By Katie Ascough - 12 November, 2019
The Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) Week of Witness from 25 November to 1 December is an invitation to the Irish faithful to stand in solidarity with our persecuted brothers and sisters in faith across the world.
The ACN Week of Witness will be held every year with talks and exhibitions throughout the country on the theme of Christian persecution.
One highlight during the Week of Witness will be the Red Wednesday Prayer Vigil on 27 November. With the assistance of dioceses and parishes throughout the country, ACN Ireland will provide this opportunity for the faithful to gather as a community and pray not only for persecuted Christians – but also for the persecutors of Christians.
Prayer and support for persecuted Christians at this time is crucial, with 80 per cent of all acts of religious persecution committed against Christians, 245 million Christians facing extreme persecution for their faith, and Christians in more than 95 countries facing persecution for their faith every day.
During the Week of Witness, ACN Ireland invites you to show support for the persecuted Church by:
– illuminating your church or school in red to show the world that the sacrifice and suffering of the persecuted and martyred Church is an ongoing reality.
– wearing a red tie, scarf or scapular as a mark of the blood lost by Christians in defence of the Faith.
– praying for the suffering and persecuted Church at the hours of the Angelus, 12 p.m. and 6 p.m.
– asking your parish priest to consider giving his homily on the theme of persecution and martyrdom in the Church.
– attending a Red Wednesday Prayer Vigil.
– donating to ACN Ireland to help their work for persecuted Christians globally.
In support of efforts to promote Red Wednesday, ACN Ireland will distribute, free of charge, a parish pack of resources to participating parish priests. To download the free parish pack and learn more about the Week of Witness, click here.
