The Christmas for Those Alone committee members held an open meeting on Wednesday night to discuss saving their annual Christmas luncheon, and we are happy to report that Christmas lunch will be going ahead.
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Hamas/Israel conflict – Onshore support
The Department of Home Affairs outlines visa conditions for those affected overseas by the conflict in Gaza. Support for communities in Australia affected by this conflict is also outlined.
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Commonwealth Anti-slavery Commissioner Welcomed by Faiths
The Australian Catholic Anti-slavery Network has welcomed the introduction of legislation by Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus to establish an Anti-Slavery Commissioner. The World Council of Churches also supports this appointment.
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Struggling to make sense of silent prayer in a noisy cosmopolitan city
Little is known of consecrated, religious life and prolonged silent prayer. Praying for several hours per day goes by unrecognised in this noisy world of vehicles, pollution, social media, struggle and exhaustion. What brings peace, that inner reservoir we may return to at any time, within? Here, the reflections of a consecrated woman on her experience of silent, prolonged prayer.
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Joint Interfaith Statement ~ Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
A Joint Interfaith Statement – signed by 115 faith bodies and organisations – has been provided addressing the issues of nuclear weapons, their economic and planetary life impact on all, and the works taken up by people of faith. We know that there is no true safety, security and peace for any of us until there is safety, security and peace for all of us.
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Seventh Buddhist-Christian Colloquium in Thailand
The Seventh Buddhist-Christian Colloquium in Thailand Calls for Compassion and Joint Action. Approximately 150 Christian and Buddhist representatives from 12 Asian nations, the United Kingdom, and the Holy See assembled in Bangkok from 13–16 November for the seventh Buddhist-Christian Colloquium. The theme of the Colloquium was Karuṇā and Agape in Dialogue for Healing a Wounded Humanity and the Earth.
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Samoan Community – Candlelight Prayer Service
In the wake of the tragic car accident in Mansfield where four young Samoan men, working with Flavorite in the PALM Scheme, were killed when the car hit a tree and was burnt out – there will be a Candlelight Prayer Service at the Shepparton Uniting Church on Saturday 25 November from 4PM. Anyone may attend.
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Supporting Victoria’s Jewish And Islamic Communities
The Victorian Government is investing in the safety of Victorian faith communities, with new support to combat antisemitism and Islamophobia to make sure communities feel safe, welcomed and celebrated.
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Vatican’s Diwali message to Hindus advocates interreligious collaboration for building peace
The Vatican has called on Christians and Hindus to avoid giving in to “contempt for human dignity”, the “curtailment of the fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens, including religious rights” and “aggression” against those who are different and instead collaborate using religion to build peace.
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Pope Francis to attend Climate Change Conference in Dubai
In the sacred corridors of the Vatican, Pope Francis, the 266th Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, has become an unlikely champion of environmental preservation. This December, he will add another milestone to his papacy by attending the 28th annual Conference of the Parties (COP28) on climate change in Dubai. This journey to the Arabian Peninsula will be the first of its kind for any Pope since the inception of the COP meetings in 1995.
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2023 Victorian Interfaith Networks Festival
The Faith Communities Council of Victoria, in partnership with Merri-bek Interfaith Network and City of Merri-bek, would like to invite you to the 2023 Victorian Interfaith Networks Festival on Sunday, November 19 2023 at the Coburg Town Hall.
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Some things change, some things stay the same
The other day, Mum shared a story about her grandmother. Irene Burdeu was her name. Born and bred in Essendon, she was one of eight siblings. Her elder brother was Arthur Burdeu, a trade unionist. But what caught my attention was that Arthur shared a close bond with William Cooper, a prominent elder and activist from the Yorta Yorta community.
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Candlelight vigil to commemorate flood anniversary
The combined churches of Mooroopna will host a candlelight vigil on Saturday, October 14, at 7.30 pm to mark the first anniversary of the October 2022 flood event. The gathering is set to take place at Rodney Place, at the intersection of McLennan and Young/Morrell Sts.
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Prime Minister’s message to faith leaders on Referendum
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addressed a gathering of faith leaders asking them to vote Yes for the upcoming Voice referendum. Here is his full statement.
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Online prayer and reflection service to be held before Voice vote
An online prayer and reflection service will be held tomorrow, ahead of Saturday’s referendum on constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. Source: NATSICC.
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My Word | The road to respect and decency
John Lewis, former editor of the Shepparton News, has written about the Voice to Parliament.
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Laudate Deum – Pope Francis renews his call to protect our common home
On the feast of St. Francis of Assisi (October 4), Pope Francis has released his new document on the Climate and Environment Laudate Deum, that completes his encyclical Laudato si’ published in May 2015, and is addressed “to all people of good will on the climate crisis.” The world is not moving fast enough to mitigate the devastating effects of climate change, Pope Francis wrote.
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7 rules for a respectful and worthwhile Voice referendum
There is much ado and fuss about the forthcoming Referendum about the Voice to Parliament. Here in Shepparton, we acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Country of the Dungala (Murray) – Kaiela (Goulburn) Valleys, the clans of the Yorta Yorta Nation; Bangerang, Kaieltheban, Kwat Kwat, Moira, Ulupna, Wollithiga, and Yalaba Yalaba and the Ngurai Illum Wurrung. With respect to the abovementioned landowners, we reproduce – from The Conversation, 7 rules for a respectful and worthwhile Voice referendum.
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Walking for YES in Shepparton
This coming Sunday, people all across the country will be Walking for Yes – in cities and towns, in every State and Territory. All walking together for a better future – all a part of this amazing opportunity for us all to make history together. There will be a Walk for YES at Victoria Park Lake on Sunday 17 September commencing at 12:00. The Walk will depart from the Welsford St Entrance to Victoria Park Lake.
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Petition to Pope to make St. Joseph Vaz a Patron Saint of Interreligious Relations
St. Joseph (Naik) Vaz was canonized in 2015 by Pope Francis. In 2021 Pope Francis was petitioned to make him Patron Saint of First Responders for washing the sores and nursing the abandoned victims of a smallpox epidemic in the Buddhist Kingdom of Kandy at the risk of getting infected himself. This resonated with our humanitarian needs during the Covid crisis. Now, there is a new petition to Pope Francis to make St. Joseph (Naik) Vaz Patron Saint of Interreligious Relations.
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