Prayer for International Women’s Day

Let us pray for women
All over the world

Let us pray for women
Struggling every day
In crushing heat
And punishing cold
North, South, East and West
Carrying food and water…
Nurturing and cultivating
Conscientious and caring

Let us honour those women 
Who knew drudgery and oppression
Branded as goods and chattels…
Awarded little value
Who gave birth to our ancestors
Yours and mine
Women who served as slaves
For over 5,000 years 

Let us pray for women
Who have been excluded
From men’s clubs
Pubs
Universities
Arenas
Polling stations
Places of worship
Government chambers
Dining rooms
Schools
And hospitals…

The opposite of change
Is stagnation…
Stagnation is spiritual death
But this path to enlightenment
Has illuminated the way for women
and men and children…
Revealing the beauty of potential unleashed
Creative achievement and compassion

So let us rejoice
And offer thanks 
For those that embrace
Life, nature and womanhood:
Nurses, doctors, midwives
Poets, writers, artists
Musicians, scientists, teachers,
Lawyers, writers, ecologists
Mothers, and matriarchs
Priests, professors, painters
Pilots, police officers and project managers
Women all

And so…
This day, carried on the tide of change
We celebrate International Women’s Day 
With heartfelt joy
Together

Let us share a moment of gratitude…
Because the freedom of women is the key
That opens the door to love, hope and peace in our world

Thank you