On Tuesday October 17th, His Eminence Cardinal Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem will lead the Catholics of the Holy Land in a day of prayer and fasting (Catholic Patriarch Calls for Day of Prayer and Fasting for Peace in the Holy Land| National Catholic Register (ncregister.com)). Many of you will have heard already from your pastors about this call to prayer. I would like to join with the pastors in asking that we lift our hearts in prayer to our loving God, asking the Lord to cleanse us of hatred and sin, to bring and end to violence and war, to embrace the lost, heal the wounded, and console the sorrowful. In the face of terrible deeds, May the Lord raise up in our hearts a renewed sense of compassion and solidarity. Please consider finding a way to unite in prayer. You may wish to join me at the noon Mass at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, or you may prefer to attend the daily Mass at your Parish. Perhaps you might wish to pray a rosary, spend time in adoration, or find time for quiet prayer. If you feel moved too fast as well, please follow the custom for Ash Wednesday. Thank you and permit me to leave you with these words from Our Holy Father, Pope Francis: “As we pray urgently for peace, we recall especially all the families and individuals suffering from these events. We call on the faithful, and all people of good will to not grow weary and to continue to pray for peace in the land Our Lord, the Prince of Peace, called home.” - Most Rev. Richard G. Henning, Bishop of Providence