CBCP calls for noontime prayers starting Aug. 15

Catholic bishops have urged the faithful to participate in a collective prayer for the “healing” of the nation amid the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

The bishops particularly asked the faithful to pray “10 Hail Mary’s daily” in Catholic schools and seminaries, parishes, and communities.

The nationwide prayer campaign will start on Aug. 15, the Solemnity of the Assumption, and end on Sept. 15, the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows.

The Marian prayer, according to them, is to be recited at 12 noon “wherever you may be.”

The “call to prayer” was contained in a joint pastoral message on COVID-19 issued by the bishops’ Commission on Seminaries and the Commission on Catechesis and Catholic Education.

The statement, which was released on Wednesday in time for the opening of the new school year, was endorsed by Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, acting president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

“We invite all to a collective prayer action to lift the lockdowns and help heal the nation. God always listens and nothing is impossible with Him,” the bishops said.

They also called for circles of study and discernment within faith communities, saying “we need to be critical and discerning against the many false narratives prevalent in media and the many unscientific unreasonable public policies.”

“Once you understand the issues better, find creative ways to be active in bringing a solution in the light of the Gospel. This is our Christian social responsibility,” they said.