Special prayers will be said for the nation's children and young adults during the 17th annual National Prayer Vigil to be held at Colonel's Cove in Morant Bay, St Thomas, on Sunday.

The Rev Dr Roy Henry, chairman of the National Prayer Vigil Committee, said recent violent attacks on children had spurred the Church to focus on the issue.

More than 400 children have been killed in the last five years. Many of the murders have been particularly grisly, involving mutilation and dismemberment.

Hospital donation

The committee also plans to donate a cell-type machine, worth approximately $1.6 million to the Princess Margaret Hospital in St Thomas as its special project this year.

The multi-denominational vigil, which will be hosted by the St Thomas Ministers' Fraternal, is expected to draw participants from all across the island.

"St Thomas, in some regard, is almost an untapped parish and so we saw it as necessary to be part of this," said the Rev Bancroft Williams, chairman of the St Thomas Ministers' Fraternal. Williams said this year's youth focus was particularly appealing because of the needs of many young people in St Thomas.

Children suffering

"Many of them are unemployed and they have to leave to go to Kingston and other regions to find employment," he said. "We are suffering now with an increase in crime and violence, while we used to be a very quiet parish.

"We will be praying for a renewal in our community, but this renewal must not only be spiritual, but must be reflected in the physical components," added Williams.

He said several schools and youth organisations have been invited to be prominently involved in the vigil. Individuals who are unable to attend are also asked to join in prayer from their homes and workplaces.