On October 18, international charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) invites all parishes, schools, pastoral groups, youth movements, and families to take part once again in the annual One Million Children Praying the Rosary campaign.
“…we are convinced that the Rosary is an indispensable gift from God that makes a decisive difference! And where does this conviction come from? On the one hand, because the Mother of God asks for it in the Church-approved apparitions! Secondly, because it is the experience of the Church and many of its saints, confirmed by the Church’s Doctrine, and in line with our Christian sense of faith,” wrote Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, president of ACN.
In this year’s campaign, ACN invites children to meditate on the biblical passage in which St. Joseph is warned by an angel, in a dream, to leave immediately for Egypt. Thanks to the help of God’s messenger, Joseph was able to protect the life of Baby Jesus.
“Is it not an imperative for our world that we become aware of the holy guardian angels again and ask for their help, so that we may clearly recognize and learn to distinguish the many challenges of our time? Would it not make sense to teach children again the prayer of the guardian angels, which for many centuries was a matter of course in the life of the Church?” asks the cardinal in his invitation to join the initiative.
With situations of war, violence, and extreme poverty in countries such as Ukraine, Nigeria, Myanmar, and Pakistan, as well as in regions of the Middle East and the Sahel, in Africa, ACN wishes to entrust to God, in a special way through the powerful intercession of His Mother, all the places and people living without peace.
In previous campaigns, groups from different countries have responded very positively to ACN’s invitation to join in this initiative. In 2022, Pope Francis, after the Angelus prayer, encouraged the faithful to take part: “I thank all the children who are participating! Let us join them and entrust to Our Lady’s intercession the martyred people of Ukraine and other people who are suffering due to war and any form of violence and poverty.”
ACN Canada’s landing page offers free resources to help lead prayers in parishes, schools, pastoral groups, or families. The material includes a pamphlet on how to pray the Rosary, the invitation letter, and a comic strip recounting the Gospel story of the flight into Egypt.
The origins of the prayer initiative “One Million Children Praying the Rosary” date back to the year 2005, when a group of children were seen praying the Rosary at a local shrine in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas. Some of the adults who witnessed the scene were reminded of the words of Padre Pio, who once said: “When one million children pray the Rosary, the world will change.” Since then, the campaign has grown rapidly and become a worldwide phenomenon. Last year, an estimated 823,000 children from around the world participated.
