Did you know that two-thirds of the world’s population – around 5.4 billion people – live in countries where religious freedom is not fully protected? Among them, 413 million Christians live under severe restrictions.
Throughout the month, the Diocese of Parramatta will join communities across Australia and New Zealand, including a record number of dioceses, to pray and stand in solidarity with persecuted Christians around the world as part of Red November.
About Red November
Red November, a global movement led by Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), invites people of faith to remember those suffering violence, persecution and discrimination because of their Christian beliefs.
Each year, cathedrals, churches, schools and homes are illuminated in red – the colour of martyrdom – as a visible sign of prayer and remembrance. Faithful are also invited to pray the Red Rosary, dedicating each decade to a different continent where Christians face persecution, and to remember all who suffer for their faith.
A record 30 dioceses across Australia and New Zealand are participating in 2025, more than double the number two years ago. New cathedrals from Dunedin to Toowoomba are joining in for the first time, as local communities hold Masses, prayer vigils and moments of reflection for the suffering Church.
In addition, ACN will soon launch the Religious Freedom in the World Report in the lead up to Red Wednesday to shine a light on the state of religious freedom across 196 countries, including Australia and New Zealand and raise awareness.
Local Red November events
In the Diocese of Parramatta, several parishes will be illuminated in red during the week of 17-23 November or will mark Red Wednesday (19 November 2025) with special liturgies, including Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Granville; Holy Family Catholic Church, East Granville; Our Lady Queen of Peace, Greystanes; Corpus Christi Catholic Church, Cranebrook; and St Nicholas of Myra Catholic Church Penrith.
St Aidan’s Catholic Church, Rooty Hill; St Finbar’s Parish, Glenbrook; and St Joseph’s Catholic Church, Kingswood came together earlier this month for Masses and presentations, uniting the faithful in prayer and solidarity with those who suffer for their faith.
Upcoming Mass times and details are below.
- Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Granville– Wed 19 Nov – 8.15pm Mass & Lighting in red
- Holy Family Catholic Church, East Granville – Wed 19 Nov – 6pm Mass & Lighting in red
- St Nicholas of Myra Catholic Church Penrith – Wed 19 Nov – 9am Red Rosary; 9:30am Mass (no lighting)
- Our Lady of Lebanon Co-Cathedral (Maronite) – Wed 19 Nov – 7pm Mass & Lighting in red
- Our Lady Queen of Peace, Greystanes- Mon 24 Nov – 9.15am Mass only (no lighting)
- Corpus Christi Catholic Church, Cranebrook – Weekend Masses – Sat 22 Nov – 6pm Vigil Mass; Sun 23 Nov – 7:30am & 9:30am Masses
Mykola Cardinal Bychok, Australia’s first official Ambassador for Red November, has encouraged all Catholics to pray and offer Masses this month to spiritually strengthen those who continue to live their faith under threat.
“Through Red Wednesday and Red November, we shine a light into places of darkness,” said Cardinal Bychok.
“We remind the world that behind statistics are real people: fathers and mothers, children and grandparents, whose only ‘crime’ is the courage to believe, to pray, to live their faith.”
The cardinal reflected on his own Ukrainian heritage, recalling how the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church was outlawed under Soviet rule.
“Our bishops and priests were arrested, our churches confiscated, our faithful forced underground. My own grandparents’ generation had to pray in secret, not knowing if someone would denounce them. They lived in constant fear, yet their faith endured,” he said.
“This is why Red November matters. It is not just about remembering distant lands. It is about remembering that the freedom we enjoy today was purchased by the courage and sacrifice of those who came before us. Their witness strengthens our faith; their sacrifice calls forth our love.”
To learn more about Red November, watch the video
This initiative aligns with the Diocesan Pastoral Plan priorities of Community and Mission, and the objectives to be a Church that reaches to the margins. Visit Synodality to learn more.
