serving the faith communities of the Goulburn Valley
A major aim of Buddhism is to relieve suffering, the root causes of which are greed, ignorance, and hatred. The monks see the destruction of the forests, pollution of the air and water, and other environmental problems as ultimately caused by people acting through these evils, motivated by economic gain and the material benefits of development, industrialization, and consumerism. As monks, they believe it is their duty to take action against these evils.
… Read more…
Marking this year’s International Day of Peace, an expert group of religious, cultural, and peace-building leaders today underscored the importance of interfaith dialogue in achieving a more equitable and sustainable future.
Observed on September 21, the International Day of Peace advocates for a world free of war and conflict. As the global pandemic begins to ease and the planet looks ahead to a post-COVID-19 era, this message of harmony has particular resonance.
Over the last eighteen months, it has been the most vulnerable communities that have suffered the greatest. With unequal access to healthcare, they have been less sheltered from the virus, while a rise in hate speech and discrimination has impacted them disproportionately. To make matters worse, there has been an increase in nationalism, authoritarianism, and intolerance globally.
The Shepparton Catholic church of St Mel’s Christ the King is about to enter a new era after a 50th anniversary facelift involving more than $300,000 of improvements to the building.
… Read more…
Jainism is one of the world’s oldest religions, originating in India at least 2,500 years ago. The spiritual goal of Jainism is to become liberated from the endless cycle of rebirth and to achieve an all-knowing state called moksha. This can be attained by living a non-violent life, or ahimsa, with as little negative impact on other life forms as possible.
… Read more…
Pravrajika Gayatriprana, senior nun of Ramakrishnba Order will give one talk on preparation for meditation – online – on Sunday 26 September, 2021, – 11 am to 12.30 pm
… Read more…
This year’s International Day of Peace has been marked by the release of new stamps featuring music icon and peace campaigner, John Lennon, by the UN Postal Administration (UNPA), as the UN General Assembly High Level Week gets underway.
… Read more…
Faith leaders from the United Kingdom and Scotland have come together to publish the Glasgow Multifaith Declaration in which they commit to reflection, prayer, meditation, and worship to reflect on how to tackle the climate crisis.
… Read more…
Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September. The 2021 theme for the International Day of Peace is “Recovering better for an equitable and sustainable world”. You are invited to participate in a virtual peace day event held online on Tuesday, 21 September 2021.
… Read more…
Picnic 4 Peace will observe International Day of Peace with an online service and candle lighting for Peace in Afghanistan from 6.30pm – 7.30pm.
… Read more…
The 2021 Dungala Kaiela Oration will be delivered online by the Chair of the Australian Sports Commission, Ms Josephine Sukkar AM, on Wednesday 29 September 2021, at 6:00 PM. The Dungala Kaiela Oration is co-hosted by the Kaiela Institute and the University of Melbourne.
… Read more…
ISRA Australia is offering an online session understanding the covenants of the Prophet Muhammed in monasteries and patriarchates which were under the rule of Islam. This session will take place online (Zoom) on evening of Tuesday 14 September from 6:00pm. This is a free session.
… Read more…
Human trafficking can take place in many hidden and subtle forms across the globe and within our own communities. Over the past two decades the fight against human trafficking has become a popular global cause. The cause taps into our intuition that economic life should serve people, not come at their expense.
… Read more…
The Abraham Conference plays an important role in bringing Jews, Christians and Muslims together to discuss contemporary issues of concern for the members of the three religions and for the wider society.
The theme of the 2021 Abraham Conference is Women Leaders in the Abrahamic Traditions: Role Models for Our Time. Our context is the continuing strong impact and significance of the Me Too and Black Lives Matter movements and the revelations of abuse in our federal parliament, all of which brought thousands of women onto the streets in protest.
Pope Francis, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the Archbishop of Canterbury join together for the first time in urgent appeal for the future of the planet. For the first time, the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Anglican Communion have jointly warned of the urgency of environmental sustainability, its impact on poverty, and the importance of global cooperation.
… Read more…
September 7 is World Day of Clean Air. The 2021 theme for the International Day of Clean Air for blue skies is “Healthy Air, Healthy Planet” which emphasizes the health aspects of air pollution, especially considering the COVID-19 pandemic.
… Read more…
The Australian Religious Response to Climate Change is running a session on aligning your finances with your faith. Do you have UniSuper? Are you with NGS, Catholic Super or ACSRF? Or just want to know more about aligning your finances with your faith to protect the planet? The Australian Religious Response to Climate Change is presenting an information session via zoom on September 9th.
… Read more…
Members of the Sikh community in Victoria’s regional town of Shepparton have stepped up to serve free meals and grocery kits after nearly one-third of its population has been forced into COVID-induced isolation as the list of exposure sites continues to grow.
… Read more…
The Jain ecological philosophy is virtually synonymous with the principle of ahimsa (nonviolence) which runs through the tradition like a golden thread. Ahimsa is a principle that Jains teach and practice not only towards human beings but towards all nature. It is an unequivocal teaching that is at once ancient and contemporary.
… Read more…
Barney Schwartz is the former religion editor of The Age, a position he curated for many years.He has recently joined the Centre for Public Christianity and writes occasional pieces. Here, he writes about “next door”…
… Read more…
The Parliament of the World’s Religions has issued a statement of solidarity with the Afghan community, Afghan refugees worldwide, and those who remain in Afghanistan.
… Read more…