      The St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church in Sturgis played host to this year's annual World Day of Prayer that focused on the women of Cuba on March 4. The United church members also joined in the service.
           Carole Hauber greeted everyone with a glass of lemonade and a special paper flower that represented the white jasmine butterfly flower which is Cuba’s state flower.
           Participants featured: Carole Hauber, Evelyn Reagan, Lil Smith, Shirley Woytas, Hazel Urbanoski, Lorraine Shewchuk, Mavis Morken and Anita Desroches. Rev. Marcin Mironiuk gave the reflection and prayer.
           Next year's theme will be Am I being unfair to you, and will be written by the women of the Philippines.
            Every year the worship service focuses on a different country and a specific theme. World Day of Prayer national/regional committees of that country prepare the order of worship on these themes to be used on the next World Day of Prayer.
           On the first Friday of March, then in services all over the world, that country becomes the focus of prayer and understanding. Through preparation and participation in the worship service, women worldwide learn how their sisters of other countries, languages and cultures understand the biblical passages in their context. They learn of the concerns and needs of those women and to empathize and feel in solidarity with them.
