International coordinators of The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (PWPN) gathered in Rome on the last week of January to share experiences in pursuing the global mission and to plan for collaboration in the coming years.
Representatives came from Asia Pacific, South Asia, Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, and North America. Also present were formation coordinators from different linguistic groups, namely French, English, Spanish, and Portuguese, as well as the international communications coordinator and directors of key projects, such as Click to Pray and The Pope Video. PWPN is an ecclesial service of the Holy See entrusted to the Society of Jesus. It represents a network of associations present in 98 countries around the world.
“The thrust of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network is to mobilise people to pray and serve,” said Fr Francis Alberto Irenus David SJ, PWPN and Eucharistic Movement Coordinator for Asia Pacific. “Many will ask how? Well, the monthly intentions serve as guides for integrating our faith into our daily lives, uniting our prayers in action. Praying the daily offering each morning heightens our awareness of our call to apostolic courage, empowering us to take responsibility for our words and actions.”
The meeting began with a review of PWPN’s historical journey in recent years, encompassing challenges, transformations, and prospects. This was followed by spiritual conversations where the delegates shared their personal experiences of living out the mission. They also heard from a presentation of the current realities across continents synthesised from the work of the national offices. This joint vision of the social, cultural, ecclesial, and religious situation in each region allowed the participants to consolidate the perspective of a truly global network serving the challenges of humanity. Throughout the meeting, the spirit of the daily Eucharistic celebrations, fraternity, and communion pervaded, fostering a vibrant atmosphere of unity and collaboration.
Additionally, presentations from The Pope Video and the online prayer community, Click to Pray, also helped to recognise the enormous graces received in recent years and outline prospective projects. Particular emphasis was placed on developments in the area of formation, especially in the worldwide dissemination and deepening of “The Way of the Heart,” which is the network’s spiritual foundation.
Fr David shared two keywords from the practical discussions that, for him, highlighted this whole Pontifical mission, which also resonate with the experiences of the international team:
“One is ‘grace’, a keyword from Juan Ignacio Casterallo, the young creator of ClickToPray. He sees the mission from the beginning as a grace accorded to him. The other keyword is ‘glory’ from Andrea Sarubbi, Coordinator of The Pope Video. He reiterates to himself and to us that whenever there is accomplishment in producing the Pope Video, the glory is for God. Both words denote an origin and a destination, and indubitably, they point back to God. Indeed, we experienced consolations that God is at work with us, while also recognising that there are resisting forces and unfavourable structures. In this challenge, Fr Frederic Fornos SJ who is attuned to our concerns, in lighthearted manner, always redirected our focus to the mission and encouraged us to trust that the Spirit is at work.”
An important aspect of the meeting was the audience with Pope Francis, joined by members of the new Civil Foundation Pro Rete Mondiale di Preghiera del Papa, advisors of the Vatican Foundation of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, and some key friends and collaborators in carrying out the mission. Pope Francis expressed his personal gratitude to the members of PWPN for every creative effort to sustain “this mystique of prayer in the Church, in all the laity, the consecrated or ordained persons. This is an ecclesial mission born within the Society of Jesus.”
“Hearing the brief but profound statement by Pope Francis affirms to me that the mission entrusted to us is born from the heart of the Church’s missionary zeal. Prayer is decisive. It revitalises the vision that a Christian has to have a ‘genuine experience of God emerging from the very heart of our existence’. This is not a mark of the privileged few pious people, but rather a feature of people’s everyday experiences as they struggle to live the Christian way of life,” said Fr David.
He adds: “The affirmation of Pope Francis to the PWPN members and the dedication of everyone to this mission of compassion are tangible signs of this Missio Dei, and it is not anyone’s solo enterprise.”
This article includes reports from news on the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Website.