VATICAN CITY — The prayer intentions are entrusted to the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, which Pope Francis officially established as a pontifical work on 17 November 2020.
The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network is a pontifical work with the mission of mobilizing Catholics through prayer and action, in the face of the challenges confronting humanity and the mission of the Church. These challenges are addressed in the form of prayer intentions entrusted by the Pope to the entire Church. Its mission is inscribed in the dynamic of the Heart of Jesus: a mission of compassion for the world.
Formerly known as the Apostleship of Prayer, the network was born as a Jesuit initiative in 1844 in a house of formation for young Jesuits in Vals, in the south of France. Fr. Francis Xavier Gautrelet sj, the spiritual director of the young men, suggested them a way of being apostles and missionaries in their daily lives by offering to God everything they were doing and striving to be available to Jesus in order to carry out their everyday duties well.
The fervour of the spiritual initiative spread far and wide in the Catholic Church and in 1890, Pope Leo XIII entrusted his monthly prayer intentions to the Apostleship of Prayer, assigning the job of running the network to the Jesuits. In 1915, its youth section, the Eucharistic Crusade, was born, today known as the Eucharistic Youth Movement.
In 2016, Pope Francis renamed the Apostleship of Prayer as the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network. He raised it to the status of a pontifical work in 2018 and made it a Vatican Foundation with a canonical and juridical status in 2020. The Network, with its headquarters in Vatican City Jesuits, continues to be led by the Jesuits.
In recent years, the Network has been popularizing the Pope’s monthly prayer intentions through its Video of the Pope, across its presence in 98 countries with more than 35 million Catholic members.
Below, please find the prayer intentions of the Holy Father for 2022:
JANUARY
For true human fraternity
We pray for all those suffering from religious discrimination and persecution; may their own rights and dignity be recognized, which originate from being brothers and sisters in the human family.
FEBRUARY
For religious sisters and consecrated women
We pray for religious sisters and consecrated women; thanking them for their mission and their courage; may they continue to find new responses to the challenges of our times.
MARCH
For a Christian response to bioethical challenges
We pray for Christians facing new bioethical challenges; may they continue to defend the dignity of all human life with prayer and action.
APRIL
For health care workers
We pray for health care workers who serve the sick and the elderly, especially in the poorest countries; may they be adequately supported by governments and local communities.
MAY
For faith-filled young people
We pray for all young people, called to live life to the fullest; may they see in Mary’s life the way to listen, the depth of discernment, the courage that faith generates, and the dedication to service.
JUNE
For families
We pray for Christian families around the world; may they embody and experience unconditional love and advance in holiness in their daily lives.
JULY
For the elderly
We pray for the elderly, who represent the roots and memory of a people; may their experience and wisdom help young people to look towards the future with hope and responsibility.
AUGUST
For small businesses
We pray for small and medium sized businesses; in the midst of economic and social crisis, may they find ways to continue operating, and serving their communities.
SEPTEMBER
For the abolition of the death penalty
We pray that the death penalty, which attacks the dignity of the human person, may be legally abolished in every country.
OCTOBER
For a Church open to everyone
We pray for the Church; ever faithful to, and courageous in preaching the Gospel, may the Church be a community of solidarity, fraternity and welcome, always living in an atmosphere of synodality.
NOVEMBER
For children who suffer
We pray for children who are suffering, especially those who are homeless, orphans, and victims of war; may they be guaranteed access to education and the opportunity to experience family affection.
DECEMBER
For volunteer not-for-profit organisations
We pray that volunteer non-profit organisations committed to human development find people dedicated to the common good and ceaselessly seek out new paths to international cooperation.
