By Fr David Stewart SJ
What a fine celebration we had, of the 175th anniversary of the founding of our Network, in Rome! On the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, several thousand delegates, national and regional directors and friends from every continent gathered at St Peter's in Vatican City to begin the celebration with a special Papal Audience.
August brings another intention to our attention as, through his prayer Network, the Pope continues to invite us to pray for the challenges that face humanity and the church’s mission. This month we are joining him in praying for families as ‘schools for human growth’. We pray that ‘families, through their life of prayer and love, become ever more clearly ‘schools of true human growth’.’
We bring you also, this month’s Pope video, our popular online initiative in which Pope Francis personally presents his intention for the month. He comments, in this month’s video, 'What kind of world do we want to leave for the future? Let us leave a world with families. Let us care for our families, because they are true schools for the future, spaces of freedom, and centres of humanity. And let us reserve a special place in our families for individual and communal prayer.’
Our Click-to-Pray app and online initiative also provides a way of praying with the Pope, both for his monthly Intention and each new day. You can find this on www.clicktopray.org. The first Friday of each month is a worldwide day of prayer for the Pope’s intention.
Everyone of good will, catholic or not, is invited to be part of this worldwide community of prayer, the Pope’s own Network and the largest prayer-group in the Church. There’s nothing to join and nothing to pay! Simply make your morning offering prayer, a new version appears each day on Click-to-Pray, uniting your prayer to the Pope’s intention and the prayers of many thousands around the world, and you are part of it. For 175 years, people have united their hearts to the heart of Christ, making themselves ready for Christ’s mission. Together, let us make each day different!
