The Church in the World
WORLD DAY OF PEACE - January 1
The World Day of Peace is dedicated to the promotion of universal peace in the world. It is held annually on January 1, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. Pope Paul VI inspired by the encyclical Pacem in Terris of Pope John XXIII and his own encyclical Populorum Progressio established the World Day of Peace in 1967. The day was first observed on 1 January 1968.
World Day of Peace often has been an occasion on which the Holy Fathers make magisterial declarations of social doctrine. Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II made important declarations on the Day in each year of their pontificates regarding the United Nations, human rights, women's rights, labor unions, economic development, the right to life, international diplomacy, peace in the Holy Land (Israel), globalization, and terrorism.
WORLD DAY FOR CONSECRATED LIFE - February 2
The World Day for Consecrated Life was instituted by Pope John Paul II in 1997 as a day of prayer for those women and men who have devoted their lives to God in consecrated life.
This celebration is attached to the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord on February 2nd. This Feast is also known as Candlemas Day; the day on which candles are blessed symbolizing Christ who is the light of the world. So too, those in consecrated life are called to reflect light of Jesus Christ to all peoples.
The Church prays for all those who have made commitments in the consecrated life, and be sure to thank them on their special day. May they continue to be inspired by Jesus Christ and respond generously to God’s gift of their vocation.
WORLD DAY OF THE SICK - February 11
MESSAGES FOR LENT - Pope Francis
During the Season of Lent, Pope Francis writes a message annually providing a reflection on ways the faithful can deepen their experience of the Lenten observance.
WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS - Good Shepherd Sunday
World Day of Prayer is observed on Good Shepherd Sunday, the fourth Sunday of the Easter Season. The purpose of this day is to publically fulfill the Lord's instruction to, "Pray the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into his harvest" (Mt 9:38; Lk 10:2). The Day calls the Church annually to pray that young men and women hear and respond generously to the Lord's call to the priesthood, diaconate, religious life, societies of apostolic life or secular institutes, and to promote a culture of vocations in our parishes, schools, and homes.
WORLD COMMUNICATIONS DAY - Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord
On the liturgical memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, patron saint of writers and journalists, the Holy See releases the Holy Father's Message for tWorld Communications Day. In Canada, World Communications Day is celebrated during the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord.
World Communications Day was established by Pope Paul VI in 1967 as an annual celebration that encourages the Church to reflect on the opportunities and challenges that the modern means of social communication (the press, motions pictures, radio, television and the internet) afford Her to communicate the Gospel message.
The celebration came in the wake of the Second Vatican Council, which realised it must engage fully with the modern world. This realisation is expressed in the opening statement of the Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et spes on “The Church in the Modern World”, which says: “The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anguishes of the people of our time, especially of those who are poor or afflicted in any way, are the joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anguishes of the followers of Christ as well.”
WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR CREATION - September 1
Pope Francis recently declared September 1 as the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. Pope Francis says, "The annual World Day of prayer for the Care of Creation offers to individual believers and to the community a precious opportunity to renew our personal participation in this vocation as custodians of creation, raising to God our thanks for the marvellous works that He has entrusted to our care, invoking his help for the protection of creation and his mercy for the sins committed against the world in which we live."
ECUMENICAL SEASON OF CREATION - September 1 to October 4
Endorsed by Pope Francis in 2015 and supported by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, the annual month-long ecumenical celebration entitled the Season of Creation will begin on 1 September (World Day of Prayer for Creation) and continue until 4 October 2019 (feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi). The celebration calls on the global Christian community to promote prayer and action to protect our common home.
WORLD DAY OF MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES - Date in September
The Church has been celebrating the World Day of Migrants and Refugees since 1914. It is an occasion to express concern for many different vulnerable people on the move; to pray for the challenges and increase awareness about the opportunities that migration offers as well as the perils such as human trafficking.
WORLD TOURISM DAY - September 27
World Tourism Day (WTD) is held annually on 27 September. Its purpose is to foster awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic value. A message is released annually from the Vatican for World Tourism Day.
WORLD MISSION DAY - Date in October
World Mission Sunday is a day set aside for the Catholic Church throughout the world to publicly renew its commitment to the missionary movement. It is celebrated on the penultimate (next-to-last) Sunday of October every year. It was created by Pope Pius XI in 1926 as the day of prayer for missions.
WORLD FOOD DAY - October 16
World Food Day is celebrated every year around the world on October 16 in honor of the date of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1945. The day is celebrated widely by many organizations such as the Roman Catholic Church concerned with food security, access to food, food production, and the responsibility to ensure adequate nourishment for all peoples.
WORLD DAY OF THE POOR - Date in November
The World Day of the Poor is a Roman Catholic Church observance, celebrated on the 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time since 2017. It was established by Pope Francis in his Apostolic Letter, Misericordia et Misera, issued on November 20, 2016, to celebrate the end of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy.
WORLD YOUTH DAY MESSAGES - Pope Francis
World Youth Day is an event for young people aged 18 to 35 years organized by the Roman Catholic Church. World Youth Day was initiated by Pope John Paul II in 1985 and the first World Youth Day was held a year later in 1986. Its concept has been influenced by the Light-Life Movement that has existed in Poland since the 1960s, where during summer camps young Catholic adults celebrated a "day of community". It is celebrated at the international level every two to three years at different locations around the world.