Peace Day Vigil Experiences

Interfaith Prayer in Wisconsin USA:

Franciscans International North America collaborated with the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi JPIC Committee and the Peace and International Issues Committee of the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee to sponsor a five-hour interfaith prayer vigil for the International Day of Peace. It was held at Perseverance Presbyterian Church, which graciously shared their labyrinth for the event. Upstairs in the prayer chapel, our “peace bell” was a Tibetan Prayer Bowl, rung every 15 minutes to signal the reading aloud of a prayer for peace from a different faith tradition. We compiled these in a booklet for the occasion that people were free to take with them to continue the prayer for peace at home. The Franciscan Peace Prayer was one of those read during the vigil. Some people didn’t wait for the ritual reading, but were moved to burst into spontaneous prayer for peace from their hearts. Others quietly and reverently walked the labyrinth downstairs praying for peace with every step. It was a powerful and moving experience to create such a holy space as we, strangers, were joined together by prayer and a deep desire for peace. While numbers of participants fluctuated throughout the vigil, there was always someone in the chapel or walking the labyrinth. It was evident that people were grateful for the invitation and space to gather with others to pray for peace in a world that desperately needs it. We will work together again next year on a Peace Day Vigil; a tradition is born.