Governor- General Sir Patrick Allen, Patron for the National Prayer Breakfast, delivered his remarks at the annual staging of the initiative held at the Jamaica Pegasus on January 16, 2020. Addressing the theme “Pursuing the Power of Peace”, His Excellency issued a call to action for countrymen to model the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi and become ‘Ambassadors and Instruments of Peace’ underscoring the mammoth effect it would have on our communities and nation.
The National Prayer Breakfast was birthed out of a need to address and curb crime and violence over four decades ago. His Excellency noted that “without events such as the annual Prayer Breakfast, Prayer Vigil and the Heal the Nation-Heal the Family Day of Prayer and the sincere intercessions of persons of faith across the Island, the situation would be much worse”.
The Governor-General highlighted that the donations have risen exponentially over the years, from $9,000 in 1987 to over $120 million today. Those funds have been channelled into medical care, education caring for wards of the State, flood relief and other issues of national importance.
His Excellency concluded his address on a poignant note, impressing the importance of reclaiming our Country and cultivating a ‘National will’ to do so. Successive Governors-General of Jamaica have traditionally served as proud Patrons of the National Prayer Vigil.