Celebrating Peace Sunday 2022

Peace Sunday Mass at Pimlico

Peace Sunday 2022 was celebrated on 16 January in the parish of Holy Apostles, Pimlico, central London. The First Holy Communion children devised and took part in the liturgy on the gift of peace, with a homily on reconciliation from parish priest Canon Pat Browne. Everyone was given a copy of the Pax Christi Peace Icon card.

The children who took part were from schools in Westminster and beyond, including the Pimlico parish school, Westminster Cathedral Primary School. In the week leading up to Peace Sunday, 'The Gift of Peace' was discussed by the children, based on a reading from John 1:27, "Peace I leave with you, my own peace I give you, a peace which the world cannot give, this is my gift to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid."

"The children always look forward to giving their take on what the sessions mean to them," said catechist Cynthia Francis. "Most of them said the idea of peace to them was silence or being alone, others thought it was about offering peace to people who needed it. All agreed that to be a peacemaker was a great idea and would make us all very happy."

The Mass readings given by the children from Isiah, 2:1-5, and the bidding prayers, focussed on how we can all do our best to be peacemakers. Their activity for this session was to draw a dove (or have a cut-out) to display in the church and write their names on it along with someone they would like to have peace with. The songs for the Mass, focusing on peace were, "Make me a channel of young your peace ", Peace, Peace, Perfect Peace" and "His banner is love." All the children were given a takeaway card with a message of peace to keep.

Fr Pat preached a sermon inspired by the Pax Christi Peace Icon illustration of revelation, revealed to Jacob in his vision of a ladder to heaven which inspired him to beg forgiveness of his brother Esau, whom he had conned out of his inheritance. The icon shows them embracing with the sword of revenge beneath their feet, a theme which led a small group of French women at the end of World War II to pray to find ways to put into practice the Gospel message of forgiveness to those who had done them great wrong. Thus began Pax Christi, now a worldwide Catholic Peace organisation with influence around the globe.

"If you do not transform your pain, you will assuredly transmit it," said Fr Pat, declaring it was never too early for children to hear the message of harmony and peace so they will be at one with God, the world, their friends, nature and within themselves. This would transform "the tragic history of our world" by making both home and classroom into places of peace, planting seeds of peace in both children and students. He encouraged people at home and joining on the internet to visit the Pax Christi website.

A collection for Pax Christi was taken after all masses at the weekend and the newsletter contained an Action Prayer, quoting from Pope Francis' message: "All can work together to build a more peaceful world, starting from the hearts of individuals and relationships in the family, then within society and with the environment, all the way up to relationships between peoples and nations."

Teaching and education are essential drivers of peace, and foundations of human development, generating hope, prosperity and progress, said the Pope in his World Peace Day Message of 1 January. Pope Francis calls on us to urge our governments to replace the funds spent on weaponry with the same amount on education. The Mass endorsed the call for prayer and funding work for international disarmament to free up finances for health care, schools, infrastructure, care of our environment and disarmament and to stop war.

Meditate on the part you can play in this visionary work, to become a messenger of peace and justice, by promoting divestment from organisations that profit from investment in the arms industry, by writing or speaking to your MP and visiting the Church's peace organisation, Pax Christi. Visit their website to see ways to become better peacemakers. https://paxchristi.org.uk/peace-Sunday-2022

LINKS

Recording of Peace Sunday Family Mass at Holy Apostles -10.30am 16 January 2022: www.holyapostlespimlico.org/index.php/live/

Holy Apostles choir singing for Pax Christi: https://youtu.be/Ev4qz4AuwCA

Donate to Pax Christi at: https://tinyurl.com/yxfcw67x