Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific Day
2023-03-01 00:00 - 23:59 (Australia/Sydney)
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
2023-03-03 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
2023-03-11 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
2023-05-20 00:00 - 23:59
