On the 5th of September, we celebrate International Day of Charity, a day chosen in order to commemorate the life of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, the renowned nun and missionary. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for “work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress, which also constitute a threat to peace.”
This year, Father’s Day is celebrated on the 4th of September. This day is a day to honour fatherhood and those father figures in our lives. Father’s Day often sees handmade cards, breakfast in bed, new tools, ties and tees, but the most meaningful gift is expressing you love and gratitude for them.
Teachers are often doing multiple things at once. Always thinking ahead for class lessons, assessment marking, organising other activities within the school, on top of your own personal and family life outside of the classroom. This can be overwhelming and cause a lot of stress.
International Youth Day celebrates the importance of the contribution that our youth make to society, and to ensure that they are being heard. This year, we celebrate International Youth Day on the 12th of August.
In an Ascension Presents YouTube video, Father Mike Schmitz spoke about a common feeling of Christians and feeling spiritually burnt out and wanting to quit. He goes on to introduce an idea, RIM. This acronym stands for Relationship, Identity, Mission – 3 key reminders in a sequential order, to feel spiritually fueled. So what do they mean?
NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee and this year, begins on Sunday 3rd, and continues until Sunday 10th of July. This week sees celebrations of history, culture, tradition, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and is celebrated by people from all walks of life right across Australia.
On the 16th and 17th of June, Janita, Kim and Chloe from the Understanding Faith team attended the National RE Symposium at the International Conference Centre in Darling Harbour. This conference is organised by BBI-TAITE, The Australian Institute of Theological Education, with this year’s theme of ‘Scripture and RE: Teaching and Transformation’.
On the 14th of June, we acknowledge and thank voluntary blood donors, and encourage new donors. Lifeblood, a division of the Australian Red Cross Society, is funded by Australian governments, who provide life-giving blood, plasma, transplantation and biological products for world-leading health outcomes.
Over 116,000 Australians are experiencing homelessness right now. On one of the longest and coldest nights of the year, June 23rd, business owners and community and government leaders are encouraged to ‘sleep rough’ for a night to raise awareness and vital funds for homelessness in Australia.
This year, on the 5th of June, we celebrate World Environment Day, with the theme of ‘Only One Earth’. This focuses on living sustainably in harmony with nature. Over 150 countries participate in World Environmental Day annually.