Day of Prayer for World Peace

[Digitonomy]

I recall that awhile back January 1 was prominently listed as the Day of Prayer for World Peace in the missalettes. Mary, Mother of God may have been a secondary title, but it seemed to me that the peace thing was the primary title used at the time. In recent years, I have heard almost nothing about this. Last year I inquired about it, but it disappeared as a small detail in the overall thread.

So I thought I’d search around for the history of this name, when it was first used, and when it was pretty much sidelined in favor of Mary, Mother of God. Here’s a chronological survey of such days I cobbled from the internet, in small print to save space:

The Women’s Inter-Church Council of Canada gives a long history of the day up to 1969, and concludes

In 1969 The World Union of Catholic Women’s Organizations decided to change their international day of prayer from March to May in order to take part in the World Day of Prayer.
It is from these roots that World Day of Prayer has taken its present shape.

Apparently the UN has been celebrating the International Day of Peace on September 21 or thereabouts since 1981 or 1982:
worldpeace.org/peaceday
un.org/events/peaceday/2007/index.shtml

This site gripes about a papal event by this name on October 27, 1986.

The Lakota have celebrated World Peace & Prayer Day on June 21 since 1994. I have seen sites echoing this date more recently from Japan and Europe.

The Unity church held its first World Day of Prayer in 1994, and it took place in 2007 on September 10-13. (That’s what I call unity!)

A chain email/website established World Peace Day as November 17, starting in 1997.

The World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders held a Day of Prayer for World Peace on August 3, 2000.

There was apparently a Day of Prayer for World Peace that took place in Assisi on January 24, 2002.

Next I stumbled upon something more promising…
John Paul delivered a New Year’s message for what he referred to as the World Day of Peace in 2003, on the 40th anniversary of John XXIII’s Pacem in Terris. Unfortunately, Pacem in Terris was issued April 11, 1963.

The Knights of Columbus started celebrating a World Day of Prayer for Peace on September 11, 2004.

Some woman on the internet, apparently not a fan of Bush, started a petition to establish an International day of fasting and prayer for peace and democracy on January 20, 2005, the occasion of Bush’s second inauguration.

The Lady in the Pew blog griped in 2006 about the Holy Father declaring a day of prayer for peace on July 23, 2006, but that may have been limited to the Middle East.

Here is an invitation for people and beings to bring their blessings to World Oneness Day in Jerusalem May 20, 2008.

There was a half-day of prayer for world peace and freedom from oppression on August 30, 2008, led by Tibetan Buddhists:

Today on 30 August 2008, the last day of the sixth month of Earth-Mouse Year in Tibetan Calendar, Tibetan Solidarity Committee appealed the Tibetans, Tibet supporters and peace loving people all over the world to observe a symbolic fasting and prayer service for 12 hours.

This Canadian document, apparently talking points for homilies this week, confirms the annual nature of the celebration, “On the first of January, the Church around the world holds the World Day of Prayer for Peace” Unfortunately, it provides no further information.

Obviously there is a rich history, especially recently, of prayer days for world peace. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find anything that squarely addresses the history of the Church’s designation of January 1 as the Day of Prayer for World Peace. Anyone?

 

[Digitonomy]

Another member PM’d me, and said that it was added by John Paul in the 1980s, but is not actually listed in the Roman Missal. Figuring that if the pope instituted it, there must be a message or encyclical on the topic, and this is exactly what I found at the Vatican website. In fact, it was Pope Paul VI who initiated the day, in 1968.

As part of his message, he states

Such an observance must not change the liturgical calendar, which reserves New Year’s Day for veneration of the divine motherhood of Mary and the most holy Name of Jesus; indeed, those holy and loving religious remembrances must shed their light of goodness, wisdom and hope upon the prayer for, the meditation upon, and the fostering of the great and yearned-for gift of Peace, of which the world has so much need.

It’s not entirely clear to me why it seemed like a great idea to add another title and focus to an already busy day, but there you have it. Popes since that time have sent messages appropriate to the occasion, such as these from last year and the year before. Although they are typically listed as having been written on the previous December 8, the 2009 message does not seem to be available yet.

I am still curious, however, how it is that missalette publishers cobble together readings for this event, if it is not in fact in the Roman Missal. Do the publishers come up with this on their own? Does the USCCB assemble the readings? Or is there official Vatican endorsement of the readings for the whole world, presumably from the Congregation for Divine Worship?

 

[puzzleannie]

according to our pastor today, the World Day of Prayer for peace was called for New Year’s day during the pontificate of Paul VI, but it does not supplant the Holy Day, it adds, and can also begin or end a novena for peace. We used to have a vigil but did not last night for some reason.