Special prayer set for one Sunday in September

THE Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) agreed to dedicate one Sunday of September for the recitation of a special prayer as the country observes Peace Month.

Called the “Harmony Prayer,” the CBCP requested all churches to recite the prayer during Sunday Masses.

Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Antonio Ledesma also urged the people to continue aspiring for peace, especially in Mindanao.

The call for prayer is the bishops’ reply to the request of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (Opapp) for the religious sector to participate in the celebration.

Opapp Secretary Teresita Deles, in her message to CBCP president, encouraged the religious sector to participate in the celebration of Peace Month “to use the Harmony Prayer in one of your Sunday Masses in September, if possible.”

Under Proclamation 675 issued by the government on July 10, 2004, every month of September is declared as National Peace Consciousness Month to instill greater consciousness among Filipinos on the comprehensive peace process and promote a culture of peace based on nonviolence, respect for fundamental rights and freedoms, tolerance, understanding and solidarity.

The People Power Volunteers for Reform (PPVR), in a statement, believed that “peace is one of the essential elements of any kind of reform.”

“For as long as we continue to be at war within ourselves, and for as long as Filipinos cannot speak to each other over the table and settle our differences, no amount of development, no amount of economic activity, no amount even of good governance is going to bear very much fruit. Peace, good governance and lifting people out of poverty go together," the statement read.

Now on its 9th year, the annual festivity with this year’s theme, “Ako. Ikaw. Tayo. Magkakaiba, Nagkakaisa sa Kapayapaan,” enjoins all government agencies and instrumentalities to initiate and participate in activities to instill greater public consciousness and understanding of the meaning of the culture of peace as well as the comprehensive peace process. (Abigail Chee Kee Malalis)