World Day of Peace, celebrated on January 1 every year, is primarily a Catholic feast day dedicated to universal peace on the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. On this occasion, Popes generally make authoritative declarations on the Catholic Social Teachings (C.S.T.). The theme of the feast has always […]
World Youth Day – 26 July 2023
5,000 Canadian Youth Join Pope Francis in Portugal for WYD More than 5,000 Canadian Youth are making their way to Lisbon, Portugal to be with Pope Francis, from 1 to 6 August 2023. The Holy Father will join more than one million young people for World Youth Day (WYD), an […]
World Youth Day – 26 July 2022
Not to be confused with International Youth Day or World Festival of Youth and Students. World Youth Day (WYD) is an event for young people organized every three (or sometimes, two) years by the Catholic Church. World Youth Day was initiated by Saint Pope John Paul II in 1985. For […]
Pope Francis visits Irak
Pope Francis arrives in Iraq as ‘penitent pilgrim’ begging for peace Pope Francis arrived in Iraq March 5 for a three-day visit aimed at encouraging the nation’s historic but diminishing Christian community. .. The pontiff made impassioned and repeated pleas that the country might avert further conflict. « May the clash of […]
International day of Human Fraternity – 4 February 2021
With unanimous vote in the General Assembly, February 4 becomes the (first) International Day of Human Fraternity. The United Nations General Assembly voted unanimously to designate February 4 — the anniversary of the signing of the “Document for Human Fraternity” by Pope Francis and Grand Imam Ahmad Al-Tayyeb — […]
World Day for Consecrated Life – 2 February 2021
About World Day for Consecrated Life In 1997, Pope Saint John Paul II instituted a day of prayer for women and men in consecrated life. This celebration is attached to the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord on February 2nd. « This then is the consecrated life: praise which gives joy […]
World Day of Migrants and Refugees – 14 January
MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS FOR THE 104th WORLD DAY OF MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES 2018 “Welcoming, protecting, promoting and integrating migrants and refugees” Dear brothers and sisters! “You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for […]
World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation – 1st September
Pope Francis recently declared September 1 as the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, as the Orthodox Church has done since 1989. According to Pope Francis, “The annual World Day of prayer for the Care of Creation offers to individual believers and to the community a precious […]
World Communications Day – 28 May
The Holy See on 24 January 2017, the liturgical memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, patron saint of writers and journalists, released the Holy Father’s Message for the 51st World Communications Day. The Message of Pope Francis is entitled « Fear not, for I am with you (Isaiah 43:5): Communicating Hope […]
World Day of the Sick – 11 February
About World Day of the Sick Pope John Paul II initiated the day in 1992 to encourage people to pray for those who suffer from illness and for their caregivers. The Pope himself had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s a year before, in 1991, and it is considered that his own […]