hello

Greetings to each and everyone of you.


This section for English-speaking viewers –
and all those enjoying the culture –

has developed over the months and is now offering materials of all kinds:

texts, images, poems, videos, etc.

It will continue to provide you with rich contents week after week.

 

World Radio Day – 13 February 2024

13 février 2024
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: audience, educating, entertaining, future, informing, social media, UNESCO

Radio: A century informing, entertaining and educating

World Radio Day’s theme in 2024 shines a broad floodlight on Radio’s remarkable past, relevant present and promise of a dynamic future.

Looking Forward to Radio’s Next Century 

The opportunity provided by the 100-year-plus milestone of Radio begs to be trumpeted at full volume. The century is an occasion to proudly celebrate the medium’s extensive virtues and ongoing potency. It comes at an opportune time, as Radio – though statistically popular and enormously trusted by the public – faces increased challenges to audience and revenue numbers from digital platforms, pervasive social media, digital and generational divides, the headwinds of censorship and, for some media, stifling consolidation-induced debt as well as economic hardships exacerbated by a soft advertising market.  

UNESCO invites the worldwide Radio industry in all its many forms – commercial, public, non-profit – to join in this global celebration of the medium at this special and pivotal juncture in its century-spanning journey.

The 2024 observance highlights:

The indelible history of Radio and its powerful impact upon news, drama, music, sports … 

The ongoing utilitarian value of Radio as a relatively free and portable public safety net during emergencies and power outages brought on by natural and human-made disasters such as storms, earthquakes, floods, heat, wildfires, accidents and warfare. 

The continuing democratic value of Radio to serve as a grassroots catalyst for connectedness within underserved groups including immigrant, religious, minority and poverty-stricken populations; and as an instantaneous bellwether of public opinion expressed through the auspices of free speech in the public space. 

UNESCO recognizes and understands the tremendous variety of business models and technological architecture in Radio around the world as well as the independent nature of its companies and organizations, large and small, plus the idiosyncrasies of its on-air personalities. Thus, broadcasters are encouraged to bring their own culture, style and sensibilities to their individual celebrations leading up to and during the February 13 event. 

World Radio Day is also an opportunity for radio stations to connect on-air with fellow broadcasters around the world. UNESCO invites radio stations to take the initiative for such broadcasts.

It is a remarkable achievement for a major mass communications medium to continue its relevancy past 100 years and still be a force for freedom of expression, joy and knowledge. As we proudly tell its story, let’s welcome Radio’s future in the next century.

Source: Text & Image: https://www.unesco.org/en/days/world-radio/radio-next-century

International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers – 12 February

12 février 2024
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: armed conflicts, Children, humanitarian aisstance, psychological trauma, recruitment, rights of the Child, sexual exploitation, support, UN, violence

End Violence Against Children

One in every six children live in conflict zones. Each day these children must navigate extreme risks of violence, psychological trauma, abduction, and abuse.
 
And thousands of these children are caught in the eye of storm each year, recruited and used as soldiers in armed conflicts across the world. Between 2005 and 2020, more than 93,000 children were recruited and used by armed groups. 8,500 of these cases were reported to authorities in 2020 alone, and the actual number of cases is believed to be much higher.
 
On 12 February, Red Hand Day is catalysing advocacy efforts from around the world to raise awareness about children recruited for armed conflict. Civil society, governments and international organisations are coming together to demand that children not be used in armed groups or other military units and to promote peace, aid and support for child soldiers.

No child should be a soldier in combat

Children in combat is more than just a child holding a weapon. Those recruited are forced into hardorzous child labour, hired as spies or looters, and forced to kill. Recruited children are often taken in by force, abduction, or even compelled by families for income and food. 

There is risk of abuse and sexual violence, especially for girls. Trafficking of children, particularly for sexual exploitation which disproportionately affects young girls and women, has been found in all conflict areas across the world.

Since 2002, the UN has instated the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict in the Convention of the Rights of the Child. Ratified by 172 countries, it states the commitment that children under the age of 18 should not participate in military organisations of any kind and that recruitment for such purposes must be actively prevented. Yet, the UN’s 2021 report on Children and Armed Conflict notes that at least 15 countries have cases of recruitment and use of children in settings that need humanitarian assistance.

 

Source: Text & Image: https://www.end-violence.org/articles/red-hand-day

World Day of the Sick – 11 February 2024

11 février 2024
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: accompaniment, care for sick, comforting, compassion, healing, prayer, relationships

Earlier this year, the Vatican published Pope Francis’ message for the 32nd World Day of the Sick, celebrated each year on February 11. The Holy Father’s message for this year is entitled: “It is not good that man should be alone” – Caring for the sick by caring for relationships. Echoing the Holy Father’s message, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) renews its commitment to prayer and accompaniment of the sick. Pope Francis reminds us of the fundamental importance of human relationships in the process of healing and comforting the sick.

The Holy Father refers to the biblical passage from the Book of Genesis, emphasizing that God created man by endowing him with vital relationships, and that loneliness, the result of sin, can lead to suffering and isolation. Pope Francis’ message urges us to care for relationships with compassion and tenderness, while recalling the example of the Good Samaritan who approached his neighbor with deep compassion. The Holy Father also stresses that the sick, the fragile and the poor must be at the heart of the Church and at the center of our pastoral concerns.

The World Day of the Sick offers us another opportunity to pray for all those who suffer, and to reflect on our commitment to them.

 

Source: Text: https://www.cccb.ca/media-release/pope-francis-message-for-the-32nd-world-day-of-the-sick-february-11-2024/    Image: Vatican News

Lunar New Year – 10 February 2024

10 février 2024
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: célébration, cultures, dragon dance, family reunion, festival, lanterns, Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year is spectacular, loud, and for many cultures across Asia the most important festival of the year.

The festival begins on the first day of the first lunar month in the calendar, and ends with the ‘Lantern Festival’ on the 15th day.

When is Lunar New Year?

The date of Lunar New Year differs every year. In 2024 it occurs on 10 February.

In many cultures, each year is also associated with an animal from the zodiac. Often the animals are the same across different Asian countries, including China, South Korea, North Korea, Singapore and Cambodia. 

The Chinese New Year (新年) is also known as the Spring Festival (春节). It is the most solemn festival of the year for every Chinese and has been celebrated in China for thousands of years, with various forms of activities among the diverse regions of China.

The New Year celebration is centred around removing the bad and the old, and welcoming the new and the good. It’s a time to worship ancestors, exorcise evil spirits and pray for good harvest.

Today it’s celebrated also by Chinese communities outside the country. Lion dance, dragon dance, temple fairs, flower market shopping and so on are just a few of these rich and colourful activities.

In the run-up to the new year people will clean their houses to get rid of dirt, rubbish and other unwanted items. They will redecorate them with red couplets, lanterns, new flowerpots and furniture, and will shop for foodstuffs for banquet specialities.

The New Year is an important family reunion occasion, so those who are living or working far away would return home prior to the holiday. In China this is now known as Chun Yun (春运 Moving in the Spring): tens of millions of people travel on the country’s vast public transport systems or via private means, coming home to be with their loved ones.

 

Source: Text: https://www.rmg.co.uk/   Image: unsplash.com

6th Sunday of Year B – 2024

10 février 2024
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: 1 Corinthians 10:31 – 11:1, behavior, dream, guidelines, justice, Matthew 5:3-12, mutual help, needs of others, respect, truth, way of life

The Bible offers all kinds of texts to our meditation.
These texts, from different authors and times, are presented in different literary styles.
Some are deep spiritual reflections, others give us more practical guidelines.

Today’s 2nd reading belongs to this last group of texts.
In his letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul outlines what their behavior should be
(1 Corinthians 10:31 – 11:1).

One verse has caught my attention:

“I try to be helpful to everyone at all times,
not anxious for my own advantage
but for the advantage of everybody else”.   (Bible of Jerusalem translation)

Quite an inspiring way of life, very demanding indeed, but essentially Christian.
Just imagine for a moment what daily life would be if every believer lived in this way!
No more envy, injustice, anger, vengeance…
No more attempts to outdo others, deceive them, cheat or steal.
No more conflicts of any kind…

A society where the rights of everyone are respected.
A group of people where each makes the contribution that he/she can to the needs of others.
Among them, there is sharing and mutual help, truth and justice prevail.

Reading these lines, you may say that… I am dreaming!
I suppose that I am… dreaming as Jesus taught (Matthew 5:3-12) –
the kind of dream that makes the ‘dreamers’… “blessed and happy”!

 

Note: Another text is available on a different theme, in French, at: https://image-i-nations.com/6e-dimanche-de-lannee-b-2024/

Source: Image: Uplifting Scripture

 

 

 

 

 

International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking – 2024

8 février 2024
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: act, commitment, cultures, dignity, dream, exploitation, faiths, human trafficking, listen

« I greet the young people of many countries who have come for the World Day for Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking, which will be celebrated on 8 February, memorial of Saint Josephine Bakhita, the Sudanese religious sister who was enslaved as a child. Today too, many brothers and sisters are deceived with false promises and are then subjected to exploitation and abuse. Let us all join to counter the dramatic global phenomenon of human trafficking. »          Pope Francis – Angelus – Feb 4, 2024

X° International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking 2024
“Be confident of this, that the One Who began a good work in you will carry it on
to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 1:6)
Inspired by the commitment of young people from all over the world, the theme of the 10th Edition International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against

Human Trafficking 2024
JOURNEYING IN DIGNITY: LISTEN, DREAM, ACT
The International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking (IDPAAHT) is celebrated annually on the Feast of Saint Josephine Bakhita on 8 February, since formally observed in 2015.

The primary objective of this Day is to create a greater awareness of the phenomenon of human trafficking and to reflect on the situation of violence and injustice that affects so many people’s lives. Another goal is to attempt to provide solutions to counter human trafficking by taking concrete actions.

The theme of the 10th Edition of the Day continued on from 2023 (Journeying in Dignity), chosen by an international group of young people involved in the fight against trafficking. This year, the subtitle LISTEN, DREAM, ACT is added to materialize the “Call to Action” commitment made by the international representatives of young people gathered in Rome in February 2023.

The 10th Edition has the following objectives:

– To pray together as brothers and sisters of all ages, cultures, and faiths to end human trafficking and other forms of exploitation;
– Raising awareness about human trafficking at all levels – local churches, traditions, and communities;
– Celebrating the 10th year anniversary of the Day with partners and people of goodwill;
– Closing the year dedicated to young people (2023-2024).

Source: Text: https://preghieracontrotratta.org/   Image: unsplash.com

International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation – 6 February

6 février 2024
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: FGM, health workers, immigrant populations, risk, survivors, universal issue

Ending Female Genital Mutilation by 2030

Female genital mutilation (FGM) comprises all procedures that involve altering or injuring the female genitalia for non-medical reasons and is recognized internationally as a violation of the human rights, the health and the integrity of girls and women.

Girls who undergo female genital mutilation face short-term complications such as severe pain, shock, excessive bleeding, infections, and difficulty in passing urine, as well as long-term consequences for their sexual and reproductive health and mental health.

Although primarily concentrated in 30 countries in Africa and the Middle East, female genital mutilation is a universal issue and is also practiced in some countries in Asia and Latin America. Female genital mutilation continues to persist amongst immigrant populations living in Western Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand.

Did You Know?

  • There are over 200 million girls and women alive today who are survivors of FGM.
  • Girls are today one third less likely to be subjected to FGM compared to 30 years ago; however, progress needs to be at least 10 times faster to meet the global target of FGM elimination by 2030.
  • In 2024, nearly 4.4 million girls – or more than 12,000 each day – are at risk of female genital mutilation around the world.
  • 1 in 4 survivors underwent female genital mutilation by a health worker.
  • Daughters of FGM survivors are at significant higher risk to undergo FGM compared to daughters of women who have not undergone FGM.
  • The financial cost of health care for FGM survivors is USD 1.4 billion every year.
Source: Text: https://www.un.org/en/observances/female-genital-mutilation-day    Image: UNFPA

International Day of Human Fraternity – 4 February

4 février 2024
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: beliefs, common values, cooperation, dialogue, humanity, religions, tolérance, understanding, world peace

Human fraternity for peace and cooperation

We need — perhaps more than ever before — to recognize the valuable contribution of people of all religions, or beliefs, to humanity and the contribution that dialogue among all religious groups can make towards an improved awareness and understanding of the common values shared by all humankind.

We also need to underline the importance of raising awareness about different cultures and religions, or beliefs, and the promotion of tolerance, which involves societal acceptance and respect for religious and cultural diversity, including with regard to religious expression. Education, in particular at school, should contribute in a meaningful way to promoting tolerance and the elimination of discrimination based on religion or belief.

Furthermore, we must acknowledge that  tolerance,  pluralistic  tradition,  mutual  respect  and  the diversity of religions and beliefs promote human fraternity. Thus, it is imperative that we encourage activities  aimed  at  promoting  interreligious  and  intercultural dialogue in  order to  enhance peace  and social  stability,  respect for  diversity and mutual respect and to create, at the global level, and also at the regional, national and local levels, an environment conducive to peace and mutual understanding.

Within that frame, the General-Assembly took note of  all  international,  regional,  national  and  local  initiatives,  as appropriate,  as  well as  efforts  by religious leaders, to promote interreligious and intercultural dialogue, and in this regard took note also of the meeting between Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmad al-Tayyib, on 4 February 2019 in Abu Dhabi, which resulted in the signing of the document entitled “Human fraternity for world peace and living together”.

 

Source: Text:  https://www.un.org/en/observances/human-fraternity    Image: vaticannews.va

5th Sunday of Year B – 2024

3 février 2024
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: eternal life, happy encounters, hurt, immortality, joyful events, Mark 1:29-39, pain, permanent health, physical or mental suffering, sickness

Looking at life unfolding from day to day, some people would say:
“Daily life is a ‘mixed bag’.”
They think of their experience day after day –
good things and bad things are part of what happens to them.

Joyful events and happy encounters are surely enjoyable.
But problems and difficulties are not.
Struggling with misfortune and coping with accidents, this is painful.
And sickness is part of what we see as painful situations in our lives.

When we are suffering physically or mentally, or both, we feel we are not ourselves.
We long to be healed from the pain and hurt.
We want to be freed from worry, anxiety, and all such negative feelings.

At such times, some of us may envy the people who lived in Jesus’ time.
The text of today’s gospel reading outlines clearly what we would hope for (Mark 1:29-39):

“That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus
all the sick and those possessed by demons. 
The whole town gathered at the door, 
and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. 
He also drove out many demons”

Sickness and possession suddenly taken away – was it not something wonderful?
People suffering and tormented are now free from their misery.
And we think: What about us?

We can no longer reach Jesus in a certain place and ask him to heal whatever affliction we suffer from.
Yet, healing is often provided through the medication available nowadays.
Medical science, the knowledge and expertise of specialists can often cure many diseases.
God can make use of these to heal us.

You say: “Often, yes, but not always”.
It is true.
On this earth, we cannot enjoy permanent health and… immortality.
Our human condition does not allow for everlasting enjoyment of a healthy life.
We must live… waiting for… the ‘other life’ – the eternal one…

One day I read a text from a spiritual writer asking this question:
“What kind of a God do we want to believe in –
a God who can cure our diseases once?
Or, a God who lives with us through all that we have to suffer from?”

I ask myself this question from time to time?…

 

Note: Another text is available on a different theme, in French, at: https://image-i-nations.com/5e-dimanche-de-lannee-b-2024/

 

Source: Images: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

 

 

 

World Day for Consecrated Life – 2 February

2 février 2024
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Candlemas, chastity, consecrated life, faith, gift, obedience, poverty, Purification of Virgin Mary, Spirit

Consecrated women and men — together with Catholics in general — are invited to celebrate the World Day for Consecrated Life. Established by St. John Paul II, the day recognizes the beauty and impact of a life dedicated to poverty, chastity, and obedience.

When is it celebrated?

The Catholic Church celebrates the World Day for Consecrated Life Feb. 2, the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, also known as Candlemas or the feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Consecrated women and men — together with Catholics in general — are invited to celebrate the World Day for Consecrated Life.

In his message for the first World Day of Consecrated Life, the late pontiff stressed the importance of the day.

“The mission of the consecrated life in the present and in the future of the Church,” he said, “concerns not merely those who have received this special charism, but the entire Christian community.

The consecrated life, he added, “is at the very heart of the Church as a decisive element for her mission, since it ‘manifests the inner nature of the Christian calling’ and the striving of the whole Church as Bride towards union with her one Spouse,” citing his apostolic exhortation Vita Consecrata.

In his 1997 address, Pope Saint John Paul II listed three reasons, beginning with thanking God for this “stupendous gift!”

The day “answers the intimate need to praise the Lord more solemnly and to thank him for the great gift of consecrated life,” he said. Next, “this day is intended to promote a knowledge of and esteem for the consecrated life by the entire People of God.”

The last reason, he said, concerned consecrated persons.

“They are invited to celebrate together solemnly the marvels which the Lord has accomplished in them,” he said, “to discover by a more illumined faith the rays of divine beauty spread by the Spirit in their way of life, and to acquire a more vivid consciousness of their irreplaceable mission in the Church and in the world.”

 

Source: Text: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/    Images: pexels.com (Mikhail Nilov, Mart Production)