A Million Children Praying with the Pope is ‘a dream come true’

By Christopher Wells

For Aid to the Church in Need, Pope Leo’s participation in “A Million Praying the Rosary” is “a dream come true,” according to ACN executive president Regina Lynch.

On Thursday, October 1, around 700-1000 children, most from parishes in and around Rome, will join the Holy Father to pray the Rosary for peace throughout the world.”

In an interview with Vatican Radio ahead of Thursday’s event, Lynch explained that the annual event originated with a small group of children in Venezuela in 2005. A couple – the husband from Venezuela, the wife from Germany – brought the initiative home to Germany with them, and “started promoting it more and more around the world,” eventually with the support and participation of Aid to the Church in Need.

A beautiful initiative

Having children from around the world praying for peace is a “beautiful initiative,” Lynch continued.

“Every year,” she said, we get so many wonderful stories from all over the world, from countries sometimes where there is war or conflict, that these children are praying for peace.”

And she recalled the saying of Padre Pio, which helped inspire the initiative, “When one million children pray for peace, they can change the world.”

Praying for peace in specific circumstances

While the overall intention of the annual Prayer is for peace in general, Lynch said many of the children taking part obviously identify with their own situation.

“So, we, on our website, have a map of the world” where groups can sign up to take part in the initiative, although of course anyone can join in the prayer of the Rosary.

Lynch mentioned groups from Haiti, Sudan, Peru, Bolivia, Ukraine, and the Philippines among the many places with groups committed to joining the initiative. “So it’s also something that unites children from all over the world. They know they’re a part of something that children from places far away are doing with them as well, praying with them.”

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And, she said, “I think it gives them hope and encouragement to continue into adulthood in having a life of prayer.”

Encouraging prayer in families

“The idea is really that through this encouragement, [people] will be encouraged to continue to pray the Rosary, not just today, but actually through the whole month of October and beyond,” she continued.

Recalling the famous saying of “the Rosary Priest,” Venerable Father Patrick Peyton, Lynch said, “The family that prays together stays together. And I think there are probably families listening today who know very well who practice praying the Rosary at home with the children.”

So, she said, the initiative aims to promote prayer “not just at school, not just in parishes, but really to encourage families to pray the Rosary at home as well.”