.

We ask you, O God, for the wisdom and courage to follow the way of Jesus your Son, to work for the peace that comes from your justice, and to see you in all whom we meet.

We ask this in the name of Jesus, who died and rose again, and who lives with you for ever and ever,

Amen

Music:

Plaint over Dili by Christopher Willcock SJ

Listen to the music here

This instrumental music was written as a lament response to the violence suffered by the people of Timor Leste at the Santa Cruz Massacre in 1991, and from 1975. It is a meditation of 9 minutes that acknowledges the cry of the oppressed, and the hope for freedom and redemption even amidst grief and loss.

Image:

Santa Cruz Tragedy Monument, Santa Cruz Cemetery, Dili, Timor Leste.

This monument is usually covered in flowers, especially on November 12 each year.

For more information:

Remembering Santa Cruz:

Remembering-Santa-Cruz-Download

A History of the Conflict:

History-of-the-ConflictDownload

1989: Murder of six Jesuit priests and two co-workers in El Salvador
2021-11-16 00:00 - 23:59, 2022-11-16 00:00 - 23:59
In the early hours on 16 November 1989, six Jesuit priests, a cook and her 16-year-old daughter were shot and killed at the Pastoral Centre of José Simeón Cañas Central American University (UCA) in San Salvador. The victims were Fathers Ignacio Ellacuría, Rector of the University; Ignacio Martín-Baró, Vice-Rector; Segundo Montes, Director of the Human Rights Institute; Amando López, Joaquín López y López and Juan Ramón Moreno, all teachers at UCA; and Julia Elba Ramos and her daughter, Celina Mariceth Ramos. The priests publicly opposed U.S. support of the Salvadoran armed forces, and pleaded for peaceful dialogue between the right and the left. They polled poor citizens and kept detailed records of refugees fleeing the country.

Report of the UN Truth Commission on El Salvador pages 45-47

1961: First raising of the Morning Star flag, West Papua
2021-12-01 00:00 - 23:59
On this day in 1961 the West Papuan national flag, the Morning Star was first raised.

The flag was raised by West Papuan legislators who had been promised independence by then-colonial ruler, the Netherlands.

Although the Netherlands’ commitment did not come to fruition, the flag prepared for an independent West Papua continues to be a symbol of the desire for self-determination and independence for the West Papuan people.

2021 marks the 60th anniversary of the first flag raising.

In 1962 Indonesia invaded West Papua, an act later recognised by the United Nations General Assembly in 1969. Since then, the raising of the Morning Star flag has been treated as a criminal offense. It is a symbol of the ongoing struggle for West Papuan independence.

On this day each year marches, prayer services and flag raising ceremonies are held to commemorate the first raising of the West Papuan national flag, the Bintang Kejora or Morning Star.

This year there are concerns over violence in the area.

Peter Anrdt, Executive Officer of the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission of the Archdiocese of Brisbane spoke to ABC Radio National News in early November.

Listen to his interview

Action

Find out more about the history of West Papua here.

Visit the website of the Pacific Conference of Churches to find out about their latest actions in solidarity with the people of West Papua.

And visit the International Coalition for Papua (ICP) which has a wealth of resources on human rights in West Papua: https://www.humanrightspapua.org/

Find out more at West Papua Flag Day

1991: Dissolution of the USSR and the founding of the Commonwealth of Independent States including Russia
2021-12-08 00:00 - 23:59

2004: Devastating tsunami in South Asia, killing 200,000 to 300,000 people
2021-12-26 00:00 - 23:59, 2022-12-26 00:00 - 23:59
The Indian Ocean tsunami traveled as much as 3,000 miles (nearly 5,000 km) to Africa, arriving with sufficient force to kill people and destroy property. The epicenter of the 9.0 magnitude quake was under the Indian Ocean near the west coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, according to the USGS, which monitors earthquakes worldwide.

The Indian Ocean tsunami caused waves as high as 50 feet (15 meters) in some places, according to news reports. But in many other places witnesses described a rapid surging of the ocean, more like an extremely powerful river or a flood than the advance and retreat of giant waves.

Source: National Geographic: The Deadliest Tsunami in History?

Waitangi Day
2022-02-06 00:00 - 23:59, 2023-02-06 00:00 - 23:59
Waitangi Day marks the signing in 1840 of a treaty between representatives of the British Crown and over five hundred Māori chiefs. Claudia Orange explains that:

Most chiefs signed a Māori-language version of the treaty. The English- and Māori-language versions held different meanings, and Māori and Europeans therefore had different expectations of the treaty’s terms. Ever since, resolution of these differences has presented New Zealand with challenges. Claudia Orange, ‘Treat of Waitangi’, The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

In a 2008 statement on the International Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Catholic Bishops of New Zealand said:

The Church may have initially been slow to recognise the injustices caused to indigenous peoples as part of colonisation, but Catholic social teaching on the rights of indigenous people is now clear and unequivocal. Ecclesia in Oceania, specifically written for our region, asked for forgiveness for times the Church had been a party to injustices done to indigenous peoples in Oceania, and expressed the support of the regional Bishops for the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. In statements on the Treaty of Waitangi (1990 and 1995) and Indigenous Peoples (1993), we have affirmed the Church’s commitment to work to resolve historic injustices and to reconcile peoples. A Statement from the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference on 10 December 2008.

2014: Murder of Iranian asylum seeker Reza Barati in offshore immigration detention on Manus Island
2022-02-17 00:00 - 23:59, 2023-02-17 00:00 - 23:59
Today we remember twenty three year old asylum seeker Reza Barati who was killed in riots at the Regional Processing Centre (RPC) on Manus Island. A Senate Committee inquiry later found that the Australian Government had failed in its duty to protect him, and other asylum seekers, from harm. Here is an extract from the conclusions of the Committee.

8.5 In summary, the committee has found that the events of 16 to 18 February 2014 at the Manus Island RPC were eminently foreseeable, and may have been prevented if transferees had been given a clear pathway for the assessment of their asylum claims. Many of the problems at the centre had their origins in the events of July to October 2013, when the centre was transformed from a mixed facility into a single adult males facility and experienced a massive influx of new transferees, reaching more than double the initial intended capacity of the centre in the space of approximately 12 weeks. The inability of the centre’s infrastructure to cope with this influx, combined with the complete absence of any clear refugee status determination and resettlement framework to deal with these asylum seekers, created an environment where unrest and transferee protests were the inevitable result. 8.6 It is clear from evidence presented to the committee that the Australian Government failed in its duty to protect asylum seekers including Mr Barati from harm. Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs report

The Manus Island RPC was found to be unconstitutional by the Papua New Guinea Supreme Court in 2016 and was shut in 2017. A number of detainees were transferred to the Bomana Immigration Detention Centre.

In November 2019 a delegation of representatives from the Australian Catholic community traveled to Papua New Guinea to gain a deeper understanding of conditions for asylum seekers there. Read their statement here.

Independent MP Andrew Wilkie has made a complaint about the conditions of detention in Bomana to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

As SBS News report, Director of the jurisdiction, complementary and cooperation division of the ICC office of the prosecutor, Phakiso Mochochoko has found that the conditions of detention “appear to have constituted cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.” Read more here.

Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific Day
2022-03-01 00:00 - 23:59
Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific Day is sometimes known as ‘Bikini’ Day because it marks the anniversary of the US ‘Bravo’ nuclear bomb detonation at Bikini Atoll in 1954.

The explosion gouged out a crater more than 200 feet deep and a mile across, melting huge quantities of coral which were sucked up into the atmosphere together with vast volumes of seawater. The resulting fallout caused widespread contamination in the Pacific. Te Wharepora Hou

International Day of Unplugging
2022-03-04 00:00 - 23:59
In the USA, the Reboot Network initiated the National Day of Unplugging to encourage people to unplug, unwind, relax and do things other than using digital technology, electronics and social media for twenty four hours beginning at sundown on the first Friday in March. It builds on the Sabbath Manifesto which draws on and adapts the Jewish tradition of the Sabbath.

As Christians in Australia, we can also reflect on the meaning for today’s world of the commandment to keep the Lord’s day holy. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church says:

God’s action is the model for human action. If God ‘rested and was refreshed’ on the seventh day, we too ought to ‘rest’ and should let others, especially the poor, ‘be refreshed’. The sabbath brings everyday work to a halt ad provides a respite. It is a day of protest against the servitude of work and the worship of money. Catechism of the Catholic Church, n 2172.

Do we need rest and respite from digital technologies? Might we at times fall into servitude or even worship of social media?

Find out more about the Sabbath Manifesto and the National Day of Unplugging here.

2011: Fukushima Earthquake and Tsunami
2022-03-11 00:00 - 23:59
On this day an earthquake and tsunami in Fukushima Prefecture in Japan killed 18,500 people. Damage to a nuclear power plant in this event caused widespread contamination and the displacement of thousands of people. Reflecting on these events, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Japan called for the abolition on nuclear power:

We, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan, appeal to all people who share our common home called Earth that we join hands, rise together and act in solidarity to end nuclear power generation. For that purpose, we turn first to the Catholic Church throughout the world, seeking cooperation and solidarity. Then, building on that, we hope to develop a global solidarity that transcends religions, races and nations. Catholic Bishops Conference of Japan

2002: Timor-Leste Constitution enters into force
2022-05-20 00:00 - 23:59

1989: Tiananmen Square Massacre, Bejing
2022-06-04 00:00 - 23:59
Today we remember the students who were killed in Tiananmen Square while protesting for democracy. For last year’s anniversary, Hong Kong Catholics organised an exhibition so that younger generations may gain insight into what happened. Find our more here.

Learn about the iconic image of a lone unarmed man confronting a row of tanks here.

The Tank Man

He will live forever in our memories.
His singular act of courage and hope
proclaimed the dignity of each person
in the face of powers and principalities.

God grant us his courage and his hope.

Sandie Cornish

1945: Blessed Peter To Rot
2022-07-07 00:00 - 23:59
On this day in 1945 Blessed Peter To Rot was martyred in Papua New Guinea. Find out more about his life here.

1985: Sinking of Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior in Auckland
2022-07-10 00:00 - 23:59

Migrant and Refugee Sunday
2022-09-25 00:00 - 23:59
The theme for Migrant and Refugee Sunday 2020 is “Forced Like Jesus Christ to Flee”. Read Pope Francis’ Message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees here.

From this year forward, Migrant and Refugee Sunday will be 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 Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office (ACMRO) produces a Migrant & Refugee Kit it to help parishes, schools and Catholic organisations to celebrate Migrant and Refugee Sunday.

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 2022 theme is ‘Building the Future with Migrants and Refugees’ You can read Pope Francis’ Message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2022 here.

1991: Dili Massacre, Timor-Leste: more than 271 people killed
2022-11-12 00:00 - 23:59
On November 12, 1991, Indonesian troops fired upon a peaceful memorial procession to a cemetery in Dili, East Timor that had turned into a pro-independence demonstration. More than 271 East Timorese were killed that day at the Santa Cruz cemetery or in hospitals soon after. An equal number were disappeared and are believed dead.

East Timor Action Network (ETAN)

1961: First raising of the Morning Star flag, West Papua
2022-12-01 00:00 - 23:59
On this day in 1961 the West Papuan national flag, the Morning Star was first raised. Although the Netherlands’ plans for West Papuan independence at that time did not come to fruition, the flag prepared for an independent West Papua continues to be a symbol of the desire for self determination and independence for the West Papuan people.

Find out more at West Papua Flag Day
