February 1st is known as La Fheile Bride in Ireland or Saint Brigid’s Day. Brigid is one of our most beloved congregational patron saints.
This year, Into Kildare, the Tourism Board for County Kildare and Solas Bhríde Spirituality Centre & Hermitages have jointly launched a global ‘Pause for Peace’ movement. Pause for Peace will see the residents of County Kildare (Ireland) calling on people all around the world to stop for a minute’s silence at 12.00 noon (local time) on St Brigid’s day, the 1st of February 2023.
Sr. Rita Minehan csb of Solas Bhríde said, “This movement for a Pause for Peace sets the scene for marking the new national holiday in honour of St Brigid on February 6th. It reflects a spiritual underpinning to the holiday and is consonant with the value of peace which Brigid stood for in her time.”
in which we celebrate the liturgical memory of St. Bakhita, the Sudanese nun who as a child had the dramatic experience of being kidnapped and enslaved and became the universal symbol of the Church’s commitment against trafficking.
The practice began in October 2001, following the 2nd Mercy International Justice Network conference in South Africa, where those present resolved to focus their prayers and action on all forms of violence against women and children, as well as all kinds of racism. The conference opened on the night of September 11 2001 and so the events of that day in New York City deeply affected us as we immersed ourselves in the work at hand.
This week will draw together churches across the globe to “Do good; seek justice (Isaiah 1:17).” The theme is inspired by Isaiah 1:12-18, which laments a lack of justice among the People of God. Yet it also promises redemption by encouraging acts of justice. Like Isaiah, we hope to inspire a renewed desire and effort for justice among Christian peoples around the world. The theme and materials call Christians to recognize that the divisions between our churches and confessions cannot be separated from the divisions within the wider human family.
The 9 Days of Prayer will commence on Saturday, 10 June and conclude on Sunday 18 June, the actual anniversary of the document’s release. It is one outcome of the Mercy International Reflection Process where we listened attentively to ‘the cry of Earth and the cry of the Poor’.