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Archbishop John launches campaign encouraging people to turn to the Psalms

A new online prayer campaign has been launched by the Archdiocese of Southwark, encouraging people to make praying the Psalms a part of their daily lives.

Launching the campaign, Archbishop John Wilson said he is often greeted with questions about prayer and while the questions may vary slightly, at their heart people are searching for the purpose of prayer and guidance on how to make it a part of their life.

The Archbishop of Southwark said

“Questions about prayer, whether about the purpose of prayer, its power, beauty or even how to pray can be answered in the Psalms”.

It is, Archbishop John said, by “praying the Psalms that the Church receives its strength” adding “it is in the Psalms that you will find the Lord Jesus”.

The Archbishop reminds us in his message that the Psalms have been prayed by the Saints, Apostles, as well as Our Lady and the Lord Jesus himself. Archbishop John said “by praying the Psalms, we are imitating Christ” and it is through them that we are drawn ever “closer to him”.

The beauty and power of the Psalms is that they can provide comfort through the many situations people face in life. Archbishop John explained that when he is suffering, he takes comfort in Psalm 31 and its call for God to be a “rock of refuge for me”. This is the very Psalm the Lord Jesus turned to when he said “into your hands I commend my spirit”.

The online campaign has been launched by the Archdiocese of Southwark as part of its work to evangelise using new media, supporting Pope Francis’ call for 2024 to be the year of prayer.

Earlier in the year, the Archdiocese which covers South London and Kent, ran a video initiative during Lent which released a prayer video a day across social media promoting much loved prayers within the Catholic Church. On Facebook alone, the videos had a combined reach of over 12 million people. Archbishop John Wilson also led 10,000 school children and young people in an online rosary.

Over the coming weeks and months, the Archdiocese of Southwark will be posting prayer videos across social media using the Psalms in the hope that it will encourage people to make praying the Psalms a regular part of their lives.

Archbishop John encouraged people who are searching about why or how to pray, or “the next time your child or grandchild is curious about prayer” to “turn to the Psalms”. Because, he said, “by praying the Psalms, you too can discover the beauty and power of prayer” and “it is in the Psalms you will find the love and mercy of the Lord”.

If you are looking for more resources or support on prayer, head to the Archdiocese of Southwark’s Spirituality Commission. There you will find resources, including their flagship programme “Ways into Prayer” to help people deepen their relationship with God.

The Agency for Evangelisation and Catechesis also has a rich bank of prayer resources, ranging from the rosary to scripture meditations.

Note: The translations of the Psalms used for the campaign are from the Divine Office and the English Standard Version, as presented in the book the Abbey Psalms and Canticles, originally published in 2019.