Cycle of Prayer

Cycles of Prayer offer important and helpful resources for the preparations of intercessions. The Prayers of the People form a critical part of the Eucharist, and bring the concerns of the world to the community and the concerns of the community for the world into the body of the worship of the gathered community.

As well as providing a guide for ways of praying for the universal Church, cycles of prayer also highlight the local church or groups of churches, issues of justice and peace, specific concerns of our diocese and our partners, and ways to bring to the local community an awareness of the broader church and our relationships within it.

On the right-side column of this page you will find links to a variety of prayer cycles, such as the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, which highlights dioceses throughout the Anglican Communion on a daily basis; the Canadian Anglican-Lutheran Cycle of Prayer, which focuses on both Anglican and Lutheran dioceses and synods on a weekly basis; the World Council of Churches Prayer Cycle which has a particular focus on ecumenical matters of justice, peace, and faith; and, of course, our own Niagara Cycle of Prayer, which provides an opportunity to pray for ministries and parishes throughout our Diocese on a rotational basis.

Since many of our congregations and parishes use these prayer resources on a weekly basis, on Sunday mornings, with perhaps one mid-week service at which these prayers are also offered, the diocesan cycle is presented in a weekly format, with the hope that local communities will pray for each other throughout the week which follows.

A general word about cycles: specific foreign language names of bishops and/or clergy are often difficult to pronounce and can be an embarrassment both for those trying to say the names and those praying along. Don’t worry about specific names; simply name the diocese or area – that is more than appropriate.