The Holy Father continued:  "These catastrophes have caused grave losses of human life, numerous missing and homeless persons, and enormous material damage. I invite everyone to join me in prayer for the victims and their loved ones."  The Pope asks our prayers also for "those who are suffering from the floods in Sicily, especially around Messina." 

To give your financial support to these disaster-stricken areas, visit Catholic Relief Services.   

Publicizing urgent prayer intentions from the Holy Father is new for the Apostleship of Prayer (AoP), but it is something fully consistent with our role as the Pope's Prayer Group, as we are sometimes called.  At the initiative of our office in Rome, directed by Fr. Claudio Barriga, S.J., the AoP throughout the world will now promptly publicize the Pope's urgent prayer requests.  We will continue publicizing as well the Pope's regular monthly prayer intentions.

Why does the AoP propagate the Holy Father's prayer intentions?  Over 100 years ago, as the AoP grew to tremendous numbers worldwide, Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903) seized the opportunity to ask the Apostles of Prayer to pray for a specific intention each month.  That was the beginning of a unique relationship between the Holy Father and the AoP.  In 1929, Pope Pius XI added a monthly prayer intention for the missions, and to this day the reigning pope submits to the Apostleship of Prayer both a general intention and a missionary intention for each month.  In performance of our mission to the U.S. Church, we at the AoP national office encourage Catholics to pray, especially by making a daily offering of themselves to God for the good of the world, the Church, and the prayer intentions of the Holy Father. 

Thank you for praying with the Holy Father and over fifty million Apostles of Prayer worldwide.  Thank you also for promoting and supporting our shared ministry.