Iona Prep students answer pope's call for worldwide day of prayer for peace in Gaza, Israel
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Iona Prep students will observe a worldwide day of prayer Friday.
Pope Francis called on the Catholic community to make Oct. 27 a worldwide day of fasting, penance and prayer for peace in Gaza and Israel as war continues to devastate the area.
Alice Smyth, Director of Campus Ministry, said Iona students will take time out of their classes to pray the rosary in the chapel from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
"One of the Essential Elements of a Christian Brother education is to 'stand in solidarity with those marginalized by poverty and injustice,'" Smyth said. "There are few more marginalized than the innocent who bear the brunt of violent conflict between nations. Just as we answered Pope Francis' call for prayer 18 months ago to change the hearts of the leaders of Russia and Ukraine, we do the same today for our brothers and sisters in Christ living in Israel and Palestine."
Smyth said they chose to pray the rosary because the prayer symbolizes peace. The Catholic tradition believes that the rosary is connected to Mary, the mother of Jesus, who appeared in apparitions to three young children in Fatima, Portugal, in 1917.
"We decided to pray the rosary since it is a powerful prayer that can bring peace to the world as our Blessed Mother Mary has asked repeatedly through her modern day apparitions beginning at Fatima," Smyth said. "We pray for an end to the bombing and the shooting. We pray that all hostages are safely released. We pray that aid can reach those in need."
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Smyth said that Iona Prep students demonstrate leadership through personal sacrifice and prayer, and her hope for this day of prayer is that world leaders will do the same.
"Prayer requires personal sacrifice," she said, "and our students are doing that as individuals and our classes as part of the larger Iona Prep brotherhood. They are doing it to inspire among world leaders the serious sacrifices needed to bring about peace in our world."
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Iona Prep students observe worldwide day of prayer for peace
