12/09/2026
Safeguarding Sunday
Today, the Catholic Church in Australia marks Safeguarding Sunday, at the conclusion of National Child Protection Week. We pray for those who have experienced abuse, for their families and supporters, and for all whose lives have been wounded. We also acknowledge the harm that has been done and renew our commitment to making our parishes places where every person is treated with dignity, respect and care.
This year’s theme is simple: “Love Protects.” Saint Paul reminds us that love is patient and kind, does not seek its own interests, and “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
If we love children, young people, the elderly, people with disabilities and all who are vulnerable, we protect them. If we love survivors, we listen to them. If we love the Church, we do not hide its failures. And if we love Christ, we must have the courage to tell the truth.
A parish that loves its people is not simply a parish with good intentions. It takes safeguarding seriously, respects appropriate boundaries, listens to concerns, and ensures people can speak when something does not seem right. No one should be silenced because the truth is uncomfortable.
Christian love is not blind or passive. It is a love with its eyes open — a love that sees, listens and acts for the good of another. Safeguarding is therefore not only about policies and procedures; it is about the kind of community we choose to be.
Today we pray for survivors of abuse, for their families, for those who still carry unseen wounds, for those who struggled to be heard, and for those who lost trust in the Church. With humility and sorrow, we acknowledge the harm that has occurred.
We cannot change the past, but we can choose what we do now: listen, learn, act and remain vigilant. May our Eparchy and this parish be places where every person knows: **“I am safe here. I am respected here. I am valued here. I am loved here.”**
This is what Christian love looks like: Love protects.
