In September 2019, Pope Francis instituted the celebration of Word of God Sunday in the apostolic letter Aperuit Illis. The letter encourages ‘the celebration, study and dissemination’ of the Word of God.
The Catholic Church in Australia celebrates Word of God Sunday on the first Sunday in February each year, which will be on 5 February in 2023—the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A. (Many countries celebrate the occasion on the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time.)
The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference has developed a range of resources to help individuals, families, parishes, schools and other ministries commemorate Word of God Sunday. Among the ways Catholics and Catholic communities are being encouraged to mark the day are by organising a special display of Sacred Scripture or the Book of the Gospels, establishing Bible-study groups or adopting lectio divina, a common practice of reflection on Scripture.
The resources include:
- homily notes
- liturgical notes
- prayers of intercession
- music recommendations
- a reflection by Fr Tom Elich
- a bulletin notice
- two banner images (option 1 and option 2)
- a Facebook cover.
You can also visit www.catholic.org.au/wordofgodsunday to access all these resources and for suggestions on how to better engage with Sacred Scripture in various ways and settings.