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.

“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…”

Catholics worldwide are invited to pray for and give on World Mission Sunday, observed the second last Sunday in October. Organized by the Pontifical Missions Society, the funds collected assist approximately 1,250 mission dioceses globally. Pastors and pastoral workers are invited to encourage a missionary spirit among all people of God, promote missionary vocations, and collaborate spiritually and materially in the church’s mission work, including support for all the dioceses in Canada’s northern regions (Ordo). Members are urged to respond by donating and by praying for missionaries who have responded to God’s call in this special way.

People are encouraged to wear purple to show support for survivors of domestic violence and raise awareness about “the intersection between brain injury and interpersonal violence.” The colour purple symbolizes courage, peace and survival, and wearing it helps to show survivors they are not alone and that a supportive community exists for them.