One Million Children Praying the Holy Rosary

The Padre Pio Kids from the different GKKs under the parish of St. John Paul II, Tugbok joined the campaign of the ‘One Million Children Praying the Holy Rosary’. The Apostles of Jesus Crucified (AJC) Sisters gave the catechism about the importance of praying the Holy Rosary and the role of Mother Mary in the life of the Catholic Church to the Pio Kids. Afterwards, the AJC Sisters allowed the children to lead the Holy Rosary at exactly 5:00pm at the Padre Pio Formation House and Spirituality Center in Brgy. Biao Guianga, Davao City, last October 18, 2024.

The main aim of the prayer initiative “One Million Children Praying the Rosary” is to show that the trusting prayer of children can fly like an arrow straight to the heart of God and therefore has such great power. The worldwide common prayer of the rosary by children brings many graces upon the world and is a great blessing for families and the Church.

The idea for the campaign was born in 2005 in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela. While several children were praying the rosary at a wayside shrine, some of the women present had a reflective experience of the presence of the Virgin Mary. They immediately thought of Saint Padre Pio’s promise: “When one million children pray the rosary, the world will change.” And that is exactly what this is all about: trusting in the power of childlike prayer. Jesus teaches us: “Unless you become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Mt. 18:3).

Over the years since then hundreds of thousands of children have joined in this initiative, and we have received numerous moving testimonies from all over the world. They speak not only of the joy and zeal of the children, but also of how adults, who prayed with them, were touched by grace and have began to give the rosary a permanent place in their lives.

Why on the 18th of October? October is for the Church in a special month of the rosary. On the 18th of October we celebrate also the feast of Saint Luke the Evangelist. It is he who has handed on to us the story of Jesus’s childhood and, according to tradition, he was closely associated to Our Lady, the Mother of God. So, this is a very appropriate day.

The recitation of the rosary, as Pope St. John Paul II wrote in his Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae, is inherently a prayer for peace. It consists of the contemplation of Christ, the Prince of Peace, who is “our peace” (Eph. 2:14). Moreover, the rosary fosters the fruits of charity, which lead to harmony and reconciliation. As a persistent communal prayer, in keeping with Christ’s call to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17), the rosary allows us to hope that even the difficult “battle” for peace in today’s world can be won through the intercession of Mary.

We look forward to next year’s “One Million Children Praying the Rosary” campaign, with the hope that even more parishes, schools, and organizations will join this powerful global prayer for peace. The challenge is for our communities to strengthen this initiative and inspire more children and families to experience the grace of the rosary in their lives. (Sem. Aljon Mayol)