International Day of Prayer for Peace (Sept. 21)
OTTAWA, September 10, 2020 – Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA) and the Catholic Women’s League of Canada are urging Canadians to spend time in prayer, September 21, for peace in the Holy Land and the Middle East. To help encourage the important spiritual exercise and act of solidarity and charity, CNEWA is offering Canadians a beautifully crafted ceramic Peace Lamp as well as carefully curated prayers for peace.
“Peace does not come about by chance,” says Carl Hétu, national director of CNEWA Canada. “The peace process is a long one that requires a foundation of prayer and many people of goodwill who are oftentimes spread around the world. We want people in the Middle East and Holy Land, as well as those who face similar challenges in other parts of the world to remember that peace, today, is the only route to a better tomorrow for all.”
Hand made in Taybeh, a small village in the West Bank, the peace lamps are shaped in the form of a dove and painted with the cross of Jerusalem. Available in two sizes, the larger lamp also features an olive branch, long associated with peace and reconciliation among peoples. The lamps are available at cnewa.ca for $40 and $50 plus shipping and handling. In addition to supporting the artists in Taybeh, CNEWA invites Canadians to consider donations to its Lebanese campaign that is directing funds to local Churches in the area to help them to continue their work of outreach and charity to those most in need. Launched August 6, the campaign has gathered in more than $340,000 in Canada alone.
“We’ve seen the work of CNEWA throughout the Middle East and beyond,” says Marie Rackley, National Catholic Women’s League, Community Life Chairperson. “We are pleased to support them once again with this special prayer initiative for Christians in the Holy Land and Middle East.”
Peace Lamps will be available at cnewa.ca throughout the year.
Prayers from the campaign include:
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9)
+Lord, help us to be peacemakers in the Holy Land.+
“But Esau ran to meet him (Jacob), took him in his arms, threw himself on his neck and wept as he kissed him.” (Genesis 33:4)
+Lord, help the people of the Holy Land follow the example of Jacob and Esau and reconcile themselves to each other.+
View the whole prayer for peace here.
Each year, on September 21, the World Council of Churches calls churches and parishes to observe the International Day of Prayer for Peace. This day is also the UN-sponsored International Day of Peace.
Additional donations for peace in the Middle East can be made online at cnewa.ca or by phone at 1-866-322-4441. Cheques can be mailed to CNEWA Canada at 1247 Kilborn Place, Ottawa, ON K1H 6K9. In all instances, donors are invited to identify their region or cause of choice (Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Holy Land etc.). Tax receipts will be issued for donations of $10 or more.
Large Peace Lamp 
Small Peace Lamp
About CNEWA
An agency of the Holy See, CNEWA works for, through and with the Eastern churches throughout the Middle East, Northeast Africa, India and Eastern Europe. Founded by Pope Pius XI in 1926, CNEWA provides pastoral and humanitarian support to the churches and people of the East.
For more information, interviews or photos:
Tia Giannone
Torchia Communications
514-999-1732
tia@torchiacom.com