Laudato Voices | Global Rosary for Peace | September 24, 2026
“Peace begins in the hearts of families and communities.” On the feast of St. John Paul II, Catholics across six continents are invited to join the third Global Rosary for Peace. Families, parishes, schools, and religious communities will unite in prayer in churches, classrooms, homes, and workplaces.
The Congregation of Holy Cross and Holy Cross Family Ministries sponsor this initiative in response to Pope Leo XIV’s call for Catholics to pray the Rosary for peace. The live Rosary will take place on October 22, 2026, at 10 a.m. EDT (4 p.m. Rome time), uniting families, parishes, schools, religious communities, and individuals worldwide.
The Laudato Youth Initiative and its Laudato Si Clubs will participate, inspired by the words of Venerable Patrick Peyton:
“The Rosary has saved the world in the past. It will save the world now, by saving the family.”
Last year, more than 65,000 people participated in the Second Global Rosary for Peace, praying simultaneously from homes, schools, and parishes. The live broadcast reached participants in over 10 languages, reflecting the diversity of Catholic communities worldwide.
This year marks the third consecutive Global Rosary for Peace, continuing the invitation for Catholics to unite in prayer for peace.
“A world at prayer is a world at peace”
The Global Rosary for Peace continues the legacy of Venerable Patrick Peyton, C.S.C., the Holy Cross priest known as the “Rosary Priest.” Father Peyton spent much of his ministry encouraging families to pray the Rosary together. His two best-known messages remain remarkably simple:
“A world at prayer is a world at peace” and “The family that prays together stays together.”
This vision is central to the October 22 gathering.
The Holy Cross Family Ministries network, together with related ministries, will help coordinate participation in 18 countries across six continents, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, Haiti, France, Ireland, Australia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, India, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Burkina Faso and Ghana. The invitation extends to local communities, families, parishes, schools, religious communities, and all who wish to join in prayer. The Superior General of the Congregation of Holy Cross, Br. Paul Bednarczyk, C.S.C., has called on Holy Cross communities and apostolates around the world to participate.
“As Pope Leo has said, we cannot be silent any longer. Let us together lift our voices in prayer ‘for the conversion and deliverance of all’ who turn to violence to achieve their goals,” Br. Bednarczyk said.“We in Holy Cross must continue to convoke people to both action and prayer in response to the pressing injustices and needs of our time.”
Fr. Fred Jenga, C.S.C., president of Holy Cross Family Ministries, emphasizes that this work begins in the places closest to us.
“Peace begins in the hearts of families and communities,” he said.
A prayer that begins before October 22
The Global Rosary is more than a one-hour event. Participants are encouraged to prepare spiritually in the weeks leading up to the broadcast. A nine-week novena, which began on August 20, provides a period of prayerful preparation for the October gathering.
Parishes and communities are also invited to participate in 40 Hours of continuous Eucharistic Adoration leading up to the Global Rosary. Organizers describe this as a way to anchor worldwide prayer for peace in Christ’s presence in the Eucharist.
Participants may register online and place a “pin on the map” to indicate their participation as individuals, families, parishes, schools, or ministries. Parish priests can also enroll their parishes in the 40 Hours of Adoration. The goal is to highlight the global Catholic community’s unity in prayer.
Praying the Luminous Mysteries
This year’s date holds additional significance. The Rosary prayed during the October 22 event will feature the Luminous Mysteries, the mysteries of Christ’s public ministry that St. John Paul II introduced to the universal Church in 2002 through his apostolic letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae.
Praying the Luminous Mysteries on his feast day creates a special connection to the saint who encouraged Catholics to rediscover the Rosary as a contemplative prayer centered on Christ. The prayer will extend beyond any single church or country. Young people are encouraged to participate, beginning with the October 1 Rosary for Peace, where hundreds of children will pray with Pope Leo XIV. Children from parishes and schools in Rome will gather with Pope Leo XIV in the Vatican Gardens to launch the “One Million Children Praying the Rosary” initiative promoted by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
On October 22, families may gather at home, students may pray with classmates, parishioners may assemble before Mass, and religious communities may pause their routines. Elsewhere, thousands of miles away, others will do the same.
Different languages. Different cultures. Different circumstances. One Rosary. One intention. Peace.
Organizers hope the prayer will continue beyond October 22, encouraging families and communities to make prayer for peace part of daily life.
To learn more, register for the Global Rosary for Peace, or access resources for the 40 Hours of Eucharistic Adoration, visit prayforpeace.org.
