serving the faith communities of the Goulburn Valley
The Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run will visit Shepparton on Tuesday 29 April, arriving at Victoria Park Lake around 4:30 PM. There will be a peace run with the Torch around Victoria Park Lake. If there are sufficent interested persons, a Peace Walk will be undertaken around the Lake.
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Vesak, a most important Buddhist festival is known as either Vesak, Wesak or Buddha Day, and is celebrated annually on the full moon of the ancient lunar month of Vesakha, which usually falls in May, or in early June. There will be a celebration of Vesak in Queens Gardens, Shepparton, on Saturday, 10th of May 2025, from 4.00 pm to 6.00 pm.
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25 April is the day for paying tribute to all Australian comrades-in-arms who served and died in all wars: ‘Lest we forget’. In the Great War 20 soldiers of Muslim background also fought for Australia while in the Second World War about 200 of them. With many other Australians Muslim minority groups fought for common cause as ‘One for All, All for One’. From a multicultural angle, the following is a story of one of forgotten soldiers who can be a good example for many young Muslims in Australia.
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Mahmoud Abbas also known by the kunya Abu Mazen is a Palestinian politician who has been serving as the second president of the State of Palestine. Today, he recognised Pope Francis as a “faithful friend of Palestine”.
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“In the atmosphere of great Easter joy, this morning, Monday of Holy Week, came the sad news of the death of Pope Francis, a precious brother in Christ, with whom from the first moment of his ascension to the papal throne, we had a fraternal friendship and cooperation for the good of our Churches, for the further rapprochement of our Churches, for the good of humanity.
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Both Muslims and Christians revere Jesus, but they have different interpretations of his life, mission and role in salvation. At Easter, shared themes of resurrection and hope offer space for dialogue.
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The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem proclaim to the world an Easter message of life and hope. “It is the same message first announced to the women who had come to mourn at Christ’s tomb,” the text notes. “The Lord had risen indeed!”
The Way to Freedom (Part 1: The Journey)" is a heartfelt documentary that follows the journey of refugees fleeing war-torn countries in search of safety and a new life in Australia. The film chronicles the experiences of local immigrants in Greater Shepparton, from their first steps upon arrival to their integration into the community.
The King of Kings is a 2025 animated Christian film written and directed by Seong-ho Jang, loosely inspired by the children’s book The Life of Our Lord by Charles Dickens. The film stars the voices of Kenneth Branagh, Uma Thurman, Mark Hamill, Pierce Brosnan, Roman Griffin Davis, Forest Whitaker, Ben Kingsley and Oscar Isaac. The King of Kings was released in the United States by Angel Studios on April 11, 2025
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Hot cross buns aren’t just a sweet snack that appears around Easter. They carry centuries of storytelling in their dough. From ancient gods to modern supermarkets, these sticky spiced buns have crossed many borders and beliefs. Today, you can buy them in all kinds of flavours. But their story is far richer than chocolate chips and salted caramel.
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In 2025, for only the third time, the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run will circumnavigate the entire continent of Australia, starting in Canberra on 24 April, running clockwise to visit all capital cities, with millions of footsteps through forests, across deserts, along beaches, highways and byways, visiting hundreds of schools, community groups, civic leaders and events, returning to Canberra on 13 August.
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Antisemitism has no place in Australian society, and changing the law in in several states (including hate speech) will send a quick message that governments are taking the problem seriously. But taking it seriously also means doing whatever else we can as a society to ensure no one experiences hate or violence for who they are or what they believe.
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Bodh Gaya, India — As he stood in a queue outside a makeshift tent kitchen for breakfast, 30-year-old Abhishek Bauddh could not help but reflect on the throngs of people around him in Bodh Gaya, Buddhism’s holiest site.
Bauddh has been visiting the town in eastern India’s Bihar state, where the Buddha gained enlightenment, since he was 15. “But I have never seen such an atmosphere. Buddhists from all over the country are gathering here,” he said.
For once, they are not in Bodh Gaya only for a pilgrimage. They are part of a protest by Buddhists that has erupted across India in recent weeks over a demand that control of Bodh Gaya’s Mahabodhi Temple, one of the faith’s most sacred shrines, be handed over exclusively to the community.
The Unification Church is a church US intelligence said helped overthrow a government, invited Donald Trump to speak at its events and saw former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev meet its founder. The Unification Church, a religious movement derived from Christianity, has had deep connections to world politics for decades.
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One of the Five Pillars of Islam is giving of charity (zakat) which occurs during the month of fasting, Ramadan. Zakat is a mandatory form of charity in Islam, considered one of the Five Pillars. It requires eligible Muslims to give 2.5% of their accumulated wealth annually to help those in need. It is meant to purify wealth and promote social equality. The recipients of Zakat are specified in the Quran, including the poor, needy, debt-ridden, and others in hardship (Quran 9:60).
Sadaqah is voluntary charity that can be given at any time and in any amount. It is not limited to money—it includes acts of kindness, helping others, or even a smile. Unlike Zakat, Sadaqah has no fixed percentage and can be given to anyone in need, not just specific groups.
Both encourage generosity and social responsibility, but Zakat is obligatory, while Sadaqah is voluntary.
A new essay from the Scanlon Foundation Research Institute explores how religious leaders and communities in Australia are engaging with artificial intelligence, using it as a tool while grappling with its ethical, theological, and practical implications for faith, authority, and human judgement.
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For the first time in decades, three major religious traditions – Christianity, Islam, and the Bahá’í Faith – will observe their sacred fasting periods at the same time. Lent, Ramadan, and the Bahá’í Fast will coincide, aligning billions of people in a collective act of self-discipline, spiritual reflection, and renewal.
From 10-21 March 2025, delegates from UN Member States, civil society, and other stakeholders will convene at the United Nations headquarters in New York for the 69th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69). This global policy-making body is dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in all their diversity. It is instrumental in promoting the rights of women and girls, shaping global standards and policy agendas, and documenting the reality of the lives of women and girls across the globe.
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The seminar on Indigenous Spiritualities, Land Rights, and Climate Justice introduced a Statement on Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, which emphasizes the following: Indigenous Peoples are created with God-given identities that are beautiful. God was present in their lands and among their peoples before colonizers arrived. When Christians brought the Bible, Indigenous People recognized the voice of their Creator in Jesus’ teachings. They did not hear a call to reject their identities.
Climate justice is inextricably linked to the human rights of Indigenous peoples, particularly as Indigenous communities occupy 20 to 25 percent of the earth’s land surface, of which 80 percent of that land mass holds the world’s remaining biodiversity.
Ramadan is an important religious period in the Islamic calendar that requires healthy adults to fast during daylight hours. Medicines usually work best when the level of medicine within the body (brain and blood) is kept at steady levels. If the medicine levels get too low, the medicine may not work. If they get too high, this can make side effects worse. The body can most easily do this when the medicine is taken at regular, evenly spaced times during the day. When Ramadan occurs in summer, the long hours of daylight may interfere with you taking your medicines, especially if you take them two, three or four times a day. Learn more about medicines and Ramadan.