Augustine Zhao Rong was a Chinese soldier who accompanied Bishop John Gabriel Taurin Dufresse of the Paris Foreign Mission Society to his martyrdom in Beijing. Not long after his baptism, Augustine was ordained as a diocesan priest. He was martyred in 1815. Beatified in groups at various times, these 120 martyrs were canonized together in… Read More »St Augustine Zhao Rong and Companions
World Population Day is an annual event, observed on July 11 every year, which seeks to raise awareness of global population issues.
Does your parish, school or Catholic organisation fly the Aboriginal flag? If not, perhaps you can consider doing so on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday and other special dates such as Sorry Day, NAIDOC Week and Reconciliation Week? Find out more about the Aboriginal flag here.
Did you know that the Australian national flag is not the only official flag of Australia? The Australian Aboriginal Flag and Torres Strait Islander Flag were proclaimed as official flags of Australia on 14 July 1995. Find out more here. This would be a great day to invite people from your local Aboriginal Catholic Ministry… Read More »1995: Proclamation of Aboriginal Flag and Torres Strait Islander Flag as official flags of Australia
Saint Bonaventure ... played an important role in both the medieval Church and the history of the Franciscan Order. A senior faculty member at the University of Paris, Saint Bonaventure certainly captured the hearts of his students through his academic skills and insights. But more importantly, he captured their hearts through his Franciscan love for… Read More »St Bonaventure
This day highlights the importance of youth skills because rising youth unemployment is seen as one of the most significant problems facing economies and societies in the world today, both for developed and developing countries. Find out more here.
"Any act of war aimed indiscriminately at the destruction of entire cities or extensive areas along with their population is a crime against God and humanity itself. It merits unequivocal and unhesitating condemnation."Vatican II, Gaudium et Spes, n 80. The code name for the operation that lead to the first use of this weapon of… Read More »1945: Detonation of the first atomic bomb, New Mexico USA
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… Read More »World Emoji Day
"It is easy to break down and destroy.The heroes are those who make peace and build."Nelson Mandela South African leader Nelson Mandela was born on this day in 1918. A timeline of his life, and links to the texts of some of his major speeches can be accessed here. For Reflection What can we learn… Read More »Nelson Mandela International Day