Day of Prayer for Eastern Christians
on Sunday 14 May 2023
Please join us for the annual International Day of Prayer for Eastern Christians on Sunday 14 May 2023 when Eastern and Western Christians come together in prayer during Easter.
PRAYER
We pray for peace in the world, especially in the Middle East and Ukraine. May the Christians in these lands be strengthened in their faith so that they may continue steadfastly to give witness to Jesus Christ.
Please support our projects in education, healthcare and pastoral support which enable Eastern Christians to remain in their homelands by:
Texting DAYOFPRAYER to 70450 to donate £10
(*Texts cost £10 donation plus 1 standard rate message)
Or online donation at:
https://facecharity.org/act-of-giving/
What is the International Day of Prayer for Eastern Christians?
The International Day of Prayer for Eastern Christians is an annual day of prayer which enables Eastern and Western Christians to come together in communion through prayer. The event unites Latin rite dioceses of the Roman Catholic Church in Europe with dioceses of the Eastern Catholic Churches in union with the Bishop of Rome.
When is the International Day of Prayer for Eastern Christians?
The next International Day of Prayer for Eastern Christians will take place on the Sixth Sunday of Easter, 14 May 2023, with the participation of Christians from all over Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, the Horn of Africa and India.
Why is the Day of Prayer for Eastern Christians on the Sixth Sunday of Easter?
Sunday after Sunday, during the Easter celebrations, Eastern and Western Christians hear the Acts of the Apostles which witness to the first preaching of the Gospel. These readings remind us of the origin of the Eastern Churches and the history of the first Eastern Christians, who brought the Gospel to us. Nowadays, many of these Eastern Christians are oppressed and persecuted, and struggle to survive and to pass on our faith to their children, in their own lands where Christianity was born and first spread.
A day of communion through prayer.
On the Sixth Sunday of Easter, we invite Western Christians to recite the following bidding prayer for Eastern Christians:
Let us pray for peace in the world, especially in the Middle East. May the Christians in these lands be strengthened in their faith so that they may continue courageously to give witness to Jesus Christ.
How to celebrate this day?
- We ask you to say the prayer as part of the International Day of Prayer for Eastern Christians
- We ask you to share this intention and the prayer with your family and friends
- We suggest that parishes include the intention of Eastern Christians in the Prayers of the Faithful during Mass on the Sixth Sunday of Easter.
Who are the Eastern Christians?
The Eastern Christians in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa are direct descendants of the Early Christians and trace their roots back to apostolic times. There are more than 26 million Eastern Christians living in the Middle East and surrounding regions. For Western Christians, they provide a direct link to the Apostolic Church, leading us to the roots of Christianity and showing us, through their tradition and witness, a living faith in Christ.
How may you support Eastern Christians?
- Pray for Eastern Christians. You can use our prayer for Eastern Christians (above) or join our prayer group to receive a monthly prayer, a reflection and information on an Eastern saint by clicking on the link: https://facecharity.org/prayergroup/
- Learn about Eastern Catholic Churches, their history, traditions and rites. You may find an introduction here: https://facecharity.org/eastern-churches/
- Engage with Eastern Catholic Churches. There are several missions of Eastern Catholic Churches across the United Kingdom. You are welcome to participate in their liturgies and share your common origins. You will receive a warm welcome.
- Support Eastern Christians through our projects in education, healthcare, pastoral support and inter-religious dialogue, which are organised under the patronage of the bishops and religious communities of the Eastern Catholic Churches. You may support these projects here: https://facecharity.org/act-of-giving/
- Make a contribution if there is a second collection in aid of our projects at Sunday Mass in your parish on 14 May 2023
If you would like to support Eastern Christians, you may make a donation at:
https://facecharity.org/act-of-giving/
Message from His Eminence Cardinal Michael Fitzgerald
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I am very happy to announce to you that the next annual International Day of Prayer for Eastern Christians will take place on Sunday 14 May 2023 (Sixth Sunday of Easter), with the participation of Christians from all over Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, the Horn of Africa and India.
The Day of Prayer offers Eastern and Western Christians an opportunity to be united in prayer during Easter.
It also offers us in the West an opportunity to think of the Eastern Churches and to give thanks to God for all that we owe them: the first preaching of the Gospel, the origins of the monastic tradition, the early Church Fathers, and above all the witness of the Eastern Christians down the centuries, which has been, and still is, an inspiration to our faith.
In commending this Day of Prayer to you, may I suggest that you bring it to the attention of your family and friends, perhaps sharing with them the following prayer:
Heavenly Father, we pray today for peace in the world, especially in the Middle East. By your heavenly grace, strengthen the faith and hope of Eastern Christians. May they be blessed with peace and prosperity in their countries. May we be inspired by their devotion and witness to the Gospel, by their love and compassion for all in their communities, and by their courage, their endurance and self-sacrifice. Through their charity, tolerance and friendship, bring peace and reconciliation to those troubled lands, where Christianity was born and first spread. This we ask of you through Christ our Lord. Amen.
I trust that this Day of Prayer will bring comfort and assurance to Eastern Christians. In our solidarity and communion, may we all be renewed by the hope we place in the Risen Christ.
With the assurance of my prayers and with my warmest wishes for a joyful celebration of Easter,
Yours in Christ,
Michael Cardinal Fitzgerald, M.Afr.
