Tag Archives: Fraternity

Wednesday, 8 February, is the Feast of St Josephine Bakhita, a Sudanese nun, who as a child had the traumatic experience of being a victim of human trafficking. Organised by Talitha Kum , the Unions of Superiors and Superiors General of Religious Institutes together with representatives from an international group of partner organisations, are promoting a Day of Prayer and Awareness ...

Speaking with the heart ~ “The truth in love” (Eph 4:15) After having reflected in past years on the verbs “to go and see” and “to listen” as conditions for good communication, with this Message for the 57th World Day of Social Communications (21 May 2023), the focus by Pope Francis is on “speaking with the heart”.  (See full text HERE) ...

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (WPCU) is traditionally celebrated between January 18 and January 25 – originally the octave of St Peter and St Paul. ‘Be-Longing: Praying for Unity amidst Injustice’ is the theme of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (WPCU) 2023. “As we join with other Christians around the world for this year’s Week of ...

World Refugee Day 2022 is observed on Monday, 20 June 2022. The World Refugee Day 2022 theme is:  ‘Together we heal, learn, and shine’.  Supporting, helping, and ensuring the safety of refugees should be an all-time goal and not just limited to the Refugee Day.  However, this day is a means to create awareness about the hardships of refugees and is ...

Recalling the “unusual kindness” with which the Maltese welcomed the Apostle Paul and his companions (60 A.D.) when they were shipwrecked on Malta – provided the theme of the recent Apostolic Journey by Pope Francis to Malta (1st – 3rd April 2022): ‘They Showed Us Unusual Kindness’ (Acts 28:2) The Pope warned that we risk a “shipwreck of civilization” with ...

“For love of my brethren and friends, I say: Peace upon you!” (Ps 122:8). The first atomic bomb was dropped on August 6, 1945, on Hiroshima, virtually levelling the city. A second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945.  About 140,000 died in Hiroshima and 70,000 in Nagasaki. Half the deaths in each city occurred on the day of the ...

Sunday June 20, 2021 is UN World Refugee Day. As the world celebrates the progress made to advance refugee protection polices and acknowledges the contributions that refugees have made in their host countries, it is important to remember that the need to continue to advance humane policies is now more critical than ever. We often think of refugees as those ...

Pope Francis has instituted a Church-wide celebration of a World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. Starting this year, it will be held on the fourth Sunday of July (Sunday 25th July 2021) close to the liturgical memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus.  The theme chosen by Pope Francis for this inaugural commemoration is “I am ...

This year’s Racial Justice Sunday (31 January 2021, Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales) with the theme ‘A Time to Act’ has never been more vital. The effects of the Coronavirus pandemic, the killing of George Floyd, and the powerful message on fraternity and equality by Pope Francis in Fratelli Tutti all speak of the need to actively oppose ...