Office For Justice, Ecology and Peace

Day of the Seafarer
2021-06-25 00:00 - 23:59 (Australia/Sydney)
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, and fair safety: ILO’s Maritime Labour Convention

A new declaration calling for seafarers to be considered essential workers is gaining support across international boundaries, with almost 70 countries signing on. Catholic agency Stella Maris Australia supports this declaration; the Catholic agency provides spiritual and practical support to seafarers, while also engaging in international advocacy on their behalf. The agency also actively supports local efforts to approach the Australian Government in regard to the ongoing rights and wellbeing of seafarers. The Neptune Declaration on Seafarer Wellbeing and Crew Change calls for better practices in facilitating changes of crew, and for early access for seafarers to COVID-19 vaccinations. Many seafarers are affected by expiration of contracts, the inability to disembark at some ports, and physical and mental health challenges. The Neptune Declaration states:

“This is not an acceptable way to treat seafarers, who are the frontline workers of the maritime industry, carrying 90 per cent of global trade….Fatigue after extended periods at sea has significant consequences on the physical and mental wellbeing of seafarers.”

Click here to access the Neptune Declaration.

For resources from Stella Maris for Sea Sunday, July 11, 2021: stellamarisaustralia.org

Prayer:

A Prayer for Seafarers

Be with Seafarers, Lord, on all their voyages, to cheer them and keep them safe in all dangers. Let nothing afloat or on shore cut them off from you. May they please you in everything they do. Bless all on board their ship, whatever their responsibility. Enable everyone to do their duty. Help them to be good shipmates and bring them back again safely to their homes and to those who long for their return, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Amen.

From The National Liturgy Office of New Zealand.

Photo:

International seafarers with staff of Stella Maris, Melbourne.

Music:

Eternal Father, Strong to Save by John Bacchus Dykes.

Nativity of John the Baptist
2021-06-24 00:00 - 23:59
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 portrayed as mad and wild, wandering through physical and social deserts, and existing mainly on the bounty of the land. The prophet’s road is one where we find inspiration and courage, and baptism is our ongoing call to live lives that bring justice and peace to those around us. The cost can be high for embracing God’s love in the everyday reality of our lives. The cost of not embracing it is even higher.

Who are the prophets in our midst who we would rather not hear? How can we lift them up and work with God’s love, alive and active in our world today? What do we need to change to follow the baptismal call to conversion of life?

Prayer:

John the Baptist, Witness to Truth

God, source of our hope, through John the Baptist you gave us an example of a man close to the concerns of your own heart, and alive to the needs of his time. May we too draw on his courage, forthrightness and love of you and your people. May we live into his characteristics and become more fully witnesses to Christ’s love for today’s world. We ask this, confident of your generosity and encouragement. Amen.

Adapted from the Sisters of St Joseph, Evening Prayer, 2010.

Artwork:

The Baptism of Christ (c. 1448 – 50) byPiero della Francesca (c. 1415 – 1492)

Music:

Benedictus by Steve Angrisano

Olympic Day
2021-06-23 00:00 - 23:59

Sts John Fisher and Thomas More
2021-06-22 00:00 - 23:59

World Refugee Day
2021-06-20 00:00 - 23:59
Deuteronomy 10: 12 – 19 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who is not partial and takes no bribe, who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing. You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

Welcoming the stranger, the poor, and the marginalised is central to the lived expression of an authentic Christian faith. Both Scripture and tradition are clear in their teaching that refugees are to be treated with dignity and offered hospitality in new places if they are not able to stay in their home countries. We remember that Jesus was a stranger in Egypt with Joseph and Mary. Today, Pope Francis also urges us to compassionately support those fleeing violence and injustice through no fault of their own. In the Message for the World Day of Migrants in 2016, he encouraged Catholics around the world to recognise Christ in those who seek safety and welcome: Biblical revelation urges us to welcome the stranger; it tells us that in so doing, we open our doors to God, and that in the faces of others we see the face of Christ himself.

In welcoming, sustaining, and protecting refugees, we follow Catholic teaching and respond to the call of Christ for unity in respecting the dignity of every person. Welcoming Christ in Refugees and Forcibly Displaced Persons from the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, 2013: Any person at a frontier, who has a well-founded fear of persecution, has the right to protection and should not be returned to his/ her country, irrespective of whether or not they have been formally recognized as refugees. Refugees should be treated on the same level as citizens of the hosting country, or at least on the same level as other resident foreigners. They should be entitled to the rights which are ensured to them.

Going Deeper:

Australian Catholic Bishops Social Justice Statement 2015 – 2016 For Those Who’ve Come Across the Seas: Justice for refugees and asylum seekers. https://socialjustice.catholic.org.au/2019/11/18/social-justice-statement-2015-16/

Refugee Council of Australia Events, 2021: https://www.refugeeweek.org.au

Prayer:

Pope Francis’Prayer on the 106th World Day for Migrants and Refugees, 2020.

Father, you entrusted to Saint Joseph what you held most precious: the child Jesus and his Mother, in order to protect them from the dangers and threats of the wicked.

Grant that we may experience his protection and help. May he, who shared in the sufferings of those who flee from the hatred of the powerful, console and protect all our brothers and sisters driven by war, poverty, and necessity to leave their homes and their lands to set out as refugees for safer places.

Help them, through the intercession of Saint Joseph, to find the strength to persevere, give them comfort in sorrows and courage amid their trials.

Grant to those who welcome them some of the tender love of this just and wise father, who loved Jesus as a true son and sustained Mary at every step of the way.

May he, who earned his bread by the work of his hands, watch over those who have seen everything in life taken away and obtain for them the dignity of a job and the serenity of a home.

We ask this through Jesus Christ, your Son, whom Saint Joseph saved by fleeing to Egypt, and trusting in the intercession of the Virgin Mary, whom he loved as a faithful husband in accordance with your will.

Amen.

Artwork:

Freedom (2013) by ‘Mohammad’ Villawood Detention Centre, NSW (Coffee on Paper)

This image is one of a number of works made with instant coffee powder that has been diluted in water and then put to the page. The technique was initiated by an Iraqi detainee who had some knowledge of art and who liked to paint in his free time. Upon entering detention, he had no access to paints, so he reached for whatever was at hand, in this case finding an alternative use for instant coffee. Coffee painting has gained a life of its own inside the Villawood Detention Centre and is now something of a tradition. The recourse to food as an artistic medium speaks to the ingenuity of detainees who have limited access to adequate materials and tools.

Music:

Shine Your Light (Song By Refugees) Feat. Ricky Kej, Aditya Narayan, Neeti Mohan and Salim Merchant

1969: Affirmation by Arbitration Commission of the principle of equal pay for women performing equal work
2021-06-19 00:00 - 23:59

International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict
2021-06-19 00:00 - 23:59
The United Nations has designated 19 June as the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict since 2015. The day raises awareness of the need to put an end to conflict-related sexual violence. It honours the victims and survivors of sexual violence around the world, and all those who devote their lives to fighting for justice for victims, survivors, and vulnerable people at risk of sexual violence. Although the right to live free from sexual violence is upheld in several international agreements such as the 1993 Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, violence persists – especially against women and girls in war zones – across the world. From the United Nations:

The term “conflict-related sexual violence” (CRSV) refers to rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution, forced pregnancy, forced abortion, enforced sterilisation, forced marriage and any other form of sexual violence of comparable gravity perpetrated against women, men, girls, or boys that is directly or indirectly linked to a conflict. The term also encompasses trafficking in persons when committed in situations of conflict for the purpose of sexual violence or exploitation. – United Nations

One consistent concern is that survivors do not come forward to report crimes due to the fear and cultural stigma they face. There are broader issues of discrimination and gender inequality at play, with women’s rights and full participation in society areas that can aid the prevention of sexual violence. The impact of COVID has also made it harder for reports to be processed. It is estimated that for each rape reported, 10-20 other cases are not documented. Sexual violence is a form and tactic of terrorism. As people committed to truth and healing, we stand in solidarity with survivors, listening to their voices and stories, and acting to protect those most at risk. All people have a right to fully participate in political, social, and economic life, and to access justice that supports their safety.

Prayer:

For Victims and Survivors of Violence

Loving God, you are the author and sustainer of our lives. You know the anguish of the sorrowful, you are attentive to the prayers of the brokenhearted. Hear your people who cry out to you in their need; strengthen their hope in your lasting goodness. We pray today for those who have died because of sexual violence. Draw them to yourself; let your face shine upon them. May they be greeted with choirs of angels and experience your eternal peace and joy. Be near to all those who have been impacted by sexual violence:those who have been hurt, lost their loved ones, or lost their sense of security.Be for them a steady comfort and safe resting place.Soften the hearts and steady the minds of those who would harm others. May hate be replaced with love, violence with peace, and darkness with your light. Amen.Adapted from the Catholic Health Association of the United States Prayer for the Victims of Violence.

Photo:

Rohingya human rights advocate and lawyer, Razia Sultana.

Music:

No More Violence by Hip Hop Femenino of El Salvador.

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought
2021-06-17 00:00 - 23:59

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day
2021-06-15 00:00 - 23:59
Today is a good day to revisit the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Social Justice Statement for 2016–17 ‘A Place at the Table: Social justice in an ageing society’. It celebrates the value, dignity and significant contributions of older people to the life of the community. In solidarity with all generations, older people have a rightful place in the heart of community life. The Bishops consider the circumstances of those who are approaching the end of their lives and warn of the loneliness, ageism and abuse that older people can experience. In particular, the Bishops warn about implications of the current community debate on euthanasia. The Bishops call for communities of mercy and love – where people reach out and minister to vulnerable older people, where bonds between generations are built up, and where no one is cast as being a burden or as rivals to younger generations.

1988: Barunga Statement presented by Aboriginal leaders to Prime Minister Bob Hawke
2021-06-12 00:00 - 23:59
The presentation of the Barunga Statement to Prime Minister Bob Hawke was an important moment in the movement for a treaty. Learn more about how the Statement came to be presented at the Barunga Festival here.

World Day Against Child Labour
2021-06-12 00:00 - 23:59
The Catholic Church teaches that child exploitation is a serious violation of the dignity of the human person, with the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church n 296 stating that “Child labour, in its intolerable forms, constitutes a kind of violence that is less obvious than others, but it is not for this reason any less terrible”. In an address from the Vatican on the 2014 World Day Against Child Labour, Pope Francis urged all people to renew their commitment to protect the dignity of every child, offering children the opportunity to grow in peaceful, healthy environments that foster hope and confidence.

According to the United Nations, children are are classified as child labourers when they are:

“…either too young to work, or are involved in hazardous activities that may compromise their physical, mental, social or educational development. In the least developed countries, slightly more than one in four children (ages 5 to 17) are engaged in labour that is considered detrimental to their health and development.”

Almost nine out of every ten children in child labour worldwide can be found in Africa, Asia and the Pacific regions, with the Americas (11 million), Europe and Central Asia (6 million), and the Arab States (1 million) also having some form of child labour. Child labour effects 5% of children in the Americas, 4% in Europe and Central Asia, and 3% in the Arab States.

The impact of COVID-19 affects the poorest countries and those in already disadvantaged or vulnerable situations. These include children, particularly women and girls. In 2019 it was estimated that there were 152 million child labourers with 7 out of every 10 of these children working in agriculture. The UN asks all nations to work towards the UN Sustainable Development Goal Target that seeks an end to child labour in all its forms by 2025.

Going Deeper:

https://www.un.org/en/observances/world-day-against-child-labour

Prayer:

For An End to Child Labour

God of freedom, we pray for all your children around the world who are bound by unjust child labour. Free them from their work so they can learn and grow. Heal their physical, emotional, and spiritual wounds, and protect them from further harm and exploitation.

We ask that you sustain child labourers with hope for new beginnings in safety and peace. Amen.

Fiona Dyball

Artwork:

Victoria Villasana and Zabou Street Art, London, UK, 2016.

Child Labor Free Street Art

Music:

Let them Fly by Ridma Weerawardena and Charitha AttalageSourced from https://www.musicagainstchildlabour.com/songs

1975: Enactment of the Racial Discrimination Act
2021-06-11 00:00 - 23:59

1838: Myall Creek Massacre, NSW
2021-06-10 00:00 - 23:59
Myall Creek Massacre (2003) by Vincent Serico (1949 – 2008)

The Myall Creek Massacre was just one example of the widespread culture of frontier violence against Aboriginal people in New South Wales in the 1830’s. Despite there being strong laws against this violence, the murder of Aboriginal people was generally accepted as part of the expansion of territory by settlers. Muswellbrook police magistrate Edward Denny Day described this ongoing conflict as ‘a war of extermination’ by some stockmen, settlers, and convicts.

When Aboriginal people killed stockmen near Myall Creek as part of this frontier conflict, an expedition from Sydney led by Major James Nunn, the Commandant of the New South Wales Mounted Police, massacred up to 50 Wirrayaraay people who were camped at Waterloo Creek. Their bodies were then burned. Nearby stockmen and settlers were also encouraged by the expedition to kill any Aboriginal people they encountered.

Breaking the conspiracy of silence around the murder of this group of Aboriginal people were a station manager named William Hobbs, local police superintendent Thomas Foster, and settler Frederick Foot. Eight men were tried and found guilty of murder in the Australian Supreme Court. They were hanged on December 18, 1838. For many in the colonial community of New South Wales there was more outrage around the execution of British citizens than the massacre of the Wirrayaraay people. Future perpetrators of violence against Aboriginal people took steps to cover their tracks and avoid prosecution.

The process of radical truth telling continues today in the quest for true reconciliation, justice and peace for all Australians.

Going Deeper:

https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/myall-creek-massacre

Prayer:

Prayer for Aboriginal Ancestors

Almighty God, ever-loving Father, by becoming human your Son has united himself with people of every race, language, and way of life, and through his death on the cross, mingled his blood with the blood of all Koorie people who have died unjustly throughout our history.

Hear our prayer as we remember those who died in defence of their land and traditions. Grant peace for them and all who now live in this land. May the walls which prejudice raises between us crumble beneath the shadow of the outstretched arms of him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.

Amen.

Aboriginal Catholic Ministry, Victoria.

Artwork:

Myall Creek Massacre (2003) by Vincent Serico (1949 – 2008) Music:

We Sing by Kutcha Edwards

We Sing – Kutcha Edwards

2004: Queensland Bishops issue 'Let the Many Coastlands be glad!' Pastoral Letter on the Great Barrier Reef
2021-06-08 00:00 - 23:59
“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 species of the land and sea, rainforest andreef, mountains, plains and inland desert.” Catholic Bishops of Queensland, Let the Many Coastlands be Glad!, 2004

Today is a great day to read Let the Many Coastlands Be Glad! again.

For Reflection

Imagine you were helping the Queensland Bishops to draft a pastoral letter on the Great Barrier Reef today. What has changed for the Great Barrier Reef since Let the Many Coastlands Be Glad! was published? Are there new issues to address? How might you take the teaching of Pope Francis into account in updating the Queensland Bishops’ teaching?

World Oceans Day
2021-06-08 00:00 - 23:59

World Environment Day
2021-06-05 00:00 - 23:59
Celebrated every year since 1974, World Environment Day is a good time to focus on the environmental dimensions of the Sustainable Development Goals. This year the theme is celebrating biodiversity.

The 2020 World Environment Day global campaign aims at highlighting how we as humans are inextricably linked to and depend on nature for our existence and quality of life. Recent events, from bushfires in Brazil, United States and Australia to locust swarms to the COVID-19 outbreak, highlights how meddling with ecosystems and biodiversity from its natural state is creating unprecedented challenges for humankind on a global scale. Human activities such as pollution, unsustainable use of land and sea, exploitation of organisms, climate change and invasion of alien species, are leading to biodiversity breakdown and the decline and degradation of natural ecosystems at an unprecedented scale. The crisis also reflects our connectedness to one another and how actions and events in one part of the world affect us all. It also brings to the spotlight the need for international cooperation and coordination in responding to the challenges posed by environmental degradation. Yet, these events are symptomatic and require us to address the decline of nature through transformational and sustained reforms with nature at the heart of decision-making. This World Environment Day, the need to heal our relationship and start living in harmony with nature, perhaps, has never been this stark in modern history. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is calling on governments, businesses and civil society to work together in building global understanding of biodiversity and nature’s key contribution to our survival… 2020 is a critical year for biodiversity. It’s a year of crucial decisions for planet and people, and all other forms of life on Earth. While 2020 also concludes the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity, the scientific community continues to sound the alarm on global biodiversity breakdown. Living in harmony with nature—a goal world leaders have set for 2050—cannot be achieved unless we stop the loss of the planet’s biodiversity by 2030. This leaves us with a decade for action, which will start with the 2020 United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity in October in Kunming, China and the design of a new 10-year framework for biodiversity. UN Environment Program, Working Brief, 6 April 2020

2000: 50,000 people Walk for Reconciliation in Brisbane
2021-06-04 00:00 - 23:59

1989: Tiananmen Square Massacre, Bejing
2021-06-04 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

International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression
2021-06-04 00:00 - 23:59

1992: High Court Decision in the Mabo Case
2021-06-03 00:00 - 23:59
Eddie Mabo – Marc Nemorin

This year marks the 29th anniversary of the Mabo Decision where six out of seven High Court judges agreed that the Meriam people held traditional ownership of the lands of Mer in the Torres Strait. Eddie Koiki Mabo successfully argued that his family’s ancestral land was not owned by the Crown. This landmark decision in the High Court of Australia overturned ‘terra nullius’, an understanding that Australia was empty land belonging to no one before British occupation. The decision paved the way for native title in the Native Title Act of 1993. Eddie died before the decision was handed down in 1992 but his life leaves a powerful legacy: the traditional connection and occupation of land by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is now recognised in law across Australia.

Going Deeper:

https://digital-classroom.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/mabo-decision

Prayer:

Prayer for Unity

Creator God, may the power of Your grace transform us.

Christ, give us courage and hope to manifest the unity we have in you, and to share our life with each other and the world.

Holy Spirit, empower us to work for justice for the people of the earth.

God, in your grace, transform the world.

Amen.

The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ecumenical Commission (NATSIEC) of the National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA), 2007.

Artwork:

Eddie Mabo by Marc Nemorin

Music:

Koiki by Mau Power, featuring Radical Son

Koiki by Mau Power, featuring Radical Son

1886: Catholic and Anglican Martyrs of Uganda
2021-06-03 00:00 - 23:59

1992: Launch of the Torres Strait Islander Flag
2021-05-29 00:00 - 23:59

International Day of UN Peacekeepers
2021-05-29 00:00 - 23:59

2000: 250,000 people walk for reconciliation in Sydney
2021-05-28 00:00 - 23:59

1967: Referendum allows the Commonwealth to make laws for Aboriginal people and count them in the census
2021-05-27 00:00 - 23:59

1997: Bringing Them Home Report tabled in Parliament
2021-05-26 00:00 - 23:59

2017: Uluru Statement from the Heart made by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders
2021-05-26 00:00 - 23:59
People talking to Jesus in the Bough Shed (1995) – Queenie McKenzie

For Reflection

The Uluru Statement was issued in May 2017 on the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Australian referendum. In 1967, Australians voted to amend the Australian Constitution, allowing the Commonwealth to make laws for Aboriginal people and to include them in the census. 250 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders have endorsed the 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart after an exhaustive and comprehensive two-year consultation process around Australia that was designed and led by Aboriginal people. Targeted structural change is called for through the Statement by establishing an ongoing First Nations Voice to Parliament, and a Makarrata Commission ‘to supervise a process of agreement-making between governments and First Nations and truth-telling about our history’. In 1967, Aboriginal people were counted as citizens of their own nation. Today, they seek to be fully heard, to walk with others, and to build a better future for all Australians.

Read the Statement here.

Prayer for Reconciliation

God of all creation,as we journey together in this Great Southern Land,we pray for healing, forgiveness and unity,creating a path of good will, with justice and compassion.

Jesus, through the power of your love,you have given us the courage, wisdom and strengthto share our gifts and talents in humility.

In peace and understanding we reconcile with each other.

Creator Spirit, we come together in prayer and thanksgivingfor the many blessings we have received.Allow your Spirit to wash over us and give us strength to walk together as one.

Amen

Aboriginal Elder women and Reconciliation Church staff members, 2014.

Music

Voice, Treaty, Truth, Now by Felix Riebl and Ollie McGillsung by Spinifex Gum and Marliya Choirs

National Sorry Day
2021-05-26 00:00 - 23:59
Our Home (2019) – Patrice Muthaymiles-Mahoney OAM (1975 – )

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 taken into institutional and foster care by governments and church agencies and placed with non-Indigenous families. These Stolen Generations suffered greatly from being removed from their loved ones at such an early age, and for many the scars were life-long. However, Sorry Day is also an opportunity to “acknowledge the strength of Stolen Generations Survivors and reflect on how we can all play a part in the healing process for our people and nation.”

Going Deeper

https://www.reconciliation.org.au

Prayer

Almighty and loving God, you who created ALL people in your image.

Lead us to seek your compassion as we listen to the stories of our past. You gave your only Son, Jesus, who died and rose again so that sins will be forgiven.

We place before you the pain and anguish of dispossession of land, language, lore, culture, and family kinship that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have experienced. We live in faith that all people will rise from the depths of despair and hopelessness. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families have endured the pain and loss of loved ones, through the separation of children from their families.

We are sorry and ask God’s forgiveness.

Touch the hearts of the broken, homeless, and inflicted and heal their spirits.

In your mercy and compassion walk with us as we continue our journey of healing to create a future that is just and equitable.

Lord, you are our hope. Amen.

Aboriginal and Islander Commission of the National Council of Churches in Australia, (NATSIEC) 2003.

Artwork

Our Home (2019) by Patrice Muthaymiles-Mahoney OAM (1975 – )

Music

Took the Children Away by Archie Roach.

Took The Children Away – Archie Roach

Mary Help of Christians, Patron of Australia
2021-05-25 00:00 - 23:59
Mary Help of Christians – Artist Uknown

Mary Help of Christians is the Patroness of Australia. The establishment of the feast has an interesting history, and a unique place in the Catholic history 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.

Pope Pius VII established the feast in honour of Our Lady Help of Christians in 1815. After being imprisoned by Napoleon Bonaparte, he established the feast in thanksgiving for his release. Australia, a new colony at that time, had no Catholic priests and therefore no Mass available. The faithful recited and relied on the Rosary to sustain the Catholic community. In 1844, Australia became the first country in the world to have Mary Help of Christians as Patroness. – From the ACBC Resource Entrusting Australia to Mary Help of Christians, 2020.

Learn more here:

Entrust-to-Mary-Help-of-Christians-ACBC-ResourceDownload

Prayer:

Mary Help of Christians, Patroness of Australia and of the Military Ordinariate Almighty God, deepen in our hearts our love of Mary Help of Christians. Through her prayers and under her protection, may the light of Christ shine over our land. May Australia be granted harmony, justice and peace. Grant wisdom to our leaders and integrity to our citizens. Bless especially the men and women of the Australian Defence Force and their families. We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

Mary Help of Christians, pray for us.

Artwork:

Mary Help of Christians – Artist Unknown

Music:

Sing of Lady by Liam Lawton

Mary Help of Christians by Liam Lawton

Mary Help of Christians, Patron of Australia
2021-05-24 00:00 - 23:59
