World Day of Prayer

The World Day of Prayer is celebrated in over 120 countries. On March 6, 2026, it begins in Samoa, and prayer in native languages travels throughout the world – through Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas before finishing in American Samoa some 38 hours later. A worldwide wave of prayer…

Nigeria, a western African country with a rich heritage and diverse ecosystem, welcomes and leads us for the 2026 prayer service.

All are welcome to join together to pray and reflect on the theme “I will give you rest: come,” and learn about Nigeria’s history, culture and concerns. The scripture base is Matthew 11: 28-30.

Locally, this year’s service will take place at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Stayner on Friday, March 6 at 2 p.m. A light lunch will be served following the service.

World Day of Prayer is an international, ecumenical movement which enables us to hear the thoughts of women from all parts of the world: their hopes, concerns and prayers. An offering will be collected and used to support women-lead development projects in Canada and around the world.

The preparation for the day is vast; the service begins with the selection of a country and theme several years in advance. Once written, it goes to the WDP International Committee in New York for translation and then dissemination to the National Committee in each participating country.

The service prepared by the women of Nigeria is then discussed and edited by the Women’s Inter- Church Council of Canada before being presented nationally, regionally, and locally.

Some communities will choose a date other than the first Friday of March to host a World Day of Prayer service in order to best suit their worship needs.

For further information and resources, see the WDP website for Canada: wdpcanada.ca.