19 November 2022 -- Many Christians around the world celebrate a November Wednesday (this year on 16 or 23 November) as 'Red Wednesday' or even 'Red Week' to remember the blood and gift of today's martyrs to the Church. Especially ACN (Aid to the Church in Need). The most visible sign of this event is the red illumination of Catholic schools, parishes, social institutions or public buildings (e.g. Colosseum in Rome, statute of Jesus in Rio de Janeiro, Cathedrals in the major capitals).
'Red Wednesday' was started in United Kingdom in 2016 in order to bring attention, prayers and solidarity to persecuted Christians,who are in our times the most discriminated religious group around the world. It is about 'breaking the silence' about Christian persecution that affects 1/7 of all Catholic Christians around the world. This rather young tradition is celebrated in 16 countries, including the UK, USA, Canada, France, Germany and Italy and the Philippines on a larger scale.
In order to motivate our prayers, acts of solidarity and public awareness campaign, there is a large amount of publications, reports and every day news about the situation and potential help for persecuted Christians in some 60 countries:
- ACN (Aid to the Church in Need: Pontifical organization)
- Voice of the Martyrs - US based Christian organization
- Open Door - Ecumenical International organization
And what you can do on this Red Wednesday 2022?
* Illuminate a church or other important buildings in your area in red
* Organize Mass for persecuted Christians
* Offer a group Rosary
* Choose special prayers of the faithful to include in a celebration
* Wear red and invite people to wear red
* Share your pictures on the social media with #RedWednesday
* Use social media to raise awareness about the cause of persecuted Christians
* Hold fundraising to help our sisters and brothers affected by persecution
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake..., for theirs is the Kingdom of God' (Jesus in Mathew 5:10)
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