Our thinking Archives - Jesuit Social Services

Easter 2026
- 2 April 2026
"At Eastertime the exploration of the extraordinary in the ordinary, of the boundless in the limited, of freedom in apparent regulation, of the personal in the midst of the commercial, of the quirky in the uniform, all disclose the value of each human life in the face of the persistent efforts to homogenise and cheapen…
Palm Sunday 2026
- 19 March 2026
For many years Palm Sunday has been a day of support for a just and humane response to refugees. The joining of the date and the cause go together. Both are about hope. Both test that hope and call us to live with hope against hope, writes ANDY HAMILTON SJ.
Ash Wednesday and Ramadan 2026
- 17 February 2026
The overlap of Ash Wednesday and Ramadan this year reminds us of how much the two faiths have in common and how each is reflected in the spirit of Jesuit Social Services, notes Andy Hamilton SJ - both embodying friendship, gratitude and courage in sharing our life with those most disadvantaged.
Anniversary of the Apology to Australia's Indigenous Peoples
- 11 February 2026
[The Apology to the Australia's Indigenous Peoples] emphasised that all Australians are equally entitled to respect, and that the Government is responsible for ensuring that all Australians are treated equally regardless of their race and history, writes ANDY HAMILTON SJ.
Extreme Heat Awareness Day 2026
- 3 February 2026
"Extreme heat is a social as well as a medical problem," writes Andy Hamilton SJ in his recent piece for Extreme Heat Awareness Day, "for this reason, when we think of social justice, we need to include extreme heat and the other effects of climate change."
Australia Day 2026
- 21 January 2026
We must ask ourselves "what we personally, our communities, our politicians, media and institutions must do to address the things that divide us and strengthen those that bind us together," writes ANDY HAMILTON SJ in his Australia Day 2026 reflection.
Christmas Day 2025
- 23 December 2025
The nativity story proclaims the sacred worth of every human life, even amid violence and fear. The tragedy at Bondi calls us to resist using innocent lives for power or ideology, writes ANDY HAMILTON SJ.
International Day of People with Disability
- 3 December 2025
If we group people together in groups, we risk focusing on their difference from ourselves, define them by that difference and not by what we share, and then avoid them out of embarrassment or fear, reflects Andy Hamilton SJ.
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 2025
- 17 October 2025
"We should not need a special day to encourage us to eradicate poverty in Australia. Poverty is more than a problem to be studied. It wears the face of people whom we meet in the street, through the Vinnies, and see sleeping on the streets. Poverty could wear the face of ourselves, of our children,"…
Jesuit Social Services’ statement on Treaty
- 9 October 2025
As an organisation, we support Treaty because – while we can’t change the immeasurable harm inflicted on Aboriginal people since colonisation – we can create a better future together.