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Pray with the Pope

One Prayer Intention Every Month

The Archdiocese of Chicago is participating in the global “Pray with the Pope” campaign, a worldwide prayer initiative that invites all to join Pope Leo XIV in monthly prayer intentions. Launched through the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, the “Pray with the Pope” campaign will foster a deeper spiritual communion through digital connection and shared, contemplative prayer. Throughout 2026, the monthly prayer intentions will address themes that speak directly to the realities facing families, communities, and nations. The January prayer intention focuses on praying with the Word of God, encouraging individuals and communities to encounter Christ more deeply through Scripture and allowing God’s Word to shape daily life and decision-making.

Pope Leo’s YouTube Video for March 2026 Prayer Intention

(premieres on 

Month of March 2026

POPE LEO PRAYS FOR DISARMAMENT AND PEACE

Let us pray that nations move toward effective disarmament, particularly nuclear disarmament, and that world leaders choose the path of dialogue and diplomacy instead of violence.

 

YouTube Video with Pope Leo – March 2026 Prayer (premieres March 5, 2026)

March 2026 Prayer Reflection

Jesus tells us in the Gospel of Matthew, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” This month, Pope Leo invites us to pray for disarmament and peace and asks that nations move toward effective nuclear disarmament and that world leaders choose the path of dialogue and diplomacy rather than violence. This intention carries profound meaning for me because of my experience this past August, when I joined a delegation of students, faculty, and bishops on a pilgrimage to Hiroshima and Nagasaki for the eightieth anniversary of the atomic bombings.

The pilgrimage lived the Jubilee theme of Pilgrims of Hope, fostering reconciliation and peace through shared prayer and dialogue. Walking through the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum quickly took away any emotional distance I had brought with me. The images of burned children, the human shadows seared into stone, the shredded school uniforms, and the accounts of radiation sickness confronted me with the full horror of nuclear weapons. I felt sadness, anger, guilt, and disbelief that human beings could inflict such violence on one another. Over time, these emotions turned into a sense of responsibility. A message displayed by Hiroshima high school students expressed it clearly: “We may be weak, but we are not powerless.” This truth became real through my conversations with Japanese university students. As we shared our fears and hopes for peace, I saw how often peace begins in simple encounters where people recognize one another as human beings rather than strangers.

Meeting survivors deepened this conviction even further. Their willingness to speak about painful memories was an act of trust and hope, and it ensured that the world will not forget what happened. One moment that will remain with me forever was the Peace Mass at Urakami Cathedral in Nagasaki. Standing before the damaged crucifix and the burned head of Mary, I heard the Archbishop of Nagasaki preach that God does not destroy us but forgives us and even gives his life for us. He said, “Our hope lies in God’s hands. Let us live as God’s hands.”

His words helped me understand more clearly that Christ’s call to be peacemakers is not an optional invitation. Peace in the world begins with peace in our own hearts, and true disarmament starts within. We can disarm our language by avoiding harsh or aggressive words. In conflict, we can choose dialogue and seek understanding. We can let go of small daily forms of violence like impatience or contempt. We can stay informed about places in conflict and pray for them. Most of all, we can act with justice in our relationships, remembering that peace is the fruit of just and loving lives.

As we pray with the Holy Father this month, may we become instruments of peace in our homes, our universities, our churches, and our world. May our lives reflect the Gospel call to be peacemakers so that the devastation witnessed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki is never repeated.

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By William deGuzman
William is an intern with PWPN USA and studies Finance and Theology at Marquette University in Milwaukee.

February 2026 – For Children with Incurable Diseases

This Month’s Intention from Pope Leo

FOR CHILDREN WITH INCURABLE DISEASES

 

This Month’s Intention from Pope Leo

FOR CHILDREN WITH INCURABLE DISEASES
FEBRUARY 2026

Lord Jesus, 

You came into the world to heal our infirmities and to endure our sufferings.

You went about healing all and bringing comfort to those in pain and need. 

We come before you now in this time of illness, asking that you may be the source of our strength in body, courage in spirit and patience in pain. May we join ourselves more closely to you on the cross and in your suffering that through them we may draw our patience and hope. 

Assist us and restore us to health so that united more closely to your family, the Church, we may give praise and honour to your name. 

Amen.

Click on image below to pray the February prayer along with the Pope

January 2026 – For the Prayer with the Word of God

 

 

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Lord Jesus, living Word of the Father,

In You, we find the light that guides our steps.

We know that the human heart lives restless, hungry for meaning,
and only your Gospel can give it peace and fullness.

Teach us to listen to you each day in the Scriptures, to let ourselves be challenged by your voice,
and to discern our decisions from the closeness to your Heart.

May your Word be nourishment in weariness,hope in darkness, and strength in our communities.

Lord, may your Word never be absent from our lips or from our hearts—the Word that makes us sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, disciples and missionaries of your Kingdom.

Make us a Church that prays with the Word, that is built upon it and shares it with joy,
so that in every person the hope of a new world may be born again.

May our faith grow in the encounter with you through your Word,
moving us from the heart
to reach out to others,
to serve the most vulnerable,
to forgive, build bridges, and proclaim life.

Amen.