Prayers against persecution

By Wendy Longley - Florida Catholic

Photography: MONICA LAUZURIQUE | FC

CORAL GABLES | Responding to recent atrocities and persecution against people of varying religious backgrounds, Muslims, Christians and Jews joined in prayer March 2 at a candlelight ecumenical service organized by Little Flower Church in Coral Gables.

“Tonight was the very first ecumenical interfaith prayer service we’ve ever done in the history of the parish,” said Father Michael Davis, pastor of Little Flower. “It was a remarkable experience to see Muslims, Jews and Catholics, as well as non-Catholic Christians who were with us in solidarity, praying and drawing close to the common universal values that bring people together.”

Clutching candles and singing hymns, students from the adjacent St. Theresa School made their way to the altar at the start of the service, followed by their pastor. The children offered their candles to those waiting to light theirs as the procession moved slowly toward the sanctuary.

Father Davis called on the congregation “to remember those who had suffered so deeply and to bring attention to those currently in harm’s way. Let us take a moment to hear very specific reasons for the purpose of this ecumenical service.”

One by one, the children read the atrocities out loud as members of the congregation wiped away tears and bowed their heads in unison:

• “I am here so that we do not forget the 21 Coptic Catholics from Egypt who were beheaded and martyred on the beaches of Libya.”
• “I am here to represent the American journalist who was savagely beheaded.”
• “I am here to represent the Muslim pilot from Jordan who was burnt alive in a cage.”
• “I am here to be the voice of hundreds of Chaldean Catholics and Assyrian Christians who fled for their lives to a mountain top, begging for help.”
• “I am here to represent the Japanese hostage who was beheaded.”
• “I am here to represent the African woman who was stoned to death.”
• “I am here to represent the British aid worker who was decapitated.”
• “I am here to represent 150 children who were massacred by the Taliban in Pakistan.”
• “I am here to represent the three Muslim college students who were recently killed in North Carolina.”
• “I am here to give voice to the pain that so many people feel because their ancient Christian churches have been destroyed.”
• “I am here for the many Catholics whose crosses and statues of the Virgin Mary have been burnt and desecrated.”
• “I am here to represent the 200 school girls who were kidnapped and taken hostage by Boko Haram in Nigeria.”
• “I am here to represent the victims of the Paris bombing, including the Jewish person who died in the kosher grocery store.”
• “I am here to represent the 10,000 men, women and children who were forced to flee their homes, fearing for their lives, including many Catholic Christians.”

Father Davis echoed the words of Archbishop Athanasius Toma Dawod, head of the Syrian Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom, who last August called what is happening in that part of the world “genocide — ethnic cleansing. They are killing our people in the name of Allah… They have burned churches; they have burned very old books… They are occupying our churches and converting them into mosques.”

Archbishop Dawod and other religious leaders have called on people of good will everywhere to give asylum to those fleeing violence. He pointed out that even when the refugees find somewhere safe to shelter, they do not often have the means to buy essentials like food and medicine.

Father Davis went on to say that it is extremely important to support aid efforts for those who have been displaced.

“It is important that we as Catholics, at the very least, be people of prayer,” he said. “We should be hounding heaven for spiritual and divine support, for people who are suffering, for those most in need, for protection for ourselves and for peace in the world.”

As the service concluded and people exchanged greetings outside the church, many expressed a desire to help — with prayers and more.

“I am looking for something that we can do to help those who have been displaced and are in need,” said Louis Samabria, a Little Flower parishioner.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Following is a list of Catholic agencies that are working to help Christians — and people of all faiths — in North Africa and the Middle East:

• Catholic Relief Services: www.crs.org

• Catholic Near East Welfare Association:www.cnewa.org

• Knights of Columbus Charities, Inc.:www.kofc.org/Iraq