(OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV’s 70th birthday is Sept. 14, and OSV News and many partners are gathering a spiritual bouquet of prayer for him; here are a few ideas for how to pray at home, at school and in your parish.
Be sure to add your prayers to the pope’s birthday spiritual bouquet — we will be sending him a card with the prayers and names of those who participate! And tag us on social media @OSVNews so we can share your example of prayer with others. Don’t forget to register your prayers here. We want to be able to present Pope Leo with an overwhelming show of prayer!
What to pray at home
— Pray a rosary, Chaplet of Divine Mercy or other prayer (prayer resources can be found at usccb.org/catholic-prayers and in the Hallow App)
— Pray the Liturgy of the Hours with Sing the Hours (singthehours.org)
— Pray a novena for the pope (a Holy Cross novena starts Sept. 6 with PrayMoreNovenas.com)
— Pray the Rosary with Relevant Radio every night at 7 p.m. CT
How to pray at parishes
— Have a Mass or Holy Hour for the pope
— Pray a prayer or Rosary before or after Mass together (especially on his Sunday birthday!)
— Invite your parish groups to say a prayer at a gathering or event
— Pray a “living Rosary” where each person takes a turn in saying a prayer of the Rosary
— Pray the Liturgy of the Hours as a community
Tips for prayers at school
— Pray for the pope at an all-school Rosary or Mass
— Incorporate a prayer on pizza day in the school cafeteria
— Have children pray and create “beads” out of construction paper or balloons for a collectively created Rosary to hang in a school common area
— Set up a bulletin board with paper flowers and pens so children can write prayers and pin them to the board
— Color coloring sheets of the mysteries of the rosary while praying a decade for the pope
