Two religious sisters are among the 14 people who will receive Presidential Distinguished Service Awards for the Irish Abroad this year.

Good Shepherd Sister Louise Horgan has been working for over 50 years to empower vulnerable women and children in Thailand, and Loreto Sister Patricia Murray has been recognized for her work in peace, reconciliation and development.

Sister Louise (pictured with a group of children) said she was grateful for the presidential award, "not for any personal accolade, but for the fact that it is an honor for our Congregation and it highlights the plight of those with whom I've been working — tells their story and hopefully raises them up."

GSR article: https://www.globalsistersreport.org/news/ministry/ireland-honors-two-sisters-their-work-around-world

[Published in Global Sisters Report, A project of National Catholic Reporter 14 November 2020.]

A Good Shepherd Asia Pacific regional campaign is running from the International Day of the Girl Child on 11 October until Human Rights Day on 10 December 2020.  IDG2020 was celebrated with a Good Shepherd Asia Pacific Forum Panel, described by Sr Winifred Doherty (Main GS representative at the UN) as "a historic groundbreaking event, a festival proclaiming girls’ rights with girls and for girls throughout the 19 countries of Asia Pacific. It was a truly global virtual experience.....While containing many elements of fun and creativity the message was very clear – ‘we have experienced discrimination as girls.’   We must say no to every and all forms of violence perpetrated against girls whether in the name of religion, tradition or culture." 

Click here for Winifred's full Reflection - IDG2020 Sr Winifred Doherty Reflection

YouTube link - GSAP Regional Campaign IDG 11October - 10December 2020

GSAP Regional Campaign - https://www.goodshepherd-asiapacific.org.au/project/437

Artwork - Winner of Good Shepherd competition, by student at GS School in India 

The 16 Days Campaign: 25 November to 10 December 2020. 

UNiTE Campaign Theme: "Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect!"

Every hour, somewhere in the world, thousands of women are killed or injured because of the violence perpetrated against them. Violence against women is not acceptable! Do we really, truly get that message? Violence against women is not acceptable! Violence most often physical, but not always – it can be emotional, financial, psychological, cyber. It can affect girls and women of any, and every age across the lifecycle.

We need to take strength and courage from the work of organisations like UN Women, CEDAW Committee, the ILO, and the NGOs and rights-based organisations in our own countries that challenge injustice and violence against women and girls.

‘Poverty is Gender-Based Violence.’ Check out these 5 links between poverty and gender-based violence. https://www.actionaid.org.uk/blog/policy-and-research/2018/03/07/5-links-between-poverty-and-violence-against-women

Prayer from Good Shepherd International Justice Peace Office - GSIJPO NGO Prayer Network 2020

ACRATH 16 Days Campaign Activities - (Australian Catholic Religious Against Trafficking in Humans)

As the United Nations celebrates its 75th anniversary, it acknowledges: "the UN is marking its 75th anniversary at a time of great disruption for the world, compounded by an unprecedented global health crisis with severe economic and social impacts."

To mark the 75th anniversary, Chris Herlinger, Global Sisters Report international correspondent, asked members of sister congregations about the milestone anniversary, inviting them to reflect on the United Nation's accomplishments and failures and the difficulties and challenges it faces now and in the future.

Sr. Winifred Doherty's contribution is included in this article.

Click here -  United Nations at 75: Sisters and their reps discuss its feats, failures

Chris Herlinger - Global Sisters Report:  A Project of National Catholic Reporter

Sep 21, 2020

The Season of Creation is a new Liturgical Season for the Catholic community globally, extending from 1 September, the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, to 4 October, the feast of St Francis of Assisi.

Logo    The orb of the logo is planet Earth filled with the waves of God’s Spirit. The veins of the leaf suggest the web of creation. The leaf forms a tree of life that is also the cross of Christ. Leaves from the tree of life are for healing (Revelation 22:2).

The season focuses on God as Creator of the vast cosmic universe, God's revelation in Creation, and our calling to care for God's creation, protect its rich diversity and address the urgent, destructive crises threatening its health and future.

'Everything is related, and we human beings are united as brothers and sisters on a wonderful pilgrimage, woven together by the love God has for each creature, and which also unites us in fond affection with brother sun, sister moon, brother river and mother earth.'  Laudato Si'  - On Care for Our Common Home 92

Sr Winifred Doherty's blog (GSIJPO) - http://winifredd.wordpress.com/

Creation Justice Ministries - https://www.creationjustice.org/world-day-of-prayer-for-the-care-of-creation.html

Litany for the Earth -  https://youtu.be/jlWIthGJdok

Reflective and beautiful YouTube hymn inspired by Laudato Si'.  Acknowledgment: Barbara Bridge, Jaime Cortez, Bernadette Farrell, Bob Hurd, Michael Joncas, Ricky Manalo CSP, Curtis Stephan, Janet Sullivan Whitaker, Rufino Zaragoza OFM

“What is this thing that has happened to us? It’s a virus, yes. In and of itself it holds no moral brief. But it is definitely more than a virus. Some believe it’s God’s way of bringing us to our senses. Others that it’s a Chinese conspiracy to take over the world.

Whatever it is, coronavirus has made the mighty kneel and brought the world to a halt like nothing else could. Our minds are still racing back and forth, longing for a return to “normality”, trying to stitch our future to our past and refusing to acknowledge the rupture. But the rupture exists. And in the midst of this terrible despair, it offers us a chance to rethink the doomsday machine we have built for ourselves. Nothing could be worse than a return to normality.

Historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew. This one is no different. It is a portal, a gateway between one world and the next.

We can choose to walk through it, dragging the carcasses of our prejudice and hatred, our avarice, our data banks and dead ideas, our dead rivers and smoky skies behind us. Or we can walk through lightly, with little luggage, ready to imagine another world. And ready to fight for it.”                                                                                                                  

Arundhati Roy

Arundhati Roy is a highly regarded Indian author, and a political activist involved in human rights and environmental issues.

Today we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This milestone document proclaims the inalienable rights which everyone is inherently entitled to as a human being -- regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. It is the most translated document in the world, available in more than 500 languages.

While its promise is yet to be fully realized, the very fact that it has stood the test of time is testament to the enduring universality of its perennial values of equality, justice and human dignity.

The principles enshrined in the Declaration are as relevant today as they were in 1948. We need to stand up for our own rights and those of others. We can take action in our own daily lives, to uphold the rights that protect us all and thereby promote the kinship of all human beings.  

#StandUp4HumanRights

• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights empowers us all.

• Human rights are relevant to all of us, every day.

• Our shared humanity is rooted in these universal values.

• Equality, justice and freedom prevent violence and sustain peace.

• Whenever and wherever humanity's values are abandoned, we all are at greater risk.

• We need to stand up for our rights and those of others.

Some other key dates to save in your calendars

February 8 - Feast of St Josephine Bakhita

February 20 - World Day of Social Justice

March 8 - International Women's Day (IWD)

March 22 - World Water Day

March (last Saturday) - Earth Hour

April 22 - Earth Day

April 24 - Feastday of St Mary Euphrasia Pelletier

May 26 - June 24 - Ramadan (varies)

June 5 - World Environment Day

June 12 - World Day Against Child Labour

June 14 - 20 - Refugee Week

June 20 - World Refugee Day

June 24 - Good Shepherd Day (Australia)

July 22 - Good Shepherd Day (Aotearoa/New Zealand) 

July 30 - World Day against Trafficking in Persons

August 9 - International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples

August 19 - Feastday of St John Eudes

September 1 - World Day of Prayer for Care of Creation

September 21 - International Day of Peace

October 6 - World Habitat Day

October 11 - International Day of the Girl Child

October 16 - World Food Day

October 17 - International Day for the Elimination of Poverty

November 2 - All Souls Day

November 11 - Diwali festival

November 18 - World Day of the Poor

November 25 - International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

November 25 - 10 Dec - 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence

December 2 - International Day for the Abolition of Slavery

December 5 - International Volunteer Day

December 10 - Human Rights Day