serving the faith communities of the Goulburn Valley
Spiritual Directors from Dayspring Spirituality Centre in Perth, Heart of Life in Melbourne, and Wellspring in Canberra converged at the Raising Our Tribal Voice for Justice conference, hosted by the University Of Divinity’s School Of Indigenous Studies. Held at St Paschal Chapel across four days from 5-8 February 2024, this conference served as a platform for profound intercultural dialogue and spiritual exploration.
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Chinese authorities have begun relocating a 19th-century Buddhist monastery in Tibet that is expected to be submerged underwater after the completion of the world’s tallest 3D-printed hydropower dam, says a report.
The relocation of the Atsok Gon Dechen Choekhorling Monastery in Dragkar County began following an order from the Department of National Heritage in 2023, Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported on April 12.
The heritage department had declared that the artifacts and murals inside the monastery were of “no significant value or importance,”in response to a two-year-long campaign from the monks seeking a cancellation of the relocation order.
Are you passionate about sustainability and keen to find out more about how to motivate and create change in your community? Then this workshop is for you.
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Our Patterns of Creative Spiritual Care conference is the premiere event highlighting and supporting the work of pastoral care, spiritual care and chaplaincy in Australia.
Spiritual care highly values the importance of person-centered care. Our 2024 Conference theme: “Patterns of Creative Spiritual Care – Enriching the Journey to Hope” recognises the richness of creativity when attending to the person at the heart of our care. The use of sound and music, aromas, art and imagery, drama and role, embodiment and movement, language and story are all mediums through which we seek to engage with the other.
In late 2023 the Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria (ECCV) approached Palliative Care Victoria (PCV) regarding several anecdotes emerging from members of local Muslim communities raising concerns about experiences and perceptions of end-of-life care.
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Vaisakhi (also spelled Baisakhi) is a national festival and will be celebrated on April 14, 2023. Vaisakhi marks the solar new year according to the Hindu Vikram Samvat calendar. In India, this translates to evening, April 13. It is a harvest festival when all give thanks for the new crop and pray for prosperity in the coming year.
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Throughout history, solar eclipses have had profound impact on adherents of various religions around the world. They were viewed as messages from God or spiritual forces, inducing emotions ranging from dread to wonder.
Ahead of the total solar eclipse that will follow a long path over North America on Monday, here’s a look at how several of the world’s major religions have responded to such eclipses over the centuries and in modern times.
If you’re looking for a new film to add to your yearly Easter watchlist, Angel Studios has just the one for you. Their docudrama “After Death” features the gripping accounts of real people who survived near-death experiences, and lived to tell the tale.
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Pope Francis renewed his calls for the release of all Israeli hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza on Easter Sunday.
Pope Francis also called for “a general exchange of all prisoners between Russia and Ukraine” during his “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) address.
After Sunday’s Easter service he took to his open-topped popemobile to tour St. Peter’s Square.
The author of a new paper by the Australian Institute of Family Studies says religious or spiritual abuse is more common than most people realise, is under-researched and often involves religious teachings being used to justify control, manipulation, coercion or other intimate partner violence, or to ridicule victims to destroy their confidence.
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Australians love a long weekend, and our longest long weekend is this week’s. I don’t hear anybody complaining about having Friday and Monday off, but Easter itself — apart from a few chocolate egg hunts — goes little marked now in Australia. Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday: these are like way markers on what used to be a main road but has been much quieter since they built that bypass.
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The Vatican Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue releases its annual message for the Islamic month of Ramadan, urging all religious believers to extinguish “the fires of hatred, violence and war, and instead light the gentle candle of peace.”
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Finding your way back to yourself and to God, doing good, appreciating the community: four Muslims in Germany explain what the fasting month of Ramadan means to them and why they would rather not have to keep explaining themselves over and over again!
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At the core of Sikhism lies the philosophy of selfless service, known as Sewa.
Sewa is a principle that transcends religious boundaries and holds universal relevance. The philosophy encourages individuals to engage in acts of kindness, compassion and service without expecting anything in return.
While deeply embedded in Sikh tradition, people of all backgrounds can adopt the principles of Sewa to enhance their day-to-day lives.
The Director of the Columban Centre for Christian-Muslim Relations has written a letter to Muslim and Jewish sisters and brothers in Australia standing in solidarity with all victims, Israeli and Palestinian, Jew, Muslim, and Christian.
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In an academic paper, it is shared that Aboriginal spiritual psychology begins from an appreciation of intentional and practical connection with the living systems of Country and kin. They draw on cases from Dadirri and other stories to describe Aboriginal contemplative practices as being conscious of our mutual vulnerability with the living cosmos.
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Muslims around the globe will begin observing the holy month of Ramadan from Monday, a period of deep spiritual reflection and celebration.
The month of Ramadan will see Muslims fast and pray before breaking their fast at sundown alongside family and friends.
Here’s a look at what the ritual means, the importance of fasting, and why the date alters from one year to another. We’ll also talk about “When does Ramadan 2024 start in Australia?”
Muslim children typically aren’t expected to fast during Ramadan until they reach puberty. But kids often want to start earlier because they see everyone else abstaining from food and water from sunrise to sunset — followed by their community gathering to break their fast together — and they want to participate!
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The Vatican has been trying for years to debunk the idea that its vaunted secret archives are all that secret: It has opened up the files of controversial World War II-era Pope Pius XII to scholars and changed the official name to remove the word “Secret” from its title. But a certain aura of myth and mystery has persisted — until now.
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Pope Gregory XIII (7 January 1502 – 10 April 1585), born Ugo Boncompagni, was the head of the Catholic Church from 13 May 1572 to his death in 1585. He is best known for commissioning and being the namesake for the Gregorian calendar, which remains the internationally accepted civil calendar to this date. Pope Gregory was the one who created the Leap Year, and February 29th which comes every four years.
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