On Oct. 17, a Day of Prayer and Fasting in light of the violence in the Holy Land, the students, faculty and staff of Owensboro Catholic High School gather in the courtyard to pray the rosary. COURTESY OF CLARE CORDELL, OCS
Catholic schools pray for peace in the Holy Land
BY WKC STAFF
As war between Israel and Hamas continues to devastate the Holy Land, Catholics in the United States participated in a day to pray and fast for peace in the region on Oct. 17. In an Oct. 13 statement, the patriarchs and heads of the churches of Jerusalem had urged “the people of our congregations and all those of goodwill around the world to observe a Day of Prayer and Fasting” on Oct. 17. That day, Catholics across the Diocese of Owensboro participated in various acts of prayer and fasting for the Holy Land, such as the rosary being prayed in the courtyard of Owensboro Catholic High School. The following day, more than 500,000 children across the globe participated in an annual rosary campaign sponsored by Aid to the Church in Need. One local school that participated in the Oct. 18 rosary campaign was John Paul II in Morganfield, who paused to gather around their Mary grotto in front of the school to pray for peace. Later that month, Pope Francis called for another day of fasting, penance and prayer to take place on Oct. 27 in light of the ongoing violence that included a rocket strike at a Christian hospital in Gaza City during the day of prayer and fasting on Oct. 17.
OSV News contributed to this report.
Students, faculty and staff of John Paul II School in Morganfield pray the rosary on Oct. 18, 2023, as part of a global rosary for peace sponsored by Aid to the Church in Need. RILEY GREIF | WKC
Originally printed in the November 2023 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.
