My Calendar
Events in November 2024
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All Saints All Saints
01/11/2024
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All Souls - the commemoration of all the faithful departed All Souls - the commemoration of all the faithful departed
02/11/2024
Just as Jesus mourned the death of his friend, Lazarus, so we mourn those who have died.
We mark this day thinking about the gift they have been to us; the difference they still make to our lives and we offer this traditional prayer: (AVAILABLE HERE AS A 1:00 VIDEO)
Eternal rest, grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. AMEN.
International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists
02/11/2024
International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists
A brief introduction:
Did you know?
- 495 journalists were killed between 2014 and 2018, an 18% increase over the previous 5-years.
- Only 131 cases of journalists’ killings are reported as being resolved since 2006, representing an overall impunity rate of 88%.
- Beyond fatal attacks, journalists endured other violations such as physical attack, kidnapping, enforced disappearance, imprisonment and torture.
- Harassment and other harmful acts are increasingly prevalent in the online sphere, and are especially dire for women journalists.
- Syria was the most dangerous country for journalists, followed by Mexico and Afghanistan.
- The Arab States region, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Asia and the Pacific account for more than three quarters of killings. Source: UNESCO 2019
A PRAYER FOR TODAY:
God of truth,
we give thanks this day for those who work in the media,
investigating, communicating, holding people in power to account.
We ask you to bless them with wisdom and strength -
showering them with the sense of satisfaction that comes from a job well done!
Give those who investigate crimes against journalists the courage and determination to bring perpetrators to account.
We ask this in your holy name. AMEN
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Bonfire Night Bonfire Night
05/11/2024
So what's this day all about?
CLICK HERE to find out - 3 mins 11 secs
What about staying safe? Here's a hard hitting video from Merseyside Fire Service!
World Tsunami Awareness Day World Tsunami Awareness Day
05/11/2024 -
International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict
06/11/2024
International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict
A video (2:21) introducing this day!
In the ongoing climate change catastrophe, conflicts relating to the use of natural resources, land and sheer survival are likely to increase.
A PRAYER FOR THIS DAY:
Creator God of peace,
we pray this day for those places in the world where natural resources are destroyed in armed conflicts.
We ask for leaders of all nations and groups not to weaponise the environment.
We pray for dialogue to be at the heart of conflict resolution.
We ask for your guidance in our own lives that we might be peacemakers
for, it is in learning to resolving individual conflicts peacefully,
that we, as a global community, can learn to resolve bigger conflicts
without destroying our Common Home.
We ask this in your holy name. AMEN
This is a really interesting video (2:24) from Stanford University about climate and conflict - very thought provoking!
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Dedication of the Lateran Basilica Dedication of the Lateran Basilica
09/11/2024
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World Science Day for Peace and Development World Science Day for Peace and Development
10/11/2024
World Science Day for Peace and Development
Here's a video (2:10) created in 2020 which outlines what World Science Day for Peace and Development is all about:
A PRAYER FOR TODAY - AVAILABLE HERE AS A 75 second VIDEO
Creator God,
we give thanks for the wonders of creation
which science helps us understand and appreciate.
Give inspiration to all doing scientific research – as they search for insight and truth;
Give determination to all who apply science - in helping us live life in all its fullness;
Give wisdom to decision makers - that science might always be used for the betterment of all who share this Common Home.
We pray that science be instrumental in bringing us to that day
when we will all live in peace;
using, conserving and sharing equitably - the resources of this planet.
We pray this in your Holy Name. AMEN
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Armistice Day Armistice Day
11/11/2024
So what about the silence?
Here's how this poem came to be written:
A PRAYER FOR THIS DAYLord of the nations -
We remember with grateful hearts
the men and women of our country
who went forth to protect the liberty we enjoy
but who did not return!
Help us recognise the debt we owe them
so that we may strive, in our own lives,
to protect the freedoms
that were won at so great a cost.
And so we commit to your safekeeping
those who have died in war;
those whose memory we treasure;
those who have sacrificed themselves
in the service of humankind.
Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord
And let perpetual light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. AMEN
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World Kindness Day World Kindness Day
13/11/2024
Love this video - it's well worth investing 5 minutes and 44 seconds to watch it!
Now, how about doing something about it? There are a load of ideas below:
CLICK HERE FOR PLENTY OF IDEAS!
CLICK HERE FOR A VIDEO PRAYER FOR TODAY
Loving God,
If I cannot be brilliant, let me be kind.
If I cannot change the world, let me inspire just one other to do so.
If I cannot give away riches, let me be loving.
Let me be known for kindness, for it is the greatest glory.
Amen -
World Diabetes Day World Diabetes Day
14/11/2024
So how does having diabetes affect lives?
CLICK HERE for a short quiz to highlight symptoms of diabetes.
Here's a really great 6 minute video of Things Not To Say To Someone With Type 1 Diabetes.
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Loving God,
we hold before you all who are living with or are affected by diabetes
and ask you to ease suffering and to quiet fears.
We give thanks for their fortitude and ability to organise
and ask you to give them strength and encouragement.
We pray for those researching treatments and cures,
that they will use their skills and knowledge,
finding the inspiration to make diabetes a thing of the past.
We pray this in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN.
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Anniversary of the murder of 6 Jesuits and their 2 companions in El Salvador Anniversary of the murder of 6 Jesuits and their 2 companions in El Salvador
16/11/2024On the morning of November 16, 1989, an elite battalion of the Salvadoran Army entered the grounds of the Jesuit University of Central America, with orders to kill Father Ignacio Ellacuría—an outspoken critic of the Salvadoran military dictatorship—and leave no witnesses.
When it was all over, the soldiers had killed six Jesuit priests, a housekeeper and her 16 year old daughter in cold blood. The Jesuits Massacre is one of most notorious crimes of El Salvador’s 12-year civil war, which left over 75,000 people dead including most famously Archbishop (now Saint) Oscar Romero.
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
God, Creator of life and human dignity,
we celebrate the witness of your martyrs
for faith, for peace, and for justice.
Have mercy on the souls of these departed ones and grant them peace.
May the memory of the Jesuits and the members of the Ramos family
who died in El Salvador in 1989
help us move to a deeper understanding of the demands of justice
and guide us to speak your truth to those in power.
Give us the courage to raise our voices for those who suffer oppression and violence.
Grant us your joy as we work to bring your kingdom to this world. Amen.
© Education For Justice www.educationforjustice.org
International Day for Tolerance International Day for Tolerance
16/11/2024
International Day for Tolerance
Here's a quite wonderful video (4 mins 17 secs)
Which of these people do you:
- most admire?
- most agree with?
- most want to be like?
Perhaps tolerance is a simple as following the teaching of Jesus to "Treat others as you'd like to be treated!"
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
While the United Nations designates today an International Day for Tolerance,
we know that you, God of all people, call us to something higher,
to something beyond mere tolerance.
We pray that you would enable and empower us to be people of love and compassion,
who actively seek the good of the other and work to to that day when people from all tribes and tongues might come together in peace, embracing and delighting in our differences.
Amen
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Children's Grief Awareness Week Children's Grief Awareness Week
19/11/2024 – 25/11/2024
Grief is something we all experience at some point in our lives. While no two people react in exactly the same way, there is much to learn from hearing about others' experiences and sharing our own when we feel able to.
If you are grieving and want to talk to someone, do approach someone you trust.
If someone who is grieving approaches you, don't worry - you won't make it worse. The worst has already happened. If they want to talk, just listen.Here are some reflections on what it can be like to lose someone.
This is a video which you might find helpful:
A PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO HAVE DIED
Eternal rest, grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. AMEN
A PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO ARE GRIEVING
Jesus, healer and teacher,
you know what it is like to lose someone you love and you wept for your friend, Lazarus.
Help me make sense of what is happening,
because some days I feel angry, some days I feel lost,
some days I feel helpless, some days I don't feel at all.
Send me comfort and people to walk with me.
Help me through this pain,
and let treasured memories sustain me.
Help me to have faith that my loved one is now with you,
free from pain and worry.
Help others who are grieving this same loss.
I ask this in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
AMEN
International Men's Day International Men's Day
19/11/2024
Imagine a group of people whose members:
- suffer 70% of murders in the world;
- account for 85% of homeless people;
- serve 64% longer jail sentences than others in society;
- die 4-5 years earlier than a similar sized group;
- are twice as likely to die from heart disease or lung cancer than others.
They're shocking statistics, aren't they? By the way, the group in question is MEN!
WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT? (1 mins 53 secs)
This is an INTERESTING TAKE ON WHAT IT IS TO BE A MAN (2 mins 58 secs)
A PRAYER FOR TODAY (available as a 1 minute video HERE)
Loving God,
we hold before you especially today - the men in our lives;
help all of us to deepen our understanding of gender roles and expectations;
that we might live life in all its fullness,
building families, communities, societies and a world of openness and acceptance.
Help us not to be bound by stereotypes
but to enjoy the diverse nature of every human being.
We pray this in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN
World Toilet Day World Toilet Day
19/11/2024
Did you know that:- 4.2 billion people live without safely managed sanitation – more than half the global population. (WHO/UNICEF 2019)
- 673 million people still practise open defecation worldwide. (WHO/UNICEF 2019)
- Today, at least 2 billion people will have to use a drinking water source contaminated with faeces. (WHO 2019)
- Inadequate sanitation is estimated to cause 432,000 diarrhoeal deaths every year and is a major factor in diseases such as intestinal worms, trachoma and schistosomiasis. (WHO 2019)
- 297,000 children under five are estimated to die each year from diarrhoea as a result of unsafe drinking water, sanitation, and hand hygiene. (WHO 2019)
All of the above is not because we don't have the technology! After all, human beings went to the Moon over 50 years ago! Do we, and the governments who serve us, need to re-align some priorities?
Let's spend a few moments imagining what it must feel like not to have a toilet.What might you have to do if there was no toilet available?
Why might this have a disproportionate effect on females?
What are the possible consequences of not having a toilet?
A PRAYER FOR TODAY (from CAFOD)
Loving God,
we pray for a world of justice
where everyone has access to
a toilet and clean water.
May all our sisters and brothers throughout the world
be able to live in the dignity they deserve
as children created in your image.
Amen
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Children's Grief Awareness Week Children's Grief Awareness Week
19/11/2024 – 25/11/2024
Grief is something we all experience at some point in our lives. While no two people react in exactly the same way, there is much to learn from hearing about others' experiences and sharing our own when we feel able to.
If you are grieving and want to talk to someone, do approach someone you trust.
If someone who is grieving approaches you, don't worry - you won't make it worse. The worst has already happened. If they want to talk, just listen.Here are some reflections on what it can be like to lose someone.
This is a video which you might find helpful:
A PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO HAVE DIED
Eternal rest, grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. AMEN
A PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO ARE GRIEVING
Jesus, healer and teacher,
you know what it is like to lose someone you love and you wept for your friend, Lazarus.
Help me make sense of what is happening,
because some days I feel angry, some days I feel lost,
some days I feel helpless, some days I don't feel at all.
Send me comfort and people to walk with me.
Help me through this pain,
and let treasured memories sustain me.
Help me to have faith that my loved one is now with you,
free from pain and worry.
Help others who are grieving this same loss.
I ask this in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
AMEN
Africa Industrialization Day World Children’s Day World Children’s Day
20/11/2024
Welcome to World Children's Day! This used to be called Universal Children's Day but the day has been re-branded!
This day was set up in 1954 by the United Nations. In 1959, the UN agreed its Declaration on the Rights of the Child. In 1989 the Convention on the Rights of the Child became the most widely ratified international human rights treaty, setting out a number of children’s rights including:
- the right to life,
- to health,
- to education
- to play,
- to family life,
- to be protected from violence,
- to not be discriminated,
- and to have their views heard.
Here's a short but brilliant video (1 min 17 secs) from the children of Yemen!
Here's another video clip (2 mins 54 secs) which gives a bit more information and which includes one particularly surprising fact about a country which does not give its children the same rights as others around the world!A PRAYER FOR TODAY (available here as a 1:00 minute video)
Loving God,
Jesus said "Let the children come to me"
and so we pray for children around the world,
that they will feel loved, valued, cared for and encouraged.
We pray for adults that they will enable children
to enjoy a childhood they can look back on happily.
We pray too that all of us acknowledge each other - whatever our differences -
as children made in your image,
who deserve to be treated with dignity and love.
We pray this in the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN
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Children's Grief Awareness Week Children's Grief Awareness Week
19/11/2024 – 25/11/2024
Grief is something we all experience at some point in our lives. While no two people react in exactly the same way, there is much to learn from hearing about others' experiences and sharing our own when we feel able to.
If you are grieving and want to talk to someone, do approach someone you trust.
If someone who is grieving approaches you, don't worry - you won't make it worse. The worst has already happened. If they want to talk, just listen.Here are some reflections on what it can be like to lose someone.
This is a video which you might find helpful:
A PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO HAVE DIED
Eternal rest, grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. AMEN
A PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO ARE GRIEVING
Jesus, healer and teacher,
you know what it is like to lose someone you love and you wept for your friend, Lazarus.
Help me make sense of what is happening,
because some days I feel angry, some days I feel lost,
some days I feel helpless, some days I don't feel at all.
Send me comfort and people to walk with me.
Help me through this pain,
and let treasured memories sustain me.
Help me to have faith that my loved one is now with you,
free from pain and worry.
Help others who are grieving this same loss.
I ask this in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
AMEN
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Children's Grief Awareness Week Children's Grief Awareness Week
19/11/2024 – 25/11/2024
Grief is something we all experience at some point in our lives. While no two people react in exactly the same way, there is much to learn from hearing about others' experiences and sharing our own when we feel able to.
If you are grieving and want to talk to someone, do approach someone you trust.
If someone who is grieving approaches you, don't worry - you won't make it worse. The worst has already happened. If they want to talk, just listen.Here are some reflections on what it can be like to lose someone.
This is a video which you might find helpful:
A PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO HAVE DIED
Eternal rest, grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. AMEN
A PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO ARE GRIEVING
Jesus, healer and teacher,
you know what it is like to lose someone you love and you wept for your friend, Lazarus.
Help me make sense of what is happening,
because some days I feel angry, some days I feel lost,
some days I feel helpless, some days I don't feel at all.
Send me comfort and people to walk with me.
Help me through this pain,
and let treasured memories sustain me.
Help me to have faith that my loved one is now with you,
free from pain and worry.
Help others who are grieving this same loss.
I ask this in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
AMEN
Feast of St. Cecilia - patron saint of music Feast of St. Cecilia - patron saint of music
22/11/2024
The patron saint of musicians! Who's your favourite?
Here's a mini-bio of St. Cecilia (2 mins 20 secs).
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Loving God,
we thank you for the gift of music.
Help us find our own voice that we might express ourselves with truth, joy and passion.
We pray this in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN
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Children's Grief Awareness Week Children's Grief Awareness Week
19/11/2024 – 25/11/2024
Grief is something we all experience at some point in our lives. While no two people react in exactly the same way, there is much to learn from hearing about others' experiences and sharing our own when we feel able to.
If you are grieving and want to talk to someone, do approach someone you trust.
If someone who is grieving approaches you, don't worry - you won't make it worse. The worst has already happened. If they want to talk, just listen.Here are some reflections on what it can be like to lose someone.
This is a video which you might find helpful:
A PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO HAVE DIED
Eternal rest, grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. AMEN
A PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO ARE GRIEVING
Jesus, healer and teacher,
you know what it is like to lose someone you love and you wept for your friend, Lazarus.
Help me make sense of what is happening,
because some days I feel angry, some days I feel lost,
some days I feel helpless, some days I don't feel at all.
Send me comfort and people to walk with me.
Help me through this pain,
and let treasured memories sustain me.
Help me to have faith that my loved one is now with you,
free from pain and worry.
Help others who are grieving this same loss.
I ask this in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
AMEN
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Children's Grief Awareness Week Children's Grief Awareness Week
19/11/2024 – 25/11/2024
Grief is something we all experience at some point in our lives. While no two people react in exactly the same way, there is much to learn from hearing about others' experiences and sharing our own when we feel able to.
If you are grieving and want to talk to someone, do approach someone you trust.
If someone who is grieving approaches you, don't worry - you won't make it worse. The worst has already happened. If they want to talk, just listen.Here are some reflections on what it can be like to lose someone.
This is a video which you might find helpful:
A PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO HAVE DIED
Eternal rest, grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. AMEN
A PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO ARE GRIEVING
Jesus, healer and teacher,
you know what it is like to lose someone you love and you wept for your friend, Lazarus.
Help me make sense of what is happening,
because some days I feel angry, some days I feel lost,
some days I feel helpless, some days I don't feel at all.
Send me comfort and people to walk with me.
Help me through this pain,
and let treasured memories sustain me.
Help me to have faith that my loved one is now with you,
free from pain and worry.
Help others who are grieving this same loss.
I ask this in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
AMEN
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Children's Grief Awareness Week Children's Grief Awareness Week
19/11/2024 – 25/11/2024
Grief is something we all experience at some point in our lives. While no two people react in exactly the same way, there is much to learn from hearing about others' experiences and sharing our own when we feel able to.
If you are grieving and want to talk to someone, do approach someone you trust.
If someone who is grieving approaches you, don't worry - you won't make it worse. The worst has already happened. If they want to talk, just listen.Here are some reflections on what it can be like to lose someone.
This is a video which you might find helpful:
A PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO HAVE DIED
Eternal rest, grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. AMEN
A PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO ARE GRIEVING
Jesus, healer and teacher,
you know what it is like to lose someone you love and you wept for your friend, Lazarus.
Help me make sense of what is happening,
because some days I feel angry, some days I feel lost,
some days I feel helpless, some days I don't feel at all.
Send me comfort and people to walk with me.
Help me through this pain,
and let treasured memories sustain me.
Help me to have faith that my loved one is now with you,
free from pain and worry.
Help others who are grieving this same loss.
I ask this in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
AMEN
International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
25/11/2024
DID YOU KNOW .....?
- 1 in 3 women and girls experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, most frequently by an intimate partner
- Only 52% of women married or in a union freely make their own decisions about sexual relations, contraceptive use and health care
- Worldwide, almost 750 million women and girls alive today were married before their 18th birthday;
- 200 million women and girls have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM)
- 1 in 2 women killed worldwide were killed by their partners or family in 2017; while only 1 out of 20 men were killed under similar circumstances
- 71% of all human trafficking victims worldwide are women and girls, and 3 out of 4 of these women and girls are sexually exploited
- Violence against women is as serious a cause of death and incapacity among women of reproductive age as cancer, and a greater cause of ill health than traffic accidents and malaria combined.
Here's a video (2 mins 33 secs) which gives us all food for thought!
PRAYER FOR TODAY (available as a 1 minute video by CLICKING HERE)
Loving God,
we lift every girl and woman who has suffered or witnessed violence before you
and ask you to send them your love and protection.
Give us courage and strength, so we can speak out where violence is perpetrated.
Help us to notice situations where violence is taking place and bless us with wisdom so we know what to do.
We pray this in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN.
International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
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International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People
29/11/2024
This day was established way back in 1977 when the UN declared that Israel's occupation of Arab territories was illegal and that peace could only come about in the region if Israel withdrew from these places. No such withdrawal has taken place.
In 2018, Maria Fernanda Espinosa (the President of the General Assembly of the UN) reported that:
- 43% of the Palestinian population were refugees - and half of them were below the age of 18
- 47% of the population of the Gaza strip were living with food insecurity
- the average water consumption of the Palestinian populations in Gaza was 66 litres per day - well below the recommended ration of 100 litres per day.
The Secretary General of the UN, Antonio Guterres, said on this day in 2018:
"Today, in particular, our hearts are heavy with the suffering of the people in Gaza.
Approximately two million Palestinians remain blocked in increasing poverty and unemployment, with limited access to adequate health, education, water and electricity.
Young people see little prospect of a better future.
I urge Israel to lift restrictions on the movement of people and goods, which also hamper the efforts of the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies, without jeopardizing legitimate security concerns.
I call on Hamas and other militant groups to halt their military build-up in Gaza, including the indiscriminate launching of rockets and incendiary devices directed at Israel. "
There seems to be little progress and, all the while, people suffer!
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
O Lord, You are the peace and peace emanates from You.
O God of Glory and Majesty grant us security and safety,
and alleviate the suffering of your people.
O Lord, bring comprehensive and just peace to our country and region
so that our people and the peoples of the Middle East and the whole world
would enjoy the fruit of peace, stability and coexistence.
We want peace for us and for our neighbours.
We seek prosperity and peace of mind for ourselves and for others alike.
O Lord, answer our prayers and make successful our endeavors
for you are most just, most merciful, Lord of the Worlds.
This prayer was offered by the Muslim President Abbas of Palestine in Rome when he met Pope Francis and Shimon Peres, the Israeli President in June 2014.
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Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare
30/11/2024
Chemical weapons have been used for centuries. In the 17th century, France and Germany signed an agreement NOT to use poison bullets! In 1899, countries at the Hague Peace Conference declared they would not use projectiles which contained "asphyxiating or deleterious gases".
However, during the First World War, over 100,000 humans died and more than 1 million were wounded by the use of gas.
In the Second World War, gas was not used in combat but was used in the Holocaust Concentration Camps.
In 1997, the Chemical Weapons Convention (proposed in 1993) came into force on 29 April. Its purpose was, “for the sake of all mankind, to exclude completely the possibility of the use of chemical weapons.”
And so, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons was set up to monitor this happening. There have undoubtedly been huge successes and OPCW Member States represent about 98% of the global population and landmass, as well as 98% of the worldwide chemical industry. The OPCW was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for what it has done to eliminate chemical weapons. OPCW claim to have eliminated 97% of all chemical weapons.
However, throughout the Syrian Civil War (which started in 2011) - and as recently as 2017 - chemical weapons have been used.
A PRAYER FOR TODAY (available as a 1 minute video by clicking HERE)
Loving God,
we give thanks for the progress made in eliminating chemical weapons.
We pray for those who have suffered death or injury because of them.
We pray for those who order their use
that their hearts might be transformed
to seek ways of peace.
We ask this in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace. AMEN
