Season of Prayer II

Presiding Bishop calls for a Season of Prayer

The Presiding Bishop Michael Curry has called for a season of prayer for regions of the Anglican Communion which are experiencing violence and civil strife. “In this season of Resurrection, I call on everyone to pray for our brothers and sisters in areas where there is much burden and little hope,” the Presiding Bishop said.

In addition, in his Easter Message 2016, Presiding Bishop Curry addressed the situation in Brussels, noting, "The truth is even as we speak this Holy Week, we do so not only in the shadow of the cross but we do so in the shadow of those who have been killed in Brussels, of those who have been wounded and maimed, of those who weep and mourn. And of a world mourning, and not too sure how to move forward.” Citing Galatians 6:2 - Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ...

Presiding Bishop Curry called for prayer throughout the holy season of Easter. Beginning on April 3, the First Sunday of Easter, and proceeding through Pentecost May 15, The Episcopal Church is asked to pray for a particular province or region: Burundi, Central America, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Middle East, Pakistan and South Sudan.
The Anglican Church of the Central Region of America (La Iglesia Anglicana de la Region Central de America or IARCA) began as a network of chaplaincies first administered by the Church of England and then transferred to The Episcopal Church. The chaplaincies became a missionary district and then missionary dioceses. At the 72nd General Convention (1997), the Dioceses of Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua officially became an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The Diocese of Honduras, initially part of the Missionary District and a missionary diocese, remains a part of Province IX of The Episcopal Church.

The Church in Central America has a strong history of social justice and community service. Recent years have seen a dramatic increase in violence and civil strife in several countries in the region. The Church has played an active role in supporting those who have been displaced by violence and working with local and international human rights organizations to “address the root causes of violence and engage in advocacy and dialogue with their governments to serve the needs of and create safe spaces for internally displaced persons and refugees.” (Resolution D033) In November 2015 the bishops of IARCA and Honduras met with human rights ombudsmen and NGO and civil society organizations to discuss forced migration, internal displacement, and human trafficking in Central America. The bishops began work to create a regional Anglican commission on human rights which will enable greater collaboration and help raise awareness locally and internationally.

A Prayer for Social Justice: Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart and especially the hearts of the people of Central America; that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, p. 823)