Seminarians and different religious groups call for an end to drug-related killings during a candlelight vigil at the Christ the King Church in Quezon City, Oct. 6, 2017. ANGIE DE SILVA
MANILA— A “heal the nation” campaign will see people take to the historic street of Edsa next month to pray for peace amid the spate of killings in the country.
The “Lord Heal Our Land Sunday” on November 5 will start another month-long period of praying for victims of extrajudicial killings as a result of the government’s bloody anti-drug war.
To launch the activity, Catholic bishops are inviting Catholics to attend the mass at the Edsa Shrine at 3pm, the hour of the Divine Mercy.
After the Mass, a candlelight procession will be held to the People Power Monument a kilometer away from the Shrine.
The Church enlisted of Our Lady of Fatima in the campaign, and will be using an image that was brought by devotees to Edsa in the peaceful 1986 “people power” revolt.
“We believe that our national healing, which only Lord can grant, will come to us through the hands of His mother,” said Archbishop Socrates Villegas, president of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.
The Lingayen-Dagupan archbishop is open to “everybody”, including politicians, the police and the military.
“We are appealing to our brother priests to hold ‘Lord Heal Our Land Sunday’ Masses in the provinces too for those who cannot go to the Edsa Shrine that day.
The “start the healing” period will end on December 8, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.
The CBCP has earlier declared Sept. 23 to Nov. 1 as a season of mourning and prayers for the victims of the “spreading culture of killings”.
The whole message of the 40-day period was “stop the killings”, as bishops called for daily rosary, church bell ringing and candle lighting every evening at 8pm.
Villegas said the “start the healing” period will end on December 5, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.
“Within this 33-day period, we are requested to pray the rosary and receive Holy Communion, if possible every day, for the healing of our bleeding nation and for the peace of the souls of all those killed,” he said. Roy Lagarde/CBCPNews
