Yarmouth prays for little Maddie

Families in Yarmouth have prayed for the safe return of Madeleine McCann.

The community in Yarmouth has joined hundreds of others across the country in gathering to pray together for the safe return of little Madeleine McCann who has gone missing in the Algarve area of Portugal while on holiday with her family.

In a moving gesture of solidarity, mothers and fathers and grandparents from Yarmouth's Portuguese community brought their children to the town's St Mary's Catholic Church for an evening service of prayer on Friday May 11.

As former England football captain David Beckham broadcast a television appeal for missing Madeleine McCann and a businessman offered a £1m reward, they offered their own humble support with prayers, flowers and cards with personal messages that will be sent to her parents Gerry and Kate.

More than 100 people attended the service, mothers pensively clutching their children, and bringing with them an array of bright flowers.

In a procession to the front of the church, a peaceful haven on Regent Road, Yarmouth's bustling tourist thoroughfare, they laid their flowers at the foot of a statue of Mary and lit candles for the McCanns.

The service, which included hymns, prayers and gospel readings in Portuguese and English was the inspiration of Portuguese mother of two Amelia Shurmur, a police community support officer in the town.

She said: “On my beat, Portuguese people have been coming up to me to speak about little Madeleine and some mothers were in tears.

“I think their main feeling was frustration. It was something very close to their hearts but happening too far away for them to do anything to help. When Madeleine's mum asked people to pray that is what we decided to do.”

Mrs Shurmur, who held her two-year-old daughter Maria as she translated at the front of the church, said she hoped the power of prayer could bring about the miracle of Madeleine's safe return.

Manuel Mendonca, chairman of the town's Portuguese community association, said: “We are here because we are fathers ourselves. When something happens in Portugal it is like it is happening to a guest in your own house, and you want to keep them safe. We will all be praying for a quick, happy ending for Madeleine.”

English families also came to show their support with one local mother, Kelly Rayson saying: “I lost my daughter in a supermarket for a few minutes and that was awful. I can't think what the McCanns are going through.”

Restaurateur Miriam Kikis, a member of Yarmouth's Greek Cypriot community, said: “I came to light a candle. It breaks your heart when you put yourself in the position of those parents.”

Church deacon Peter Glanville said the idea for the service had snowballed because it had brought together the whole community.

In his address, he said: “This is a service of hope and a service of caring for young Madeleine McCann and her mother and father and brothers and sisters. We are showing them we truly and genuinely do care.

“I know from working with many of you in baptisms the love of Portuguese people for little ones and your proud tradition of caring for the family and the children.”

He said Madeleine's abduction was the work of man, not God, and he urged people to pray for her safe return and for her captor to have a change of heart so she could be safely reunited with her family.

On the day, Yarmouth families showed their support, Madeleine's father vowed his family would leave "no stone unturned" in the search for their daughter.

On the eve of Madeleine's fourth birthday, he said he and his wife were grateful for the support they have received from around the world.

Story courtesy of www.EDP24.co.uk