Pope Francis prays during his Wednesday general audience on Nov. 15, 2023. / Credit: Vatican Media
CNA Staff, Jan 2, 2024 / 14:50 pm (CNA).
Each month Pope Francis shares a prayer intention as part of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network. The monthly prayer intentions express the Holy Father’s concerns for humanity and the mission of the Catholic Church. Here are this year’s monthly prayer intentions:
January: For the gift of diversity in the Church
During the month of January, Pope Francis has asked the faithful to pray for the gift of diversity in the Church. He emphasized recognizing “the gift of different charisms within the Christian community.”
February: For the terminally ill
February’s prayer intention is that the sick, “who are in the final stages of life, and their families receive the necessary medical and human care and accompaniment.”
March: For new martyrs
Pope Francis urges the faithful to pray during March for “those who risk their lives for the Gospel in various parts of the world.”
April: For the dignity of women
During April, Catholics are asked to pray that “the dignity and worth of women be recognized in every culture.” The prayer intention includes praying for an end to the discrimination many women face in different parts of the world.
May: For the formation of men and women religious and seminarians
May’s prayer intention is for the formation of men and women religious and seminarians, that they may “grow in their vocational journeys through human, pastoral, spiritual, and community formation.”
June: For those fleeing their own countries
Pope Francis asks the faithful to pray in June for “migrants fleeing from war or hunger” and that they “may find welcome and new living opportunities in their host countries.”
July: For the pastoral care of the sick
July’s prayer intention asks that the sacrament of the anointing of the sick bestows “the Lord’s strength to those who receive it and to their loved ones.”
August: For political leaders
During the month of August, Catholics are asked to pray that political leaders “be at the service of their own people” and also that they work for the common good, integral human development, and take care of those who have lost their jobs.
September: For the cry of the earth
“That each of us listens with our hearts to the cry of the earth” is the prayer intention for the month of September. Catholics are also asked to pray this month for victims of environmental disasters and the climate crisis.
October: For a shared mission
When bishops and laypeople meet for the second part of the Synod on Synodality during October, the faithful are asked to pray that “the Church continues to sustain a synodal lifestyle in every way.”
November: For those who have lost a child
The prayer intention for the month of November is for “all parents who mourn the loss of a son or daughter.”
December: For pilgrims of hope
In anticipation of the Church’s next jubilee, the faithful are asked to pray during the month of December that “the coming Church Jubilee Year 2025 strengthens us in our faith, helping us to recognize the risen Christ in the midst of our lives, transforming us into pilgrims of Christian hope.”
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We read: “During the month of January, Pope Francis has asked the faithful to pray for the gift of diversity in the Church. He emphasized recognizing ‘the gift of different charisms within the Christian community’.”
And, surely, the wisdom to notice when diversity and some more recent “gifts” might set themselves in subtle opposition to less recent gifts, or even to the foundational deposit of faith. “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out” (1 John 4).