British Bishop Calls on Catholics to Pray in Workplaces at 3 p.m. Every First Firday

Tim Tebow prays in the job. An English bishop suggests we all do it.

A Roman Catholic bishop in England is calling on the faithful in all of the country's work places to stop and pray publicly at 3 p.m. on the First Friday of every month. First Friday is already observed as a special day of prayer and fasting in Roman Catholic parishes around the world. 
 
The bishop is recommending that workers in all venues set the alarms on their mobile phones to remind them of the new observance as part of a move to promote faith in the workplace ahead of the 2012-2013  “Year of Faith” declared by Pope Benedict XVI.

The Rt. Rev Kieran Conry, the Bishop of Arundel and Brighton and chair of the Church in England and Wales’s evangelization committee, said the plan drew on traditions of saying special Friday prayers dating back to the 17th century.

He said: “I would like to invite every Catholic, especially during the Year of Faith, to pause for a moment of prayer of praise and thanksgiving at 3 p.m. if possible, or perhaps when you break for lunch, on the first Friday of every month."

The bishop's call to prayer comes in the week that British government lawyers went to the European Court of Human Rights to defend the right of employers to ban the wearing of public symbols of faith such as the cross in the workplace.

“Whatever you are doing, as your responsibilities allow, stop, perhaps close your eyes, bow your head and prayerfully and silently meditate on the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross out of love for you and everyone."

This is a suggestion that can be easily adopted by Catholics and Christians everywhere.