Before the World Wide Web, there was the World Day of Prayer, an international event that has been connecting people in a meaningful way for almost a century.
Despite being planned years in advance, World Day of Prayer services have a remarkable record for anticipating major events, such as the refugee crisis (France 2013), the Arab Spring (Egypt 2014) and the winding down of the U.S. embargo against Cuba (Cuba 2016). This year’s service has been written by the World Day of Prayer Committee of the Philippines, with the theme, “Am I being Unfair to You?”
“The secret to this depth and insight is the women who plan and write each World Day of Prayer service,” said Jan Hillis, a member of the St. James Catholic Church Women, this year’s Vernon hosts. “Too often, women have the most intimate experiences of armed conflict, violence, social injustice and human rights violations.
“What might Canadians learn from women of the Philippines, a country on the front lines of climate change, foreign mining and resources interests, a regional insurgency and social upheaval due to migration, who wrote the World Day of Prayer? How will we answer the question, ‘Am I being unfair to you?’”
Christians in more than 170 countries and in 2,000 communities across Canada will gather to learn about, pray and celebrate in solidarity with the women of the Philippines through World Day of Prayer. All are welcome to attend Vernon’s World Day of Prayer 2017, which will be held Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at the St. James Parish Centre (St. James School gym), 2700-28th Ave. Child care will be available during the service, and a reception will follow.
For more information on this World Day of Prayer service, please call Hillis at 250-503-2544.
In Canada, the World Day of Prayer is coordinated by the Women’s Inter-Church Council of Canada (WICC). For World Day of Prayer materials or to learn more about WICC, please visit www.wicc.org or Facebook at www.facebook/WICCanada
The World Day of Prayer has its roots in an ecumenical day of prayer organized by women in Canada and the United States in 1920. This event became the international World Day of Prayer in 1922, and Christians around the world began celebrating this event early in March each year.
