Voice
of the Faithful/ Central Washington
Invites the Community to Prayer, Fasting, and Reflection
In order to rededicate ourselves to our three goals and
as a sign of our love for our church and community, we
are embarking on a nine-day pilgrimage – a novena,
of intentional fasting and prayer. This will start on January
9th and continue through January 17th. We invite the Catholic
community and the community at large to join us on this
interior pilgrimage. The purpose of prayer and fasting
is to conform our lives to the will of God and to gain
the interior strength to do the difficult work of rebuilding
trust through dialogue, transparency, and action.
We fast and pray to ask for forgiveness for not facing
this responsibility many years ago and for not reaching
out to victims of abuse, many of whom still hide in shame
and isolation. They bear the burden of our sins.
We invite the Catholic community and the community at
large to join us in this novena, these nine days of prayer,
fasting, and reflection, as we seek repentance, forgiveness
and renewal for our Church. What can you do? Fast from
a certain food, form of entertainment, or drink (some of
our members will fast from solid food for the nine days.)
Pray the Novena Prayer for Victims of Sexual Abuse (see
below) from January 9-17.
Have mercy on us, O God, have mercy on us, and forgive
us for the sin of sexual abuse of children and the secrecy
that has allowed this sin to fester and grow into a terrible
evil that has crippled our church and our society.
Give us the interior strength and depth of character to
face this plague of sexual abuse with truth, honesty, transparency,
and dialogue; and lead us into a new springtime of protection
for our children and restored trust in our church. Amen.
Please feel free to contact us at PO Box 2147, Yakima,
WA 98907 or at votfyakimawa@yahoo.com.
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