Jesuit Mission Australia and the Taizé Community have extended their heartfelt thanks to the hundreds of people who joined the Light in the Darkness: Global Prayer Vigil for Myanmar on Thursday 29 May
Participants from 31 countries around the globe came together for the online vigil, standing in prayerful solidarity with the people of Myanmar, who continue to endure unimaginable suffering caused by war, displacement and natural disaster. Remarkably, the vigil brought together voices from every continent, including a participant joining from Antarctica.
This vigil has shown the profound power of united prayer and global solidarity.
The online vigil was led by Helen Forde, CEO of Jesuit Mission Australia, alongside Br Ghislain of the Taizé Community, and featured deeply moving testimonies from those affected by the crisis in Myanmar. Through Taizé music, Scripture and shared prayer, the vigil offered a space of compassion and reflection in response to immense suffering.
‘This vigil has shown the profound power of united prayer and global solidarity,’ said Ms Forde. ‘I am deeply grateful to everyone who joined us—from every corner of the world—to lift up our shared hope, to stand with those who are suffering and to renew our collective call for peace.’
Participants heard moving, personal testimonies from those on the ground, including the story of one aid worker’s heartbreaking encounter with an 8-year-old girl who had fled conflict with her family, arriving only days before the earthquake that struck the country earlier this year.
She wants to learn. She wants to play. She wants to live in peace. She is just a child, but her heart carries a prayer for a better world.
‘On 28 March, the building collapsed, and her best friend and her friend’s parents lost their lives,’ the worker explained. ‘She doesn’t fully understand why. She just knows her friend is no longer there to laugh with, to play with, to dream with. She told us she looks at the night sky and says the three twinkling stars are her friend and her friend’s parents. She prays they are in heaven.
‘Now, in a place far from home, she holds onto one dream: to return to her village. She wants to learn. She wants to play. She wants to live in peace. She is just a child, but her heart carries a prayer for a better world.’
Fr Joseph, a Jesuit priest based in Myanmar, described the harsh realities of life in the country, saying, ‘I have seen many people suffering, homes destroyed by the earthquake, families crying in the streets. As if the earthquake wasn’t enough, the civil war is still ongoing. I saw villages attacked, homes burnt, people running for their lives.
Please pray for Myanmar. They need to know they are not alone. The suffering is not over.
I saw mothers crying because they had no food for their children. Their faces stay with me. Please pray for Myanmar. They need to know they are not alone. The suffering is not over.’
Since the military coup in February 2021, Myanmar has become one of the world’s most urgent humanitarian crises, with over 3.5 million people displaced and nearly 20 million in need of emergency aid. Jesuit Mission’s partners remain embedded in affected communities, offering vital support and spiritual care.
Banner image: Flood-affected communities in Myanmar receive urgent supplies. (Photo courtesy of Jesuit Mission.)
