September 21, 2014, is Peace Day, also known as the International Day of Prayer for Peace, when thousands of people around the world pray and work for peace. The 2014 theme for the ecumenical Peace Day prayer campaign is “Visions and Dreams of Building Peace.” Plan an event on or near September 21 to seek a vision of how violence can be confronted in your community or our world.
Pax Christi USA invites our members, groups, regions and parishes to include special prayers for peace in the prayers of the faithful on the weekend of September 20-21, and to consider sponsoring community events with a theme of peacebuilding and challenging violence. Events can include street corner prayers about gun violence, peace pole installations, prayer services focused on peacemaking themes, creating children’s peace murals, and more. (You can also incorporate these events and actions into the Campaign Nonviolence week of action taking place between September 21-27.)
Resources for prayer services, other activity ideas, event descriptions from 2013 and 2014 participating groups, and online registration, can be found at www.PeaceDayPray.org.