“On this International Day of Solidarity, let us reaffirm our commitment to upholding the rights of the Palestinian people.” - United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres In 1977, the General Assembly called for the annual observance of 29 November as the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People (resolution 32/40 B). The resolution on the… Read More »International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People
Dorothy Day was a journalist and social activist who cofounded the Catholic Worker Movement with Peter Maurin. Her approach to social issues combined direct service of the poor, prayer, advocacy and civil disobedience. People began hailing Dorothy a saint shortly after her death in 1980. The cause for her canonisation is underway and in 2012… Read More »1980: Death of Dorothy Day, Founder of the Catholic Worker Movement
"Dear Aboriginal people: the hour has come for you to take on new courage and new hope. You are called to remember the past, to be faithful to your worthy traditions, and to adapt your living culture whenever this is required by your own needs and those of your fellowman. Above all you are called… Read More »1986: Meeting of Saint John Paul II with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Alice Springs
"St. Andrew was a fisherman who lived in Galilee during the time of Jesus. He often followed John the Baptist and listened to his teachings. Like the other apostles, Andrew became a missionary. He preached about Jesus in the area around the Black Sea. Tradition tells us he preached in northern Greece, Turkey, and Scythia… Read More »Saint Andrew
The Post Synodal Statement of the 1971 Synod of Bishops contains some of the most quoted words in the body of modern Catholic Social Teaching: "Action on behalf of justice and participation in the transformation of the world fully appear to us as a constitutive dimension of the preaching of the Gospel, or, in other… Read More »1971: Synod of Bishops’ Statement “Justice in the World”
This commemoration provides an opportunity to pay tribute to the victims of chemical warfare, as well as to reaffirm the commitment of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to the elimination of the threat of chemical weapons, thereby promoting the goals of peace, security, and multilateralism. United Nations, Day of Remembrance for all Victims… Read More »Day of Remembrance for All Victims of Chemical Warfare
"A trailblazer who won hearts around the nation, the achievements of Sir Douglas Nicholls KCVO OBE JP are many and varied, taking in the fields of sport, politics and social justice. He broke new ground — as the first Indigenous Australian to receive a knighthood in 1972, and the first to be appointed to vice-regal… Read More »1976: Appointment of Sir Douglas Nicholls as Governor of South Australia, first Aboriginal person to hold vice-regal office
The morning star flag was first raised in West Papua 60 years ago on 1 December. The flag was raised by West Papua legislators promised independence, however, Indonesia invaded the area in 1962 and since then the flag has been a sign of resistance and outlawed. The day is usually celebrated with marches, prayer services and flag raising services, however, there is currently an outbreak of violence in West Papua. Peter Arndt speaks to the current situation.
Slavery is not something from the past. According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) more than 40 million people worldwide are victims of modern slavery. 'Modern slavery' is an umbrella term referring to practices such as forced labour, debt bondage, forced marriage, and human trafficking. These practices place people in situations of exploitation that they cannot refuse… Read More »International Day for Abolition of Slavery
The Melbourne walk, starting at Flinders Street Station and finishing at King’s Domain gardens, drew as many as 300,000 people. The bridge walk and similar events across Australia were enormously important in showing that public sentiment was moving towards support for more concrete steps in the reconciliation process. Though the event was organised by Aboriginal… Read More »2000: 350,000 people walk for reconciliation in Melbourne and Perth
The International Day of People with Disabilities is on 3 December. The theme for the day is ‘Leadership and participation of persons with disabilities toward an inclusive, accessible and sustainable post-COVID-19 world’. Over 4.4 million people in Australia live with a disability and this United Nations observed day aims to increase awareness, understand and acceptance of people with disability and celebrate their achievements.
At the end of the year 2000, the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation handed its final report to the national Parliament at a ceremonial event at Parliament House in Canberra. This letter contained in the full report provides an overview of the decade-long work of the Council and a way forward for the nation to achieve… Read More »2000: Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation Final Report presented
"The diverse and dynamic role of volunteerism in promoting the Sustainable Development Goals merits strong support from Governments and other stakeholders. On this International Day, I thank volunteers for their efforts to leave no one behind." - UN Secretary-General António Guterres International Volunteer Day is a unique chance for volunteers and organizations to celebrate their… Read More »International Volunteer Day
Did you know?*It can take up to 1,000 years to produce just 2-3cm of soil.*Over 33% of the Earth's soils are already degraded and 90% could become degraded by 2050.*Soil erosion can lead up to a 50% loss in crop yields. World Soil Day (WSD) is held annually on 5 December as a means to… Read More »World Soil Day (WSD)
Children all over the world know him and love him. In Germany, he’s Kriss Kringle. In France, he’s Pere Noel. British children call him Father Christmas. Of course, you know him as Santa Claus. He’s got another name - it’s an ancient one that goes back hundreds of years. It's one of the very first… Read More »Saint Nicholas (Santa Claus)
The purpose of International Civil Aviation Day is to help generate and reinforce worldwide awareness of the importance of international civil aviation to the social and economic development of States, and of the unique role of the International Civil Aviation Organization in helping States to cooperate and realize a truly global rapid transit network at… Read More »International Civil Aviation Day
7 December will mark the anniversary of the release of Gaudium et Spes, the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World. Promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1965, this key document in Vatican II called all to holiness and to integrate their life so that their deeds and words align privately and publicly. It also put human dignity and value at the centre and stood against a split between worship and mission.
"Where we see people facing systematic discrimination or becoming targets of violence simply because of who they are, because of their identity, we must act – both to defend those at immediate risk and those who could be in jeopardy in the future. By promoting a culture of peace and non-violence that includes respect for… Read More »International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide
"On this International Day, I urge people everywhere to continue to work on innovative solutions to win the battle against corruption and to ensure that precious resources serve the peoples of the world." UN Secretary-General, António Guterres Corruption is a serious crime that can undermine social and economic development in all societies. No country, region… Read More »International Anti-Corruption Day
"It begins, I think with that act of recognition. Recognition that it was we who did the dispossessing. We took the traditional lands and smashed the traditional way of life. We brought the diseases. The alcohol. We committed the murders. We took the children from their mothers. We practised discrimination and exclusion. It was our… Read More »1992: Redfern Speech by Prime Minister Paul Keating
"It is clear that social divisions are being replicated online. More worryingly, as essential services continue to shift online, digital inclusion becomes mandatory for basic participation in society. It should therefore be considered a human right. This is especially important in the context of e-government, where the welfare of the most vulnerable is at stake."Australian… Read More »Human Rights Day
Celebrate the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by reading a simplified version or the illustrated booklet of the Declaration, or watching the Declaration in sign languages.
International Mountain Day has its roots in the document “Managing Fragile Ecosystems: Sustainable Mountain Development” (called Chapter 13), adopted in 1992 as part of the action plan Agenda 21 of the Conference on Environment and Development. Mountains are home to 15% of the world´s population and a quarter of the world’s land animals and plants.… Read More »International Mountain Day
"The feast in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe goes back to the 16th century. Mary appeared to Juan Diego dressed as an Aztec woman to show her love and compassion to an oppressed group of people. Mary had heard the prayers and pain of these people, and she came to give them hope.Mary’s visit… Read More »Our Lady of Guadalupe
Catherine McAuley was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1778. In 1824 she used her inheritance from an Irish couple she had served for twenty years to build a large House of Mercy where she and other lay women would shelter homeless women, reach out to the sick and dying and educate poor girls. The House… Read More »1831: Founding of Sisters of Mercy by Catherine McAuley
"All migrants are entitled to equal protection of all their human rights. On this International Day, I urge leaders and people everywhere to bring the Global Compact to life, so that migration works for all." - UN Secretary-General António Guterres The observance of International Migrants Day this year focuses on the stories of social cohesion,… Read More »International Migrants Day
On 18 December 1894 the South Australian Parliament passed the Constitutional Amendment (Adult Suffrage) Act. The legislation was the result of a decade-long struggle to include women in the electoral process. It not only granted women in the colony the right to vote but allowed them to stand for parliament. This meant that South Australia… Read More »1894: South Australian Parliament, the first in Australia to give women the right to vote
International Human Solidarity Day is a day to celebrate our unity in diversity, a day to remind governments to respect their commitments to international agreements, a day to raise public awareness of the importance of solidarity, a day to encourage debate on the ways to promote solidarity for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals… Read More »International Human Solidarity Day
The Native Title Act 1993 (Cth) (NTA) is a law passed by the Australian Parliament that recognises the rights and interests of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in land and waters according to their traditional laws and customs. It established a process for claiming and recognising native title lands and waters in Australia. The NTA aims… Read More »1993: Passage of Native Title Bill by the Australian Senate
At the end of the 19th century, Australian colonies had concerns about who was migrating to Australia. With a rise in the number of migrants from China and the Pacific, many colonies passed tough immigration legislation. The Immigration Restriction Act was one of the first Commonwealth laws passed after Federation. It was based on the… Read More »1901: Enactment of Immigration Restriction Act (White Australian Policy)
In The Wik Peoples v The State of Queensland & Ors; The Thayorre People v The State of Queensland & Ors HCA 40 ('Wik'), the High Court held that native title rights could coexist on land held by pastoral leaseholders. The High Court decided that: - a pastoral lease does not necessarily confer rights of… Read More »1996: Wik High Court decision
"The face of God has been revealed in a human face. It did not appear in an angel, but in one man, born in a specific time and place. By his incarnation, the Son of God tells us that salvation comes through love, acceptance, respect for this poor humanity of ours, which we all share… Read More »Christmas Day
Prayer of Pope Benedict from Deus Caritas Est Holy Mary, Mother of God, you have given the world its true light, Jesus, your Son - the Son of God. You abandoned yourself completely, to God's call and thus became a wellspring of the goodness which flows forth from him. Show us Jesus. Lead us to… Read More »2005: Pope Benedict’s XVI’s encyclical Deus Cartias Est (‘God is Love’)
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.… Read More »2004: Devastating tsunami in South Asia, killing 200,000 to 300,000 people
Read The Story of the Holy Innocents "The Holy Innocents are few in comparison to the genocide and abortion of our day. But even if there had been only one, we recognize the greatest treasure God put on the earth — a human person, destined for eternity, and graced by Jesus’ death and resurrection." Franciscan… Read More »Holy Innocents
"Pope John Paul II’s 1987 social encyclical Sollicitudo rei Socialis marks the twentieth anniversary of Populorum Progressio. Sollicitudo rei Socialis is also known by the English title On Social Concerns. It was the first major Catholic Social Teaching document to mark the anniversary of a social encyclical other than Rerum Novarum." Source: Social Spirituality Read an introduction to Sollicitudo rei Socialis Read… Read More »1987: Pope John Paul II’s encyclical Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (‘On Social Concerns’)
Pope Paul VI instituted the World Day of Peace in 1968. It is celebrated each year on 1 January and the Pope issues a special World Day of Peace Message for the occasion. The theme for the World Day of Peace Message 2022 is Dialogue Between Generations, Education and Work: Tools for Building Lasting Peace.… Read More »World Day of Peace