There is power in prayer offered by millions of people around the world. As a continuous chain of positive thought and prayer, which encircles the earth, prayer helps to achieve the profound change of heart needed at this perilous time to ensure the survival of the planet.

It is intentional that the prayer begins with the individual: “Lead me . . . “ The seeds of peace must germinate within each of us; they will then flower into the collective and the universal: “Let Peace fill our . . . “

This prayer, offered at midday every day around the globe as a continuous vigil, was first offered with particular focus on the Special Session on Disarmament at the United Nations in June, 1982, in the hope that world governments will have the wisdom and courage to implement a comprehensive program for world disarmament.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta made the first public pronouncement of the prayer at an inspiring meeting in St. James Church, Piccadilly, on July 7^th, 1981. It was officially launched at an interfaith service in Westminster Abbey at midday on August 6^th, 1981 (Hiroshima Day). Since then, the prayer has spread around the world and is translated and used in over 20 languages. On March 7^th 1982, the prayer was launched in the U.S. in the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York.

The strength of sustained, focused prayer is magnified far beyond our limited imagination. Prayer offers the hope of support, survival and change. True prayer is a genuine act of peacemaking. Peace with nature, peace within ourselves, and political peace are inseparable. The Prayer for Peace links people of all faiths, people of hope who are agnostics, humanists, and free thinkers. The prayer was written by Satish Kumar, a former Jain monk, adapted from the Upanishads.

You are invited to publicize the midday Peace Prayer in your own area and in your own way – through your friends, organizations and businesses, social/religious/cultural bodies, and particularly local newspapers and the media.