St Mary's lights up for Red Wednesday
We lit up the front of our school on Wednesday, 23rd November in support of Aid to the Church in Need's Red Wednesday campaign. Red Wednesday is a global campaign highlighting the need to break the silence on the persecution of Christians and all faiths, globally.
The campaign, organised by the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, calls on people to mark the day by wearing red, so we decided to go even further and flood the front of the school in red light, the colour of Christian martyrdom.
Aid to the Church to the Church in Need supports the Church, especially in countries where Christians are suffering persecution or discrimination and to further the other charitable work of the Church by providing practical assistance and pastoral care for persons in need, especially those who are living in, or are refugees, from such countries.
Red Wednesday highlights the persecution of not only Christians but also people of other faiths and beliefs, including Muslims, Jews, Buddhists and Hindus. In 2021, nearly 6000 Christians were murdered around the world for their faith, and currently over 30 million Muslims face severe persecution in China and Myanmar. According to the Religious Freedom in the World Report 2021, in 21% of countries worldwide, changing or deciding not to follow your religion can have terrible consequences for your life.