‘Hundreds of thousands of Christians suffer various forms of persecution each year — from horrific brutality in North Korea to systemic, if more subtle, oppression in countries like India.’<\/b>
\nCatholic places of worship lit themselves in red after Thanksgiving as part of the Courage In Red campaign to honor today\u2019s Christian martyrs.
Particular U. S. Catholic Churches across the nation will participate in Aid to the Church in Need\u2019s worldwide first annual Courage in Red campaign for several days after Thanksgiving.
They will light up red, which Catholics hold to be the color of martyrdom, and will hold various prayer services in tribute to those who have died for their faith in Christ .
Edward Clancy, ACNUSA director of outreach, said the campaign is \u201cdesigned to bring the plight of our suffering brothers and sisters more dramatically to the attention of faithful in the US,\u201d according to a\u00a0news release provided to The Daily Caller News Foundation.
\u201cHopefully, greater awareness will lead to greater action,\u201d he added.
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U. S. participation in the campaign began Saturday, with the\u00a0Cathedral of St. Francis in New Jersey holding services to honor persecuted Christians. Those services will continue through Sunday.
The co-cathedral of St. Joseph\u2019s in Brooklyn will also hold a special prayer service on Sunday.
The Basilica\u00a0of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D. C. will host the main event on the evening of Nov. 28, with a vesper service at 6:30 p.m.
Witnesses to modern Christian persecution will attend, including\u00a0Chaldean Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil, Kurdistan, whose church has served for hundreds of thousands of Christians who fled an onslaught\u00a0 from the Islamic State group; Sister Annie Demerjian of the\u00a0Community of Jesus and Mary, who served in Aleppo, Syria; and\u00a0Bishop Oliver Doeme of the Diocese of Maiduguri, Nigeria, which has been ravaged by Boko Haram .
\u201cHundreds of thousands of Christians suffer various forms of persecution each year \u2014 from horrific brutality in North Korea to systemic, if more subtle, oppression in countries like India,\u201d Clancy said.
The vespers service will be broadcast on\u00a0the Eternal Word Television Network.
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A version of this article appeared on The Daily Caller News Foundation website.
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