Prayer Vigil For Peace
Pope Leo XIV used the first Easter Urbi et Orbi message of his papacy to make a forceful appeal for an end to the war in Iran and to announce a prayer vigil for peace on April 11. The vigil will take place at 6:00 p.m. Rome time.
“Let those who have weapons lay them down!” the Pope urged, imploring the world to choose peace… not by force, but through dialogue. Not to dominate others, but to encounter them.
Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, echoed the Pope’s concerns encouraging the American faithful to participate in the upcoming day of prayer urging all people of goodwill to unite in a singular spiritual front against conflict.
This call to peace and prayer is a fundamental expression of our identity. As stated in our Constitutions, our own charism of peace “calls us to challenge relationships of domination and manipulation and to work toward the reconciliation of divisions which hinder the solidarity of the human community” (47).
While we are grateful for the temporary ceasefire, our hearts remain with the people of Iran and Lebanon. We continue to pray for them and call for a definitive end to the violence.
Inspired by our charism and our Chapter Commitment to resist all forms of war and violence, we join with Pope Leo XIV and Archbishop Coakley in calling for disarmament, diplomacy, and prayer. In a world often numbed by indifference and evil, let us find strength in our shared purpose: we are made for a time such as this!
Join With Us in Praying for Peace on Saturday, April 11
Dear God,
You were clear in your invitation to humanity — to be stewards of your creation. You asked us to mirror the relationship of the Holy Trinity by loving one another through collaboration, dialogue, and co-creation.
Today we come to you as a fractured human community to pray for peace, to beat our swords into plowshares and our spears into pruning hooks.
We cry out to Christ, who asked us to put our weapons away when they came to arrest him and put him to death.
We ask you, God, to soften our hearts — to make us able to hear the cry of the One who suffered and defeated death, who reminded us that all are capable and deserving of mercy, especially the most vulnerable.
We join the Church and all the angels and saints who cry out for peace, justice, and mercy. We join all people of goodwill who demand an end to war and violence. We stand in solidarity with those who suffer in war — families, women, and children who have no say in when the fighting begins or ends.
We pray for conversion from our violent ways. We pray for transformation into a loving people. We pray for peace through justice and love toward all of creation, especially in times of war and conflict.
Amen.