serving the faith communities of the Goulburn Valley
27 January each year is International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. This year, the theme of the Holocaust Remembrance is “Memory, Dignity and Justice”. Here, we bring you the address of the UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the Park East Synagogue in New York to commemorate the 77th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp.
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Rev Loni Vaitohi of the Shepparton Uniting Church said about half of the Tongan nationals in City of Greater Shepparton were temporary workers on farms and community members were checking in with each other. He’s hoping to get back to Tonga as soon as possible to check on his parents’ graves and his house. “The challenge is Tonga is still COVID free and they’re very selective about flights,” he said.
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Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh—a world-renowned spiritual leader, author, poet, and peace activist—died on January 22, 2022 at midnight (ICT) at his root temple, Tu Hien Temple, in Hue, Vietnam. He was 95.
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Greenfaith – in collaboration with its partner organisations in many nations frequently conducts Living the Change workshops. The next Living the Change global call will occur on Monday 24 January 2022. All are welcome to join, from anywhere in the world.
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Reflecting on Australia Day is important to the members and Executive of the Shepparton Interfaith Network, as we advocate for greater intercultural understanding on this day and every other day. We believe First Nations perspectives need to be heard and honoured.
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Hundreds of thousands of Hindu worshippers have gathered on the banks of India’s Ganges river for a holy dip despite a 30-fold rise in coronavirus cases in the past month.
Hindus believe a bath in the frigid waters of the holy river during the Makar Sankranti festival, observed every year on January 14, washes away sins and frees them from the cycle of death and rebirth.
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Multifaith leaders and faith communities in Australia have recognised the plight of those in long term detention – particularly those who have endured many years of enforced containment in detention centres and hotels. A plea for a merciful solution is raised for those who are held for more than 8 years in detention.
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People from all over the world are taking part in the virtual version of a Tasmanian pilgrimage this weekend.
The Way to St James from Mountain River to Cygnet was inspired by Spain’s Camino de Santiago.
COVID-19 has moved the Tasmanian event online, but pilgrims from around the world are connecting to share the experience.
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SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA, Spain (AP) — Committing to the pilgrim’s path has for centuries been a source of renewal for those willing to put their lives on hold and spend days, weeks or even months crossing Spain along the Camino de Santiago, a journey that takes hikers to the reported burial place of the apostle St. James.
But after a year of being kept off the Way of St. James due to pandemic-related travel restrictions, soul-searchers hoping to heal wounds left by the coronavirus are once again strapping on backpacks and following trails marked with a seashell emblem to the shrine in the city of Santiago de Compostela.
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The Sikh community in Shepparton will participate in a weekend of prayer and religious celebrations in honour of the birthday of the 10th and last human Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh. “This is the day of the birth of the 10th guru, the last living guru,” Sikh Association secretary Gurmeet Singh said. Guru Gobind Singh became the last human guru when he passed on the guruship to the holy book, Guru Granth Sahib.
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Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who died last week aged 90, was a man with a sense of irony. A few years ago he emailed his close friend Reverend Jerome Francis, now the Reverend at St Augustine’s in Shepparton, saying “God is very humorous”.
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The Black Summer bushfires brought the charitable work of Australia’s Sikh communities into the spotlight. Now a Sikh community in Albury-Wodonga is hoping to establish a permanent home there.
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Claude AnShin Thomas has walked a literal path from war to peace. As a teenager, he joined the US Army and was sent to fight in the Vietnam War. Now, Claude is a Buddhist monk and renowned teacher of sitting meditation.
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VATICAN CITY, Jan 1 (Reuters) – Pope Francis used his New Year’s message on Saturday to issue a clarion call for an end to violence against women, saying it was insulting to God.
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Daoism has existed as a tradition in China for at least 2,500 years. It takes its name from the Dao or “The Way,” as described in the Dao De Jing, “The Classic of the Way and Its Power,” attributed to the legendary Laozi, which means simply “the Old Master.” This work of great depth and beauty is one of the most translated books in the world.
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In the United Kingdom, the British Library has an unrivalled collection of Zoroastrian manuscripts and therefore welcomed the opportunity to display three of its Zoroastrian treasures in the current exhibition “Epic Iran” organised by the V&A with the Iran Heritage Foundation in association with The Sarikhani Collection.
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The Nobel laureate, often described as South Africa’s moral conscience, died in Cape Town on Boxing Day. Desmond Tutu, the South African cleric and social activist who was a giant of the struggle against apartheid, has died aged 90, prompting tributes from religious leaders, politicians and activists from around the world.
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Pope Francis has used his Christmas message to decry increasing polarisation in personal and international relationships, saying only dialogue can resolve conflicts ranging from family feuds to threats of war. In his “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) message delivered on Saturday, Christmas Day, the head of the Catholic Church called on individuals and world leaders to talk to each other rather than dig in their heels, a distancing he said has been worsened by the coronavirus pandemic.
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Christmas is with us once again. Church leaders remind us of that Jesus is the reason for the season, and not merry making and over-indulgence. It has been a year of challenges for churches – and indeed, for all faiths. Many religions – when Covid19 restrictions halted divine services – had to find new solutions to continue ministry and service to spiritual seekers. Here, we share two Christmas messages from Church leaders which bear witness not only to the Birth of Jesus, but also to the confrontations to the human situation we all face, together.
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VATICAN CITY, Dec 24 (Reuters) – Pope Francis, leading the world’s Roman Catholics into Christmas, said on during the Christmas Night Mass at St Peter’s Basilica that people who are indifferent to the poor offend God, urging all to “look beyond all the lights and decorations” and remember the neediest.
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