“Love the poor. Honour them, my children, as you would honour Christ himself.” - St Vincent de Paul The St Vincent de Paul Society website explains that as a young man, "St Vincent de Paul ministered to the wealthy and powerful. However an appointment as chaplain to a poor parish, and to galley prisoners, inspired… Read More »Saint Vincent de Paul
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… Read More »1988: Formation of Burma’s National League for Democracy by Aung San Suu Kyi
What do you know about David Unaipon, the man on the fifty dollar note? He was a preacher, writer and inventor and was the first Aboriginal published author. David was born in 1872 on the Point McLeay mission in the town of Raukkan, just 80 km southeast of Adelaide. Find out more on the NITV… Read More »1872: Birth of David Unaipon, Aboriginal writer and activist
Noel Olive explains in the Australian Dictionary of Biography: "On 28 September 1983 several members of the Roebourne police force attended a meeting of the Western Australian Police Union of Workers at Karratha. They adjourned to the local golf club for drinks, and then proceeded to the Top Bar of the Victoria Hotel at Roebourne.… Read More »1983: Death of John Pat in Roebourne Prison WA, prompting the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody
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… Read More »Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels
"The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination 1966 was one of the first human rights treaties to be adopted by the United Nations (UN). The Convention is widely supported, with more than 156 countries (four-fifths of the membership of the UN) having ratified it. Australia ratified the Convention on 30 September 1975."Australian Human Rights Commission… Read More »1975: Ratification by Australia of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
International Podcast Day™ is an initiative of a group of podcasters. They explain the origin of the day in this way: "In the summer of 2013, Steve Lee heard a radio announcement for National Senior Citizens' Day. thinking that was pretty cool, it begged the question of why there wasn't a day for the celebration… Read More »International Podcast Day
"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… Read More »Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, Doctor of the Church
"The year 2020 marks the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations and the 30th Anniversary of the International Day of Older Persons. This year has also seen an emergence of COVID-19, that has caused an upheaval across the world. Considering the higher risks confronted by older persons during the outbreak of pandemics such as COVID-19, policy and programmatic… Read More »International Day for Older Persons
"Just peace is the goal, nonviolence is the way. A sustainable culture of peace can only be established by nonviolence that absolutely respects human dignity. Rooted in the interconnectedness of God's creation, it also opens the way to an 'integral ecology' , as expressed by Pope Francis in Laudato Si'. Violence undermines this interconnectedness. Nonviolence… Read More »International Day of Non-Violence
"Gandhi constantly highlighted the gap between what we do, and what we are capable of doing. On this International Day, I urge each and every one of us to do everything in our power to bridge this divide as we strive to build a better future for all." UN Secretary-General António Guterres
"Solutions begin with small steps individuals can take to alter the way our cities function. We must reduce the amount of waste we produce, and, at the same time, start seeing it as a valuable resource that can be re-used and recycled, including for energy." — UN Secretary-General António Guterres The United Nations designated the… Read More »World Habitat Day
Held annually on 5 October since 1994, World Teachers’ Day commemorates the anniversary of the adoption of the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers. This Recommendation sets benchmarks regarding the rights and responsibilities of teachers and standards for their initial preparation and further education, recruitment, employment, and teaching and learning conditions. The Recommendation… Read More »World Teachers Day
"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… Read More »Our Lady of the Rosary
World Post Day is celebrated each year on 9 October, the anniversary of the establishment of the Universal Postal Union in 1874 in the Swiss Capital, Bern. It was declared World Post Day by the Universal Postal Union Congress held in Tokyo, Japan in 1969. Since then, countries across the world participate annually in the… Read More »World Post Day
"This year’s World Mental Health Day, on 10 October, comes at a time when our daily lives have changed considerably as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The past months have brought many challenges: for health-care workers, providing care in difficult circumstances, going to work fearful of bringing COVID-19 home with them; for students, adapting… Read More »World Mental Health Day
Anti-Poverty Week was established in 2002 by the Social Justice Project at the UNSW, led by Professor Julian Disney. It was inspired by the United Nations International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (October 17) but expanded to include a full week in Australia to allow more participation. The aim was to strengthen public understanding… Read More »Anti-Poverty Week
"We need to uphold the equal rights, voices and influence of girls in our families, communities and nations. Girls can be powerful agents of change, and nothing should keep them from participating fully in all areas of life." — UN Secretary-General António Guterres Since 2012, 11 October has been marked as the International Day of the… Read More »International Day of the Girl
The first Sea of Hands was held on the 12 October 1997, in front of Parliament House, Canberra. Hands in the colors of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags were signed by people to show their support for reconciliation and native title. At the time it was the largest public art installation in Australia.… Read More »1997: First Sea of Hands, Canberra
"Making infrastructure more climate-resilient can have a benefit-cost ratio of about six to one. For every dollar invested, six dollars can be saved. This means that investing in climate resilience creates jobs and saves money." — UN Secretary-General António Guterres The International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction was started in 1989, after a call by… Read More »International Day for Disaster Reduction
"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… Read More »Saint Teresa of Avila, Doctor of the Church
"As early adopters of new agricultural techniques, first responders in crises and entrepreneurs of green energy, rural women are a powerful force that can drive global progress." — UN Secretary-General António Guterres The crucial role that women and girls play in ensuring the sustainability of rural households and communities, improving rural livelihoods and overall wellbeing,… Read More »International Day of Rural Women
World Food Day 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO). As countries around the world deal with the widespread effects of the COVID-9 pandemic, it’s a time to look into the future we need to build together. Action Use the hashtag #WorldFoodDay to share your action online… Read More »World Food Day
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… Read More »Saint Ignatius of Antioch
Find out more about why the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty was established here. Learn about the Sustainable Development Goals here. The goal of the Raise the Rate campaign is to fix our social security safety net for good so that it keeps people out of poverty. Find out how to join the… Read More »International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
On 19 October 2001, 353 people, mostly women and children, drowned on the high seas trying to reach Australia in a small, dilapidated, grossly overloaded fishing boat that would later come to be known as Suspected Illegal Entry Vessel (SIEV) X. There were 45 who survived the sinking, of whom seven eventually settled in Australia.… Read More »2001: Sinking of refugee boat SIEV X
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.
"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,… Read More »World Mission Sunday
"Information and communications technologies have the potential to provide new solutions to development challenges, particularly in the context of globalization, and can foster economic growth, competitiveness, access to information and knowledge, poverty eradication and social inclusion." — General Assembly Resolution (A/RES/65/141) The General Assembly in 1972 established World Development Information Day to draw the attention… Read More »World Development Information Day
In 1945, representatives of 50 countries met in San Francisco at the United Nations Conference on International Organization to draw up the United Nations Charter. The Charter was signed on 26 June 1945 by the representatives of the 50 countries. Poland, which was not represented at the Conference, signed it later and became one of the original 51… Read More »1945: Establishment of the United Nations
UN Day marks the anniversary of the entry into force in 1945 of the UN Charter. With the ratification of this founding document by the majority of its signatories, including the five permanent members of the Security Council, the United Nations officially came into being. This year is the 75th anniversary of the UN. Learn… Read More »United Nations Day
"The adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was a defining moment for global efforts to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit arms trade: the Agenda included a specific target to significantly reduce illicit arms flows by 2030."— UN Secretary-General's report Disarmament Week begins on the anniversary of the founding of the United Nations (24… Read More »Disarmament Week
On 26 October 1985 the Governor General of Australia, Sir Ninian Stephen, handed over title for the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park to the Traditional Owners of the area – the Anangu. The hand over and lease back ceremony was held in the Mutitjulu community near the base of Uluru. It was a night of singing… Read More »1985: Return of Uluru to the traditional owners, the Anangu people
On this day the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park Board of Management decision to close the climb to the top of Uluru came into force. The Board is made up of a majority of traditional owners of the park. This date was chosen as it was the date in 1985 when the park was handed back… Read More »2019: Ban on climbing Uluru comes into force
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.… Read More »Saints Simon and Jude
One hundred years after the Battle of Pinjarra, someone writing under the nome de plume 'Cygney' recounted the story in The West Australian newspaper. What do you make of this 1934 account of the battle?
The United Nations General Assembly designated the 31st of October as World Cities Day, by its resolution 68/239. The Day is intended to promote interest in global urbanization, push forward cooperation among countries in meeting opportunities and addressing challenges of urbanization, and contributing to sustainable urban development around the world. How can you take action… Read More »World Cities Day