A million children from around the world will be praying the Holy Rosary this month for an end to the coronavirus pandemic.
The prayer marathon is part of the annual activity of the Aid to the Church in Need, a pontifical charity foundation, to pray for peace and unity in the world.
In a statement, the group said this year’s “One Million Children Praying the Rosary” will have a “very special context.”
“Never before has there been such a worldwide healthcare and existential crisis,” read the group’s statement on Oct. 4.
In a letter to children, Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, president of Aid to the Church in Need, said that in difficult situations like it’s important to “work together and help one another.”
“But we must also not forget that the biggest help of all comes from God,” said the cardinal.
Father Martin Barta, ecclesiastical assistant of Aid to the Church in Need, said children from 80 countries, such as those in Ghana, Syria, Papua New Guinea, are set to participate in the activity.
“May this joint worldwide Rosary prayer initiative fill us all with new courage and confidence in God’s loving protection, which He wishes to bestow on us through His Holy Mother,” said the priest.
In the Philippines, Aid to the Church in Need has already invited parishes, nurseries, schools, and families to participate in the activity.
The children’s Rosary campaign was initiated in 2005 in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas. Since then the campaign quickly spread across the world.
Aid to the Church in Need has supported the campaign since 2008 and took over the organization of the event worldwide two years ago.
The organization provides a free leaflet for prayer in parishes, children’s groups or families that contains instructions on how to pray the Rosary, child-friendly reflections on the mysteries of the Rosary and a child consecration to the Mother of God.
