Joining the Pope’s intention, The Mother Church of Our Lady of Miracles, Jubilee Church of Vila Nova do Corvo, the smallest isalnd in the Azores with a population of about 400 inhabitants, has joined the appeal of the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, and the diocesan guidance to promote a day of prayer and fasting for peace and justice among peoples, especially in jubilee churches. According to a note sent to the Azores Church website, yesterday’s community celebration included a moment of Eucharistic adoration followed by a votive Mass for peace. Both moments were presided over by Father Marco Sérgio Tavares, parish priest of São Roque and Santa Clara and ombudsman of Ponta Delgada, who is providing pastoral service on the island until the arrival and inauguration of the new parish priest, Father João Farias.

On Wednesday, the diocese of Angra joined the Pope’s request that Catholic faithful observe August 22 as a day of fasting and prayer for peace in Ukraine and the Middle East and asked that all jubilee churches and shrines hold their own celebrations on that day, bearing in mind this special intention. “In response to the appeal of the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, at his weekly audience this Wednesday at the Vatican, we invite all the faithful of the Diocese of Angra to join together on August 22, the liturgical memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen, for a day of prayer and fasting for peace and justice among peoples,” reads the diocesan note.

This moment of prayer can be experienced personally or in community. “We invite all Jubilee Churches, especially the shrines of the Diocese of Angra, to promote, if possible, their own celebration, allowing the Christian community on each island to unite in prayer for this great intention of Pope Leo XIV, who from the very beginning invoked peace as his priority,” the note continues. “At a time when so many lands continue to be wounded by violence and war, we are called to implore the Lord to grant the world the grace of reconciliation and hope, wiping away the tears of all who suffer, especially in Ukraine and the Middle East,” it continues, proposing a specific prayer for this purpose.

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.