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AndyP2010
Guest
I am going to be on retreat we are trying fit something in.
To this end, brothers and sisters, I have decided to proclaim for the whole Church on 7 September next, the vigil of the birth of Mary, Queen of Peace, a day of fasting and prayer for peace in Syria, the Middle East, and throughout the world, and I also invite each person, including our fellow Christians, followers of other religions and all men of good will, to participate, in whatever way they can, in this initiative.
On 7 September, in Saint Peter’s Square, here, from 19:00 until 24:00, we will gather in prayer and in a spirit of penance, invoking God’s great gift of peace upon the beloved nation of Syria and upon each situation of conflict and violence around the world. Humanity needs to see these gestures of peace and to hear words of hope and peace! I ask all the local churches, in addition to fasting, that they gather to pray for this intention.
Text from page en.radiovaticana.va/articolo.asp?c=724673
of the Vatican Radio website
As Mary_Ellen said, this wasn’t announced until after Mass on Sunday. How and when do you think the priests can mention it?Talk to the priest or priests at your church and get them to mention it to the congregation. This is NOT somebody’s suggestion, this is a directive from Pope Francis.
Yes, of course they can.Priests can mention it in their daily masses.
That’s my problemIt’s a bit of a dilemma for me because my children (teens and up) have been planning a party for that day for a while. I don’t like the idea of insisting they cancel the party but I am not happy with the idea of having a party on a day of prayer and fasting either.
If you’re scheduled to work or have major prior commitments during the day of prayer and fasting, you can always make small sacrifices throughout the day and take breaks-timeouts to say short prayers. Everything helps.



My life can’t come to a halt but I’ll do what I can and what I can do has me a bit excited. A fast is a good thing and I’m looking forward to that. I thought I would set reminders in my calendar for the day for the Liturgy Of The Hours. I’ve recently discovered that and enjoy it greatly.