Jerusalem Sunday Time of Prayer

On Jerusalem Sunday we pray for the Anglican (Episcopal) Diocese of Jerusalem and the Middle East. Last summer, several members of our diocese participated in a pilgrimage to the Holy Land for the Women of the Bible course led by Bishop Jane through St. George's College in Jerusalem.

"Safe here in Canada, we often do not realize the hardships people in that region suffer," said Canon Barbara Burrows reflecting on an afternoon the group spent with Shafeeqa Dawani, the wife of the Most Rev. Suheil Dawani, Archbishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, in the Province called the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East. Shafeeqa uses her position to help empower women in Palestine."We take much for granted: access to proper health care and education, freedom to travel, freedom of religion, empowerment for all. Shafeeqa taught us about living in hope, and to encourage others to live in hope, faith and love."

You can read reflections and view pictures from the Holy Land Pilgrimage in The Messenger.

In some Canadian parishes the open collection on Jerusalem Sunday will be directed to the National Church / Canadian Companions of Jerusalem to strengthen directly the ministry on the Mount of Olives for children with disabilities called The Princess Basma Centre run by the Jerusalem diocese. For Jerusalem Sunday resources, visit The Anglican Church of Canada website

The Anglican Church of Canada has had a long and meaningful relationship with the Jerusalem diocese and the Middle East.

• They are a diocese of some 7,000 members formed into 30 parishes who worship in the name of Jesus and serve faithfully in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.
• They oversee an enormous outreach ministry of some 30 institutions, employing more than 5,000 people providing education, vocational training, medical care in hospitals and clinics, rehabilitation for the hearing impaired, care for children with disabilities, and residential support to the elderly.
• They are a vibrant faithful community offering a bold witness to the compassionate love of God in action. They need to know that they are not forgotten, not ignored, but recognized and valued as part of our oneness in Christ.