Papal intentions make 12 months of prayer simple

Pope Leo XIV waves to the faithful before leaving the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, Dec. 30, 2025, to head back to the Vatican. Through 12 monthly prayer intentions, the pope serves as a compass, guiding a mission of compassion for the world and inviting the faithful to mobilize in prayer and service to address the great challenges facing humanity and the mission of the Church. (OSVSV News photo/Guglielmo Mangiapane, Reuters)

HOUSTON — While sometimes it’s easy to pray for things that we need personally, the popes of the Church have offered international prayer intentions for the faithful to offer in prayer since the mid-1800s. A new Vatican initiative, Pray with the Pope, will help make it even easier to join in these worldwide prayers. 

The roots of the new project go back to 1800s, when a French Jesuit priest, Father François‑Xavier Gautrelet, founded the Apostleship of Prayer in 1844 as a way to spread the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and encourage offering daily prayers for spiritual needs for a group of Jesuit novices in France. 

“If each one infuses his labors with the spirit of prayer and makes of them an offering; if several jointly direct themselves in the same way, there would be a convergence of power capable of lifting up mountains,” he said to the students. “Be missionaries already through your prayer, by the offering of your daily life. Your mission is here and now, in your studies and the little things of every day. In fulfilling it through being open to the will of God, you are already apostles who are helping the entire Church.”

From the students’ own devotions and efforts, the Apostleship of Prayer grew beyond France and by 1849, the Apostleship of Prayer was recognized by Pope Pius IX. In 1879, Pope Leo XIII introduced the practice of a monthly prayer intention. Ever since, through the pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, popes continue to entrust to Catholics around the world their intentions, shared monthly, offering prayers for the needs of the Church and the world. 

In 2014, Pope Francis approved the Apostleship of Prayer’s new name and organization as the pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, which became an official Pontifical Work in 2018 and a Vatican Foundation in 2020. On Jan. 7,  Vatican News said the new Pray with the Pope initiative offers “the intimate and universal prayer of the Pope in a new, sober, and powerful form,” serving as a visible sign of unity and communion.

What began at a small French seminary has grown to a global prayer movement of more than 22 million people, sharing the pope’s prayer intentions in more than 90 countries.

Monthly prayer intentions
Each year, the pope asks for prayers for a specific intention each month. Local Catholics in Galveston-Houston are invited to answer the Holy Father’s request and to join with many people worldwide in praying for this intention each month. 

From time to time, the Holy Father may add a second prayer intention related to current events or urgent needs, like disaster relief. The second prayer request will help mobilize prayer and action related to the urgent situation. Praying for the pope’s intentions is also part of the conditions required to receive a plenary indulgence. 

Here are the 12 papal intentions for 2026:

January

For prayer with the Word of God
Let us pray that praying with the Word of God be nourishment for our lives and a source of hope in our communities, helping us to build a more fraternal and missionary Church.

February

For children with incurable diseases
Let us pray that children suffering from incurable diseases and their families receive the necessary medical care and support, never losing strength and hope.

March

For disarmament and peace
Let us pray that nations move toward effective disarmament, particularly nuclear disarmament, and that world leaders choose the path of dialogue and diplomacy instead of violence.

April

For priests in crisis
Let us pray for priests going through moments of crisis in their vocation, that they may find the accompaniment they need and that communities may support them with understanding and prayer.

May

That everyone might have food
Let us pray that everyone, from large producers to small consumers, be committed to avoiding wasting food, and to ensuring that everyone has access to quality food.

June

For the values of sports
Let us pray that sports be an instrument of peace, encounter and dialogue among cultures and nations, and that they promote values such as respect, solidarity and personal growth.

July

For respect for human life
Let us pray for the respect and protection of human life in all its stages, recognizing it as a gift from God.

August

For evangelization in the city
Let us pray that in large cities often marked by anonymity and loneliness, we find new ways to proclaim the Gospel, discovering creative paths to build community.

September

For the care of water
Let us pray for a just and sustainable management of water, a vital resource, so that everyone may have equal access to it.

October

For mental health ministry
Let us pray that the mental health ministry be established throughout the Church, helping to overcome the stigma and discrimination of persons with mental illnesses.

November

For the proper use of wealth
Let us pray for the proper use of wealth, that, not succumbing to the temptation of selfishness, it may always be put at the service of the common good and solidarity of those who have less.

December

For single-parent families
Let us pray for families experiencing the absence of a mother or father, that they may find support and accompaniment in the Church, and help and strength in the faith during difficult times.

These intentions offer Catholics a straightforward way to join the pope as he prays for the Church and the world. 

What are the pope’s monthly prayer intentions?

Each year, the pope considers the works, joys and sufferings of the entire world and, through the pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, calls on people of goodwill to join him in prayer for 12 of the issues closest to his heart. 

Catholics everywhere are asked to unite in prayer for the year’s intentions entrusted to the Church by Pope Leo XIV. Praying with the pope in this way is a concrete act of service, because prayers make a difference in the world. 

Several resources help Catholics pray for these intentions:

• At popesprayer.va, you can follow prayers with the Pope himself by video and audio. The videos are available in English, Spanish and Italian. The website offers simple and accessible ways to pray anywhere at anytime on any device.
• The website clicktopray.org offers daily meditations and a phone app that features three prayer notifications daily to help bring users into prayer. 
• Sign up for monthly email reminders at popesprayerusa.net/popes-intentions.
• Prayer groups can also find monthly reflection and prayer guides at popesprayerusa.net/resources. Other resources are available at the same website.