22-27 March 2021.
A week of prayer is being observed by the World Council of Churches (WCC) from 22-27 March 2021, one year into the COVID-19 pandemic.
The week is intended as ‘a time of prayer and reflection on both the lament and the hope expressed and experienced across the world during what has been a year of unprecedented suffering, but also one when churches have worked together in ever new ways to adapt, respond and accompany communities through mental, physical, economical, spiritual, and environmental crises’.
Online Prayer Service
A global online prayer service, which will include the eight WCC regions, will take place on Friday 26 March beginning 14.00 CET.
Prayer book
A new prayer book, Voices of Lament, Hope and Courage, has also been published to coincide with the week, and can also be used as a resource throughout the year.
‘During the week, we will gather to offer intercessions, especially for the most vulnerable and those on the frontline caring for them, often under harsh circumstances’, says WCC acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca. ‘We will recommit ourselves to active compassion across what separates us, in obedience to the one who had compassion for the crowds and ministered for their healing.’
The book can be downloaded from the WCC website.



