News & Events

Join with us and the World Council of Churches in praying  this prayer for peace during the World Week of Peace in Palestine and Israel:

“God of love and justice,
send your spirit of love and reconciliation into our hearts,
so we have the courage to uphold the sanctity of life,
see the beauty of all human beings created in your image
and overcome all hate,

God of reconciliation,
send your spirit of wisdom and prudence
into the hearts of those in power
that a just and sustainable peace
with room for a good life for both Palestinians and Israelis
may become possible.”

-Amen

• Find out more here
• Additional resources can be accessed here
• Post your own prayer here

This World Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel includes the UN International Day of Peace on 21 September with its theme "Cultivating a Culture of Peace".

"We Sisters of Mercy, Parramatta Congregation, will share with others, including people of different faiths and no religious faith, the joys and struggles of this spiritual journey....
We will honour our duty to love and care for Earth and add to her well-being wherever possible." (Chapter Statement).

The interreligious meeting took place on the third day of Pope Francis' Apostolic Journey to Asia and Oceania (2-13 September) visiting Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore. Significantly, it  was the fifth day of the Season of Creation which commenced on 1 September.

In his address at the Mosque, Pope Francis addressed the importance of “fostering religious harmony for the sake of humanity” (also the title of the Joint Declaration).  By adhering to religious harmony, the Pope said, "we take on the responsibility to address the serious and sometimes dramatic crises that threaten the future of humanity such as wars and conflicts, which are unfortunately caused at times by the manipulation of religion, and the environmental crisis, which is an obstacle to the growth and coexistence of peoples".

Jakarta’s Istiqlal Mosque is the largest in Southeast Asia.  A “Tunnel of Friendship” connects the Istiqlal Mosque and the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption.

Indonesia is home to the world's largest Muslim population

More about the Pope's visit to Indonesia can be read here

"We, Sisters of Mercy Parramatta Congregation, will enjoy and celebrate Earth’s beauty and bounty and her many species. We will honour our duty to love and care for her and add to her well-being wherever possible." (Chapter Statement)

This month Pope Francis encourages us to actively get involved in the fight against the environmental crisis, by adopting ecological as well as economic, social and political responses.  

Let us pray that each of us listen with our hearts to the cry of the Earth and of the victims of environmental disasters and climate change, making a personal commitment to care for the world we inhabit."

• Post your prayer in our sacred space
• Learn more:

"We, Sisters of Mercy Parramatta Congregation, will share with others, including people of different faiths and no religious faith, the joys and struggles of this spiritual journey." (Chapter Statement)

On Sunday 10 August the Diocese of Parramatta launched its  new Pastoral Plan for a Synodal Church 2024-2028.

The plan is the culmination of the first official synodal journey of the Diocese of Parramatta, following the decrees of the fifth Australian Plenary Council in 2022. Bishop Vincent Long convoked the first-ever Synod for the Diocese of Parramatta in 2023, with the intention to follow the invitation of Pope Francis for all baptised people to walk together, or journey with one another in a process of renewal, transformation and hope for our local Church. Another intention of this process was the creation of a Pastoral Plan.

• Learn more about the Diocese's Pastoral Plan here
• The plan can be downloaded here