Join ACRATH and Talitha Kum to begin this year’s eight-hour Prayer Marathon on 8 February at 7pm ( AEDT). Talitha Kum Oceania will feature in the first hour of the global prayer marathon, which marks the World Day of Prayer, Reflection and Action Against Human Trafficking. Members from Australia and New Zealand will start the marathon by reflecting on this year’s theme: The power of care. Women, economy, human trafficking.
ACRATH member Sr Colleen Jackson rsc, Talitha Kum’s regional representative for Oceania on the Talitha Kum International Coordination Committee, said the day is observed on 8 February, the feast of St Josephine Bakhita, the patron saint of those who have been trafficked. As a child Josephine was kidnapped from the Sudan and enslaved. Saint Bakhita has become the universal symbol of the commitment of the Catholic Church against trafficking.
This year’s prayer will also feature contributions from Pope Francis and experts in gender, economics and human trafficking and, especially, how they affect women. The 2022 Prayer marathon will focus on women, who are most affected by the violence of trafficking.
In announcing the theme in December, Talitha Kum said: “The empowerment of women is not only a question of justice in terms of equal opportunities, but also of expanding the capacity of human resources. With a greater involvement of women, new social and economic processes can be fostered: various development agents open new horizons to development itself. A system that excludes women, and other vulnerable social groups, is not only an “inequitable” system, but also an “inefficient” one, because it does not maximize its capacity to promote integral human development.”
“With the pandemic, the society and institutions have rediscovered the value of caring for people as a pillar of security and social cohesion and the commitment to care for the common space in order to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change and environmental degradation, which mainly affects the poorer.”
“The power of care is the only way to tackle human trafficking and all forms of exploitation.”
This global prayer promises to be a rich time of inspiration, culture, faith and commitment. Hopefully many of us will be able to tune in for a time to suit our time zone.
The whole Marathon, which will be broadcast in English, French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese, will be posted (after 8 February) on Talitha Kum’s YouTube channel.
To join the English language livestream of the Marathon of Prayer, go to the Marathon of Prayer Youtube channel at 9am Rome time (7pm AEDT), at: https://youtu.be/aU7bTKqPbWY