Global Solidarity

September 1—World Day of Prayer for Creation The world-wide Season of Creation opens September 1st, the World Day of Prayer for Creation.  The season extends through the feast of St Francis, the patron of ecology, on October 4th.  This year’s theme for the season is:  Listen to the Voice of Creation. This day and throughout the month, we are invited to marvel at the wonders of creation, taking time to appreciate and savor nature’s many gifts.   It is also a time to take action to protect and promote biodiversity.  Each creature on our richly diverse planet reveals something of the divine [...]

August 6 & 9—World Remembrance of Hiroshima and Nagasaki—77th AnniversaryOn these two days we remember the only two times that nuclear weapons have been unleashed during warfare. We also remember the horrendous immediate human cost, and the continuing long-term effects on global societies. Sadako Sasaki, born on January 7, 1943, was a Japanese girl who became a victim of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima by the United States. She was two years old when the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. She was at home with her mother about 1 mile (1.6 m) from ground zero. Miraculously, she was thrown out through [...]

July 11—World Population Day July 11th, World Population Day seeks to raise awareness of issues around world population. The current world population is estimated to be 7.8 billion. The average global life expectancy is now about 72 years. Global population is increasing about 83 million people per year. This continuing strain of earth’s resources threatens all of us unless we seriously strive to live more simply and thus decrease our consumption of resources. Increasing human population densities also expose all of us to increasing risks of pandemics, water shortages, and worsening food production and distribution problems. International cooperation is urgently [...]

June 5—World Environment DayCelebrated in 100 countries, the UN’s World Environment Day calls all citizens of the world to raise awareness about the care of Earth.  Further, it is a day to foster action to protect the environment.  Earth is our mother.  She sustains and protects us and all life on our planet.  Sweden will host the World Environment Celebrations on June 5th. The theme is “Only One Earth: Living Sustainably With Nature.”  This year marks the 50th anniversary of the 1972 United Nations Conference on Human Environment.  Today, earth is at a crossroads. Each of us and all of us [...]

May 1—International Workers’ Day International Workers’ Day is a special day to honor workers around the world as they continue to struggle for safe working conditions, a living wage, an 8-hour working day, respect and recognition for their contributions to the common good, and an end to child labor. Many workers also continue to struggle to organize themselves so that they can share their concerns with management and employers without retribution. Paid sick leave and job security following illness or on-the-job injury are still not available to many workers. Even in those countries where union organizing and workers rights [...]

April 4—International Day of Landmine Awareness & Assistance in Mine ActionThis day is a special day to raise awareness of the dangers posed by landmines and other unexploded munitions and to take action to eliminate their use.  The 2022 theme for this special day is “Together for Mine Action: Give Life Back.” Each year thousands of civilians are killed or maimed by landmine explosions, often in areas of the world where armed conflict has ceased.  These unexploded munitions can endanger people as they plant crops in their fields, travel along roadsides to fetch food or water, travel to and from [...]

 March 8—International Women’s DayInternational Women's Day (IWD) on March 8 is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. This year’s theme is Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow. This is a day to dream and work towards a world free from gender bias, stereotypes and discrimination that can rob us of women’s gifts and creativity. It is a day to work towards a world that is inclusive, equitable, and celebrates diversity. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals recognize that women have a significant role in creating a sustainable future for our world. In order [...]

February 6—International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)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. In addition, the medical risks, including severe blood loss, infections, pain, later complications during childbirth, and possible long-term negative psychological effects, are well recognized.  Although primarily concentrated in 30 countries in Africa and the Middle East, female genital mutilation is a universal problem and continues to persist amongst immigrant populations living in [...]

January 1—World Day of Peace 2022 marks the 55th annual World Day of Peace.  The theme is “Education, work and dialogue between generations: tools for building lasting peace.” In this year’s address, the Pope Francis outlines three paths for building a lasting peace:  promoting dialogue between generations, investing in education, and improving labor conditions.  Francis observes that in recent years, there has been a significant reduction in education funding, while military spending has escalated, now surpassing even cold war levels.  He calls for educational spending to be viewed as an investment, rather than as an expenditure.  This investment in our [...]

December 1 - World AIDs DayDecember 1, 2021 marks the 33rd global World AIDS Day to raise awareness about the continued AIDS pandemic. This year’s theme is “End Inequalities—End AIDS”. Catholic Social Teaching calls us to recognize and  celebrate the human dignity and worth of every person.  Stigma, discrimination, and criminalization of key at risk populations must be addressed and eliminated if we are to end this AIDS pandemic. Gender inequalities have also contributed to the increase in HIV infections among women and girls. Every week, about 5000 young women aged 15-24 become infected with HIV. Worldwide, about 35% of [...]