Racial Justice Sunday 2026
The theme for Racial Justice Sunday is: “Whoever loves God must also love his brother” (1 John 4:21).
Where racial justice is concerned, we must never tire of repeating what has been said before, though we always seek new ways to convey our message. Racial Justice Sunday 2026 is devoted to the promotion of racial justice in our Catholic parishes across England and Wales and society and an encouragement to be conscious of the need for justice in all its forms.
In an increasingly tense climate, it is imperative that we listen to, and learn from, the experiences, challenges and opportunities encountered in the mission of promoting racial justice in Catholic parishes today. Our parishes should be places where we can all truly grow in ever-deeper knowledge and love of each other, ourselves and God.
The resources for this year’s Racial Justice Sunday are specially designed to create a culture of welcome and hospitality in parishes, encourage inclusive approaches to parish ministry, and foster greater openness to acceptance while learning from other cultures and traditions. We hope that they will be found useful!
In the Image and Likeness of God
In 2023, we produced a series of A4 PDF posters, that individuals or parishes can download, featuring Our Lady and the Child Jesus from a diverse cross-section of countries and cultures. Although by no means exhaustive, we hope this series highlights the rich diversity of our Catholic community and encourages reflection on how we are all made in the image of God. The posters also carry a prayer taken from Pope Francis’ document Fratelli Tutti. The posters are produced in English but, in some cases, where we have been able to, we have added a suitable translation. Read more.
Saint of the Month
In addition to increasing the racial diversity of the saints depicted in the church building, the St Margaret’s Racial and Cultural Inclusion Group decided to include a picture and description of a Saint of the Month as a regular feature in their parish Newsletter. The group drew up a month-by-month list of potential Saints of the Month with a view to ensuring that saints from a wide range of countries were featured in the course of each year, including a significant number of saints of colour. [Taken from the One Voice toolkit]
Resources for Racial Justice Sunday 2026
The resources for this year’s Racial Justice Sunday are specially designed to create a culture of welcome and hospitality in parishes, encourage inclusive approaches to parish ministry, and foster greater openness to acceptance while learning from other cultures and traditions. You can find the links to download these resources in the boxes below.
© Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales
