By Kielce Gussie
On Oct 1, between 700 and 1,000 children from parishes and schools in Rome will gather together with Pope Leo XIV in the Vatican Gardens to mark the start of the “One Million Children Praying the Rosary” initiative promoted by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
That evening at 5.00pm in the Lourdes Grotto in the Vatican, the children and the Pope will pray in spiritual union with children, families, schools, and Christian communities across the globe, according to a press release by ACN.
For more than two decades, the Pontifical Foundation ACN has held this initiative. However, for the first time ever, the “One Million Children Praying the Rosary” will last an entire week from Oct 1-7, offering communities, families, and schools the chance to choose the day that best fits them. All the while, each community will be united in their prayers for peace and unity.
The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, Oct 7, marks the culmination of the week.
Local initiatives united in prayer
The Vatican is not the only place where the campaign will be lived out. All across the globe—from the indigenous communities in the Bolivian Amazon to churches in Sudan, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, and a number of other places impacted by war, poverty, or instability—will join in the prayer campaign.
Several parishes and schools in Sudan will participate in the initiative. Across the Atlantic Ocean, children in the Tsimané community in the Bolivian Amazon have already begun praying the Rosary in Tsimané and Spanish.
In the Archdiocese of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, St Christopher’s Parish will bring children together on Oct 4 to join in prayer for peace. Back in South America, Radio Pa’i Puku in Paraguay will broadcast live children praying the Rosary at San Eugenio de Mazenod parish.
Praying for a wounded world
This year’s initiative is inspired by a message Our Lady gave to the young visionaries in Fatima, Portugal: “In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph.”
In an invitation to participants, Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of ACN International and Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, highlighted how the Immaculate Heart of Mary represents a life completely open to the Holy Spirit and he placed Mary as an example of faith, prayer, and love.
Particularly in today’s world marked by violence, persecution, poverty, and instability, this initiative is important. The image of children praying in various languages, from different countries, and living distinct cultures serves as a simple yet universal symbol of trust and hope.
From one country to the whole world
The “One Million Children Praying the Rosary” initiative began in Venezuela in 2005 and has become a worldwide prayer network with children, families, parishes, schools, and Church groups on every continent.
One of Italian saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina’s quotes helped inspire the initiative: “When one million children pray the Rosary, the world will change.”
However, the call to prayer is not limited to children. Aid to the Church in Need urges everyone: parents, teachers, priests, religious, catechists, and families to join in the campaign.
If it is impossible to pray an entire Rosary, ACN stresses, even faithfully praying a single decade joins this global prayer chain. – Vatican News
