September 21 – International Day of Prayer for Peace
Each year The World Council of Churches calls Churches and parishes throughout the world to observe the International Day of Prayer for Peace on September 21. This day coincides with the United Nations-sponsored International Day of Peace, whose theme for 2012 is Sustainable Peace for a Sustainable Future.
http://www.un.org/en/events/peaceday
The participants are especially asked to pray and act together to nurture lasting peace in the hearts of people, their families, communities and societies throughout the world.
Prayers for peace call attention to the social, economic, and ecological but also the political and military aspects of peace.
“Praying for Ceasefire” is the theme adopted this year by 'On Earth Peace', an institution affiliated with other churches in the United States. "For some people, praying for a ceasefire really will mean praying for a break in armed conflict. For other people a ceasefire will mean praying for a break in the conflicts in their church, community, workplace, or family", declared Matt Guynn, from On Earth Peace.
On this day, On Earth Peace http://www.onearthpeace.org invites different parishes and organizations to organize an event including prayer, cultural sharing, music, and art, so as to denounce violence in communities and to get people talking together and acting for peace.
The idea was proposed in 2004 during a meeting between WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and coincides with the UN International Day of Peace. The Day of Prayer is one of the initiatives of the WCC's Decade to Overcome Violence.
Read more on the International Day of Prayer for Peace
