Welcome 2012

Welcome to January 1st. In the “Land of the Long Weekend” this is the day to recover from the NYE parties and celebrations. It’s a day at the beach or home with a ‘Barby“.

The Church struggles to get a full house on this day  although there is a bonus when it falls on a Sunday as has happened this year. In good old Catholic Tradition this day was known as the Feast of the Circumcision of the Lord. Yes, it is the only Catholic feast for a medical procedure. As with all great Biblical accounts there is a picture gallery available on Google.

Circumcision gets some pretty good press in the Scriptures as a popular practice and metaphor. By the time you have worked through the Hebrew Scriptures and made your way to some of Paul’s letters you get to the most cutting of his statements:  “Beware of the cutters,”  (Ph.3:2).  So, there you have it, time to stop infant circumcision!! If Paul was around today he would probably join one of the Facebook pages against infant circumcision.

Thanks to this feast we also have a great new word for scrabble: prepuce.  The Holy Prepuce or the story of the foreskin relics is another contribution of Catholicism to the religious entertainment industry. It seems that we can also learn a bit from Michelangelo about this practice.

The United Nations Theme for 2012: The International Year of Cooperatives 

In Australia we will celebrate The National Year of Reading

And to sing in this New Year I suggest we can do nothing better than join the chorus of We Are the Many


The 12 Days of Christmas

As we celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas I invite you to visit my Holy Irritant Blog for  reflections on each of these days.

Christmas Day

Second Day of Christmas:The Essential Nativity Extra

Third Day of Christmas A Holy Day for Queers

Fourth Day of Christmas : The Holy Innocents

Fifth Day of Christmas: Swords and Brooms

Sixth Day of Christmas Putting the Stamp on Christmas

Gifts That Celebrate Christmas

New Title from Timor Leste

The children of Delecu in Timor Leste  have  written and illustrated a lovely book.  The story of the book is itself an amazing tale  of cross cultural experience. When Katrina Powell read  ”From Little things Big Things Grow” to her class in Delecu she had no idea it would unleash a new partnership of language and community as her students took the text and story and made it their own.

The Kev Carmody/Paul Kelly iconic song  From Little Things Big Things Grow is now an inspiration for the dreams of a new generation of kids in Timor Leste.

Edita de Jesus one of the young students and teacher Katrina Powell spoke about the inspiration of the Gurindji people, having chalk for school and going shopping in Brisbane, during their book launch tour here in Australia.

You can purchase this book online.  Funds raised from sales  will assist the Edmund Rice Primary School and distribution in East Timor.

Just Dates December

1

World AIDS Day

2

International Day for the Abolition of Slavery

3

International Day of Disabled Persons

5

International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development

7

International Civil Aviation Day

9

International Anti-Corruption Day

10

Human Rights Day

11

International Mountain Day

18

International Migrants Day

19

United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation

20

International Human Solidarity Day


Just Dates November

06 International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict / Grandparents Day

14 World Diabetes Day

16 International Day of Tolerance

19 International Men’s Day

20 World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims Universal Children’s Day, /  Africa Industrialization Day

21 World Television Day

25 International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women / White Ribbon Day

29 International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People

 

Supporting the Occupy Cities Campaign

Just Dates October

Anxiety and Depression Awareness Month

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

 1 International Day for Older Persons

3 World Habitat Day

4-10 World Space Week

5 World Teacher’s Day

9 World Post Day

9-15 Mental Health Week

10 World Mental Health Day

13 International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction

14 World Sight Day

16 World Food Day

16-22 Anti-Poverty Week /National Nutrition Week

17 Sock It To Suicide/International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

21-30 Queensland Children’s Week

24 United Nations Day

24-30 Disarmament Week

 

Tony at the BWF and Brisbane Festival

Follow the excitement, the people and the perfomances at the Brisbane Writers Festival and the Brisbane Festival with my reviews on Critical Mass.

 Join the discussions and share your reflections and experiences of the festival month!!

Just Dates September

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month

1-7 National Asthma Week

4 Legacy Day / Fathers Day

4-11 Child Protection Week

8 International Literacy Day

10 World Suicide Prevention Day

12-18 National Stroke Week

15 International Day of Democracy

16 International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer

21 International Day of Peace

25 World Heart Day

For more local events and opportunities to celebrate Community check my events blog!!

Just Dates August

1-7 World Breastfeeding Week
International Day of the World’s Indigenous People
12 International Youth Day
14 Feast of Micah the Prophet
15-21 Brain Awareness Week
19 World Humanitarian Day
20-28 Seniors Week Queensland
20-26 Book Week
21-27 Speech Pathology Week / Hearing Awareness Week
23 International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition
31 International Overdose Awareness Day / Doctors for doctors Day

 

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