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Women’s World Day of Prayer
5th March 2010
Cameroon
Friday 5 March saw over three million people gathered in 170 countries and islands around the world to observe an international and ecumenical Day of Prayer organised by the Women’s World Day of Prayer Movement, using a form of service prepared by Christian women in Cameroon and translated into over 1,000 different languages and dialects.
The day began as the sun rose over the island of Tonga in the South Pacific and the great wave of prayer continued, day and night, until the final service was held, some 36 hours later, when the sun was setting off the coast of western Samoa.
The service each year is always far more than just a ‘service’: it is a cry from the hearts of the women who drafted it. It reflects their hopes for the future of their country and asks for prayers for present difficulties.
For the women of Cameroon the theme was particularly appropriate for the Cameroonian nature is to praise God in every circumstance of their lives – the good and the bad – for they believe that God’s greatest gift is the gift of life itself and while there is still breath in the body there is hope And it is hope, rooted in their strong belief in God’s loving providence, which sustains them.
The Movement has its roots in a number of denominational days of prayer held in the USA and Canada in the middle of the 19th century offering prayerful support to women in missionary work, both at home
and overseas. The first service was held in this country in 1932. By focusing on a different country each year women are made aware of the situation in other countries and can demonstrate their concern. This sense of solidarity is very important to the women of the writing country each year. The prayer does not end with the Day of Prayer; we are encouraged to keep the prayer intentions in our hearts and bring them before God in our own private devotions.
From the April 2010 Edition of Omnibus, a quarterly newspaper of the National Board of Catholic Women.
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