More than 175 congregations of women religious, including the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, prayed for peace for 24 hours on Election Day, November 3, 2020.
The idea originated following a day of prayer for the provincial council of the School Sisters of Notre Dame Central Pacific Province (SSNDCP). Sister Mary Kay Brooks, council member, said, “Toward the end of the day our facilitator asked, ‘Which needs are immediate and which ones are ongoing?’ I went back to our vision statement and read “responding to urgent needs and living the Gospel call to justice and peace. I was overwhelmed with the call for peace, especially as we inch our way toward election day on November 3.”
The idea began to form, said Sister Mary Kay, “Could we not band together as women religious from around the country and pray for peace on November 3? There is a plethora of material for the days before the election and even after, but not much of anything for the day of the election.”
A joint letter from the provincials of the Central Pacific Province and Atlantic-Midwest Province was sent to each member of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) inviting them to collaborate with SSND in praying for peace in our country, safety for poll workers and safety for those voting on November 3. To date, more than 120 congregations have agreed to pray around the clock on Election Day.
“We encourage Sisters, associates, family, friends and ministry partners to join the congregations in prayer throughout the day to continue building this community of peace and unity,” said Sister Mary Kay. “As women religious, we pray for urgent needs throughout the world; let us be a visible sign of that gift which has been entrusted to us.”
Prayer for Peace
God of all, in this year of election, in these days of discernment,
IGNITE us with the fire of your love.
ENFLAME our hearts with courage to embrace dialogue that transforms, and truth that frees.
KINDLE our love with kindness to heal divisions and reconcile relationships.
LIGHT our imaginations with insight to envision and create a world where we all are one.
STIR our actions with justice and peace to engage critical concerns and cherish all of life.
FIRE our lives with audacity and hope to risk all for God’s mission.
~ Roxanne Schares, SSND
General Superior