Brazil

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: report by Inês de Fátima Bittencourt

Our SOPP ceremony in Brazil took place in Rio de Janeiro on May 14. I opened the event by welcoming everyone and introducing our guests. Together, we performed a wordless prayer for peace and recited some words of Byakko founder Masahisa Goi.

Wanderley Marques de Siqueira, an Umbandista Spiritist, offered some words of greeting, followed by a prayer from his tradition. Next, Aldair Tarjino, a student and practitioner of Spiritism, talked about his belief in the coming transformational renewal of our planet. After this, I spoke about the importance of praying for the peace of all humanity and all life on earth, creating a strong current of prayer and hope that things will get better. I then led the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi.

Our faith prayers were followed by a flag ceremony to pray for peace in each country. For Brazil, the United States, Japan, and Korea, we repeated our prayers three times. We then concluded our ceremony with a guided meditation for peace, to send positive, forgiving thoughts to our entire country.