Events

“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…”

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 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 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.

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.

The feast day of Saint Pope John Paul II is October 22. His abundant charisma was matched only by his immense intellectual gifts, which he put at the service of fighting for human dignity and freedom. As the turmoil of the twentieth century gave way to the twenty-first, John Paul II fought to keep Christ the centre of the human race’s yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He travelled on apostolic journeys to 124 countries, inaugurated the World Youth Day celebrations, and established diplomatic relations, becoming known as a defender of human rights and peacemaker.

International Religious Freedom Day is observed annually on October 27. Let us pray for the millions of people of faith around the world who face threats of violence and imprisonment for simply living out their faith. As citizens and Catholics, we acknowledge that religious freedom is rooted in human dignity. Through practicing our faith and respecting others, we can come together to serve the communities in which we live. We ask God to continue giving us the freedom to love Jesus, and to be his arms and hands in the world