Thousands of youth pray the rosary for world peace on 11-11-11

A prayer event dubbed “Eleven Eleven Eleven” will mobilize around 11,000 youth nationwide to pray the rosary for world peace.

“Eleven Eleven Eleven” will be held on November 11, 2011 at 11:00 o’clock in the morning with the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Dagupan City as the focal point.

Christian Brothers’ De LaSalle schools, Saint Paul de Chartres Schools’ nationwide and the MAPSA Schools in Metro Manila have all committed to join in the “Eleven Eleven Eleven” prayer event.

The activity is part of the ongoing rosary prayer campaign called “A Million Roses for the World (AMROW)” which started last October 10 and will end on May 30 next year. The AMROW movement has assigned one nation to pray for each day within the prayer campaign period. Last October 10, it was Angola; for November 11 will be Mauritania.

In his invitation letter for the event, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas stressed that change can only happen in the world through prayer, and “there can be no world peace without prayer.”

“The rosary is the life of our Blessed Lord from the eyes of His Blessed Virgin Mother. This campaign aims to teach our youth that prayer can change the world and people who pray can change the destinies of peoples,” he said.

In Dagupan City, the youth will gather for a Marian procession from the De Venecia Highway towards the Dagupan Cathedral where the archbishop with the priests and the youth will pray the rosary together for peace in the world, especially Mauritania.

There is a need for the youth to rediscover the rosary and re-claim it as our favorite prayer, Villegas said.

He said there is a need to explore new ways and means to make the Catholic faith appealing to the young, going beyond the traditional expressions of faith without forgetting the essentials.

But he also lamented that the date 11-11-2011 has aroused on some people many superstitious beliefs and activities to gain fortune.

“We must bring Christ into this day and give the youth a chance to focus on God and not on superstitions and secret charms for luck,” he said.

“It will also be a good occasion for the youth to take pride about their being Pangasinenses and to thank God that we are Filipinos. The prayers of Filipinos will bring peace to the world,” he further stressed. (CBCPNews)