HARTFORD, Conn. — The Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry sponsored two services on Sept. 21 to commemorate the International Day of Peace.
At the parish’s request, both the governor of Connecticut, M. Jodi Rell and the mayor of Hartford, Eddie Perez , proclaimed Sept 21, 2006, International Peace Day, respectively, in the state of Connecticut and the city of Hartford.
Our religious education students participated in the “Pinwheels for Peace” project through which they were asked to make pinwheels with one side showing their ideas of peace and on the other a drawing of peace. Their pinwheels decorated the property as a way to draw people’s attention to the events of the day.
A “Bread, Water and Silence Lunch” was held. Bread and water symbolize the hardship people experience in these conflicts and the silence symbolized the voices of the innocent not heard in conflicts. A list of the conflicts currently going on in our world was read while participants ate their lunch and silently prayed.
An ecumenical evening prayer service included Francis’ Praises of God, excerpts from Mark Twain’s War Prayer, and the listing of conflicts in the world. There were times of silence and prayers for the innocents, civic and religious leaders, and ourselves. The service ended with the peace rrayer and a sign of peace.