This November, the Church in Melbourne is invited to stand in solidarity with Christians around the world who suffer persecution for their faith.
Red November is a campaign run during the month of November by Aid to the Church in Need Australia and New Zealand (ACN) to remember and pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters. As St Paul reminds us, when one member of the Body suffers, all suffer together (1 Cor 12:26). Internationally, the campaign centres on Red Wednesday, 18 November, when churches and iconic buildings are illuminated in red.
Every parish can take part during November, and even a small gesture is a real sign of communion with those who are suffering for Christ.
How your parish can take part
Celebrate a Red Wednesday Mass
Celebrate the Red Wednesday Mass for Persecuted Christians on Wednesday 18 November. These resources will help your parish prepare:
If 18 November doesn't suit your parish, you may celebrate a Red November Mass on any other day, or Sunday, in November.
If Mass is on a Sunday, the hymns, Prayer of the Faithful, and the Prayer for Persecuted Christians may be used for your Sunday Mass, while observing the appointed Sunday.
Register your communities’ Red November Mass here.
Pray the Red Rosary
Gather your parish to pray the Red Rosary for persecuted Christians, using these resources:
Light your parish red
Light your church red as a visible sign of solidarity with those who suffer for their faith. Between 16-23 November, St Patrick’s Cathedral will light up in red joining cathedrals and churches around the world. Register your parish here. For instructions on how to light your Church in Red, click here.
Wear red
Encourage parishioners to wear red during Red November as a simple way of remembering our persecuted brothers and sisters.
Spread the word
ACN has also provided a variety of resources to help publicize your parish event:
- Editable Red November Mass A3 poster template
- Red Rosary A3 poster template
- Social Media Tile
- Bulletin Notice
More resources
For more resources, including social media tiles and bulletin notices, visit rednovember.org.
Prayer for Persecuted Christians
Merciful Lord,
You call us to take up our crosses and follow after you
on the Way of Love to Calvary.
However, there are many of our fellow Christians this day
who suffer greatly for love of You and Your Church,
some who will give their lives for You,
and this is a hard path to follow.
We pray for them and ask you to be near them.
Comfort and console them,
grant them peace and trust,
make them firm in faith and generous in love.
We pray for the conversion of their persecutors, healing of wounds,
and that their courageous witness would be a light to the nations.
May we all testify to the joy of knowing and loving you,
and come to Heaven as one. Amen.
Related article:
Every Catholic archdiocese in Australia and NZ… | Melbourne Catholic
Banner image: St Patrick’s Cathedral lit in red to mark Red Wednesday in 2023. Credit: Aid to the Church in Need Australia New Zealand / Casamento Photography