By Matters India Reporter
Manila: Children from the Philippines will join with the world’s advocacy “One Million Children Praying the Rosary” on October 18.
October is the month of the Rosary in the Catholic Church. This year, the prayer campaign is dedicated to the children in Syria, the innocent victims of a never-ending war.
The international Catholic pastoral charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is calling for children to participate in the campaign “One Million Children Praying the Rosary”.
Children of all ages throughout the world will gather on Wednesday, 18 October, at 9.00 a.m. local time (or, if this should not be possible, at some other time) to pray for unity and peace in the world. In many areas of the world, lessons will even be interrupted for half an hour so that the children ACN participate.
This year’s prayer campaign is dedicated to particular to the children in Syria, the innocent victims of a never-ending war.
Children in the Philippines will join this activity through the initiative of the dioceses and religious communities all over the country. ACN Philippines has sent out packets to all the dioceses, communities and schools to encourage their children’s participation in this prayerful activity. ACN Philippines started the One Million Children Praying the Rosary after it began its operation, as one of only two national offices in Asia.
The children’s rosary campaign was initiated in 2005 in Venezuela. The initiators have placed their faith in a quotation from St. Padre Pio, “When one million children pray the rosary, the world will change.” This gave the initiative its name. The response from all over the world has been great. Last year, children in 69 countries took part in the prayer campaign.
“In 2017 especially, the 100th anniversary of the appearances of the Queen of the Holy Rosary at Fatima, the best thing we ACN do for peace in this world is to take the message from heaven seriously. Is it not significant that God chose children in Fatima to be the recipients of the most momentous peace plan for the new age? The children understood the language of Our Lady and, most importantly, believed her words.
Shouldn’t we be doing so much more to teach children and support them in playing a part in this peace plan, a plan that is more topical than ever today?” the president of the Pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need, Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, wrote in the invitation to participate in the prayer campaign.
Materials for the prayer campaign ACN be downloaded here: http://www.millionkidspraying.org