Advent is a season of joyful expectation” (GNLY, no 39). During Advent, each Sunday’s gospel focuses on a specific theme. Members are encouraged to prepare for the Pilgrims of Hope Jubilee Year and Christmas through prayer, caring and sharing.
The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (December 12) honours the Virgin Mary’s apparitions to Juan Diego, an Indigenous convert. The Basilica in Mexico City, where his cloak with her image is preserved, is a major pilgrimage site. Pope John Paul II’s visit 25 years ago led to his apostolic exhortation Ecclesia in America, calling for a new evangelization under the patronage of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas. Members are invited to pray the attached prayer in joyful anticipation of Christ’s birth.
On the occasion of International Migrants Day, we invite you to join the webinar, organised by WUCWO's Working Group Migrants and Refugees. The event aims to provide a comprehensive view of migration, not only from the perspective of migrants themselves but also from those who welcome them. Together, we will listen to the voices of migrants and those who accompany them, exploring how faith, humanity, and solidarity can transform our communities. Through testimonies and reflections from Africa, Europe, and Latin America, this event will highlight the challenges and hopes that migration brings. 📅 Date: December 18 🕒 Time: 3:30 pm – 5 pm (Rome time) 🌐 Online Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_UNRUKv8EQ1iMRxIEu7Mw5A#/registration
World Day of Peace, celebrated on January 1, 2025, focuses on the theme Forgive us our trespasses: grant us your peace, chosen by Pope Francis. Linked to the Jubilee Year, the theme emphasizes hope, forgiveness and unity. The message, inspired by Laudato Si’ and Fratelli Tutti, calls for lasting peace through personal and global change. Pope Francis urges Catholics to be disarmed in heart, foster forgiveness, selflessness and justice, turn anxiety into hope, and build a better world and true peace beyond human compromises. Members are urged to greet the New Year by joining the Holy Father in his prayer for forgiveness and peace.
