A space for people to pray in their own way

Prayer is one of The Archbishop of Canterbury’s three priorities, together with growing the church and reconciling people.

To encourage those interested in prayer Archbishop Welby held a Prayer Day at Canterbury Cathedral on Saturday, 27th May. Nearly a hundred people were there.

Archbishop Justin’s aim is to demystify prayer and help people explore different ways to approach it.

“At its heart, prayer is being with God,” Archbishop Justin said. He described the Prayer Day at Canterbury Cathedral as “offering a space for people to pray in their own way.”

He said, “The door between us and God has been kicked down by Jesus’ death. Not because we’re good, but because God is good. Not because we’re faithful, but because God is faithful.”

 

Joining Archbishop Justin in Canterbury was the Bishop of Dover, Rose Hudson-Wilkin, The Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, Rev. David Monteith, Sister Joanna Sikorska from The Chemin Neuf religious community, and the Community of St Anselm based at Lambeth Palace.

Rev. David described prayer as a ‘scaffolding of the spirit’ whilst Sister Joanna described how she’s learnt to “quietly discern” what God is saying.

 

The Archbishop’s Prayer Days are for people to hear Archbishop Justin’s vision on prayer; hear from key local leaders on the impact of prayer; build unity by explore what other denominations bring to prayer, and provide resources to develop or encourage corporate prayer in churches, schools, homes and workplaces.

In Canterbury on Saturday hints about prayer ranged from going back to scripture to using our five senses to help us connect. The day included group discussion and moments of silent prayer.

You can find more information about the Archbishop’s Prayer Day’s here: Archbishop of Canterbury launches new initiative to host Prayer Days | The Archbishop of Canterbury