By Roy Weavers

This year on Friday March 5th the annual World Day of Prayer will be celebrated in Mossman at St Augustine's Catholic church and in Port Douglas at St Mary's Catholic Church.

The World Day of Prayer is a world-wide movement led by Christian women of many traditions. There are more than 170 countries who participate in this annual day of celebration with over 1,300 services being held just in Australia.

Each year a different country takes on the responsibility of organising this important day in the religious calendar and in 2010 this world fellowship of prayer and worship is being organised by the Cameroon, Central Africa World Day of Prayer Committee.

The Christian women of Cameroon have chosen the theme this year.  Cameroonians love to praise God, thanking him for his greatest gift - life, because if there is life, there is hope. 

Cameroon has seven ethnic groups and a population of 18 million.  In 1994 Cameroon acceded to the equal rights between men and women.  However the weight of tradition tends to discriminate against women. 

The country has been identified as a source, transit and destination for trafficking of women and children for the purpose of forced labour and sexual exploitation.  This years service invites everyone to pray for the people of Cameroon and to learn more about it's beautiful people, fascinating customs and their extraordinary land.

The origins of this day date back to the 19th century when Christian women of the US and Canada initiated a variety of activities in support of women's involvement in mission at home and in other parts of the world.

According to co-organiser Marcia Tudor "This will be a wonderful celebration, an extraordinary community event".

This years theme is "Let Everything that has breath praise God" and services start at 9.30am at St Augustine's Catholic Church, 26 Grogan Street in Mossman and at 7.30pm at St Mary's Catholic Church, 2 Endeavour Street, Port Douglas. The local area organising committee of Marcia Tudor, Lyn Gorman, Annette Anich, Yvonne Devlin, Mary Rutishauser, Sister Mairead and Denise McHugh are looking forward to welcoming everyone to this celebration. 

There will be refreshments at the conclusion of the services.