Annual Day Of Prayer For Survivors Of Abuse Takes Place On Friday, March 7th 2025

Dioceses around the country will observe the annual ‘Day of Prayer for Survivors of Abuse’ tomorrow, 7 March, coinciding with the first Friday of Lent.  This significant day of prayer was initiated by Pope Francis and has been marked in Irish dioceses since 2017.

On the ‘Day of Prayer for Survivors of Abuse’, parishes across Ireland will light Blessed Candles as a powerful reminder to the faithful of the need for atonement, repentance, and the light of hope amidst darkness.  These ‘Candles of Atonement’ will be lit in diocesan cathedrals and churches throughout the country.

The tradition of lighting the Candle of Atonement draws inspiration from the deeply moving Penitential Rite that Pope Francis composed and prayed during the final Mass of the 9th World Meeting of Families on 26 August 2018 at Phoenix Park in Dublin.  At that Mass, the Holy Father fervently implored the Lord’s mercy for the crimes of abuse and asked for forgiveness on behalf of the Church.  The prayer and ritual associated with the Candle of Atonement reflect the commitment to spiritual healing, reconciliation, and peace.

The ‘Candle of Atonement’ will be lit at Knock Shrine throughout the day  on Friday, March 7th 2025 and the accompanying prayer will be said at each of the daily Masses in Knock Parish Church at 9.00am, 12noon, 3.00pm and 7.30pm.

Candle of Atonement Prayer

Lord, forgive us our many sins.

We grieve and repent with all our hearts for having offended you, for our great failings and neglect of the young and vulnerable.

We place all of those who have been hurt by the Church in any way into your loving hands and under the protection of Our Blessed Mother.

Lord, bring peace to their broken lives and show us all the way out of darkness and into the light of your Word.

May we as the people of God be more fully human, more fully Christ-like and more fully your people,

that we may see the errors of the past and go forward with renewed hope and faith in Christ and in our Church.

Amen.