The Sisters in Spirit Vigil is an annual national movement in Canada held on October 4th to honour the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, to raise awareness about the systemic violence they face, and show support for their families and communities.

The Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi is celebrated on Sunday October 4th, marking the 800th anniversary of his death with a call for world peace. Francis was born to a wealthy merchant family in 1181 but, after a dramatic conversion experience, he abandoned his privileged lifestyle to embrace a life of modesty, charity and service. Francis viewed nature as a mirror of God, calling all creatures his brothers and sisters. He is recognized for his profound love for animals, his advocacy for peace and simplicity, and as founder of the Franciscan order.

The Horizons of Hope: A Toolkit for Catholic Parishes on Palliative Care is a resource from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), helping parishes reflect on and provide palliative care through a faith-based, community-centred approach.  It’s designed to educate and empower parishioners, caregivers and pastoral teams; foster compassionate community care grounded in Catholic moral and pastoral theology, and offer support through illness, death, suffering and bereavement. Available materials include: A facilitator’s guide, video content, social media images, posters and four thematic modules.

October 10th is World Mental Health Day. Many of us will experience a mental health challenge at some point in life. Regardless of the struggles we face in our lives, and indeed because of them, we are all welcomed and valued in the eyes of the Lord. We pray that ministries will help build communities of warmth and care where those who face mental health challenges will, in the words of Pope Francis, “find support and a light that opens them up to life."

“The bountiful produce of the earth is a visible sign of the many blessings God wants to shower on us through Christ. Our God also wants us to share the goods of the earth with all people” (Ordo). Thanksgiving Day, as well as World Food Day (October 16), are occasions to give thanks but also to remember the issue of hunger in the world, remembering Christ’s words: “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink…”

The Feast Day of St. Teresa of Ávila is celebrated on October 15th. St. Teresa was the originator of the Carmelite Reform, which restored and emphasized the austerity and contemplative character of Carmelite life, to deeply meditate on divine law. Over the course of twenty years, she traveled tirelessly across Spain, often in under difficult conditions, founding seventeen convents for women and supporting the establishment of monasteries for men. Her writings, especially the Way of Perfection and The Interior Castle, have helped generations of women and men.