Just Dates: May

May is Domestic and Family  Violence Prevention Month

 1              International Workers Day / World Asthma Day

3              World Press Freedom Day

4                   World Naked Gardening Day / World Labyrinth Day

5              International Midwives Day

5-11        Heart Week / National Mind Week
6-11            International Composting Awareness Week Australia
7-13            National Mothering Week

9-15         Social Sector Financial Literacy Day

10            World Lupus Day

12            Mothers Day

12-18      Schizophrenia Awareness Week

13-19      National Volunteer Week / Food Allergy Awareness Week

15            International Day of Families

17            International Day Against Homophobia /
                      World Telecommunication and Information  Society Day

19-25      National Palliative Care Week
20-16         Spinal Health Week

21           World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development

22           International Day for Biological Diversity

25-31     Week of Solidarity with the Peoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories

26           National Sorry Day

27           Reconciliation Week

29           White Wreath Day / International Day of UN Peacekeepers

30           World MS Day

Just Dates: April

 

World Autism Awareness Day

5-14 National Youth Week

World Health Day

11 World Parkinson’s Day
17 World Haemophilia Day

18 World Heritage Day

22 Earth Day

23 World Book and Copyright Day

25 World Malaria Day

28 World Day for Safety and Health at Work

Just Dates: March

International Death Penalty Abolition Day

Clean Up Australia Day

7 World Book Day

International Women’s Day

15 World Consumer Rights Day

16-24 Bike week

19 World Social Work Day

21

Harmony Day Australia

Close the Gap Day

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

22 World Day for Water

23

World Meteorological Day

Earth Hour

26 Purple Day for Epilepsy

31 Neighbour Day

 

Catholic Advocate Calls on Cosgrove to return Papal Knighthood

MEDIA RELEASE

For Immediate Publication

February 8 2013

 Catholic Advocate Calls on Cosgrove to return Papal Knighthood

Brisbane based Catholic Justice advocate, Tony Robertson has called on the Chancellor of the Australian Catholic University, General Peter Cosgrove to return his Papal Knighthood. General Cosgrove was invested as a  Knight of the Grand Cross in the Order of St Gregory the Great on February 6th by George Cardinal Pell in Sydney.

Mr Robertson  said: “The conferring of a Papal Honour on General Cosgrove for services to the Church of Sydney is a scandal that will further alienate Catholics of good will from their Church”

“General Cosgrove chose to lead Australian troops into a war in Iraq in 2003 against the explicit moral directives of Pope John Paul II” he said.

Mr Robertson said “General Cosgrove is a public face of Catholicism and has an opportunity to acknowledge that he failed to fulfil his duty of “loyalty to the Holy See” by his participation  in the 2003 Iraq Invasion.

Mr Robertson has been supportive of a campaign begun in 2010 to have General Cosgrove removed from his position as Chancellor of the Australian Catholic University.

“Our nation needs leaders who will stand against the culture of death and war. We need educators who can nurture a community of peace making with a commitment to non violent living. General Cosgrove  does not represent such leadership” Mr Robertson said.

Tony Robertson

M:0417792509

E: cultureboy@gmail.com

W: http://justlivingaus.com/

Just Dates: February

World Wetlands Day
World  Cancer Day
Waitangi Day Aotearoa New Zealand
12 Indigenous Freedom Ride Anniversary 1965
13 Stolen Generations Apology 2008
20 World Day of Social Justice
21  International Mother Language Day
24 National Sunnies for Sight Day

Just Dates: January

Grameen Bank set up in Bangladesh 1977
21 Martin Luther King Day of Service /  World Hug Day (Peace Initiative)
26 Australia Day Indigenous Invasion/Survival Day / Aboriginal Tent Embassy
27 Holocaust Memorial Day / Vietnam Peace Agreement Signed 1973

Christmas 2012

IMG_8870There are quite a few things I really like about Catholicism. Amongst others, it has nurtured in me a love of theatre and ritual in my life. The cycle of religious festivals with appropriate colours, symbols and texts provide a rich stimulus to imagination as well as feeding the never ending questions of life.

Christmas is, without doubt far more exciting than Easter. I know the liturgical police and the theological prudes will chase me through the corridors of fidelity for uttering such a heresy. But, let’s face it, cribs, carols, trees, candy cane and the spirit, if not the presence of St Nick all work together to provide a lot more excitement than an empty tomb. And we get 12 days to celebrate as well. I always use this as an excuse for sending Christmas Cards right up until January 6th. Wish someone would tell Australia Post about the 12 Days deal so we could continue using the Christmas stamps after December 31st.

Each year I join the universal competition to provide the mother of all cribs. In my young adult years I lived with a community of Capuchin Franciscan Friars where I was introduced to some of the popular European customs in which the Nativity setting became the impetus for creating an electronic metropolis complete with flying objects and a night sky that would have blown Galileo away.

This year at Casa Robertson’s Domestic Church I have set up my Nativity scene in my bay window after consulting the Vatican Feng Shui web site. The Nativity scene is a hand woven from the Philippines which I picked up from the Good Shepherd Trading Circles many years ago. The shepherds have a bit of trouble getting to the main area due to the presence of assorted characters including the Flintstones and Batman. Other visitors at the scene include a small carved figure of St Francis brought back from Japan and a couple of miniature dolls presented to me by the first Korean students at ACU McAuley.

The most popular figure in my Nativity scene with some visitors is the Power Ranger who gets moved all over the place to watch over the gathering and monitor the behavior of the dinosaurs, kangaroos and mermaids.The multicultural features include a Peruvian angel and the recent addition of a Cajaner.

Out of view (as you would expect) are the Magi.. They are currently on the other side of the room  and will slowly progress to the crib to arrive on schedule for the Epiphany on January 6th. One year I was away and had an external Nativity. A neighbor took on the task of moving the “Three Kings” through the garden to arrive on time. I really think she ducked out late on the night of Jan 5th and gave them an express run through the shrubbery.

I feel sorry for the poor old “Three Kings”. They don’t really get to make much of an appearance as everything gets taken down and put away as soon as they arive in accordance with a tradition handed down by my wise old grandmother.

So, I hope you are blest with friendship, compassion and solidarity with vulnerable people  on the 12 days of Christmas which take us into the New Year with its promise of joy and peace.

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