Media release by ACN Canada

The annual international Red Wednesday event will be observed in Canada on Wednesday, Nov. 20 — including an ecumenical service in the city of Saskatoon.

Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) Canada has again invited parishes, dioceses, religious communities, and concerned individuals, as well as civil society organizations to save the date and mark Red Wednesday as a day of prayer, action, and awareness.

In Saskatoon, an ecumenical Red Wednesday service will be held at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20 at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 114 Kingsmere Place, co-hosted with Holy Covenant Evangelical Orthodox Church.

Local Christian leaders will be present to pray and reflect during the service, which will be followed by refreshments and hospitality. Everyone is welcome to the event at Holy Spirit Parish.

“Religious persecution is not just a religious issue,” stresses Marie-Claude Lalonde, national director of ACN Canada.

“It is part of a broader issue involving a lack of respect for basic freedoms, including freedom of religion, which is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”

She adds: “That is why this year, we extend a special invitation to civil society organizations to observe Red Wednesday with us. While this day has a particular focus on persecuted Christians around the world, religious persecution affects many other religious minorities.”

Additionally, persecution can also occur when a person advocates for the common good, in the name of his or her religious values.

“In Mexico, drug traffickers have no respect for those who prevent them from making even more money and extending their control; even members of the Church are targeted,” she noted. Most recently, ACN colleagues from the international head office spoke with Father José Filiberto Velázquez Florencio from the Diocese of Chilpancingo-Chilapa.

“As director of the Minerva Bello Center for the Rights of Victims of Violence, an institution that documents cases of violence in the diocese, Father Fili (as he is affectionately known) has received his share of death threats. He was even the victim of an abduction in 2021. The work he conducts also benefits civil society, but is inspired by his religious convictions,” says Lalonde.

Religious activities, information, and a new report

Again this year, everyone is invited to participate by organizing activities in their communities, whether it is by raising awareness or praying for persecuted Christians around the world.

“Many of ACN’s 23 national offices around the world will be organizing activities and inviting people to join together on the same day, namely Nov. 20,” says Lalonde.

“However you choose to show support—for example, by illuminating religious and civil society buildings in red, taking part in a Mass, organizing moments of prayer and adoration or activities to raise awareness, or simply by wearing red—the important thing, as the saying goes, is to take part!”

As has been the tradition for several years now, buildings will once again be lit up in red, including the facades of the Catholic cathedrals in Montreal and Toronto.

“We know that more and more dioceses and sanctuaries are organizing activities, and we encourage them to continue. Last year, more than 60 events were registered by organizers on our special landing page, which will be ready in a few weeks. Keep an eye on our social media for details,” she concludes.

A new report, Persecuted and Forgotten 2022-24, specifically dedicated to the issue of Christian persecution, will also be published in November.

For further information and for campaign material related to Red Wednesday, contact Valérie Vulcain at vv@acn-canada.org or call 1-800-585-6333, ext. 227.

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