For the first time since its inception, the “One million children praying the Rosary” campaign this year surpassed the emblematic figure of one million children praying together for peace and unity in the world, according to the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (Aid to the Church in Need ) promoter of the initiative.
“One million children praying the Rosary” began in Caracas (Venezuela) in 2005. The campaign is inspired by the phrase of Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina: “If a million children prayed the Rosary, the world would change.”
Last year, 871,523 children registered on the ACN website to participate in the initiative. In 2023, that number rose to 1,039,628 children, although the foundation estimates that the figure could be higher, since “many children participated without having registered.”
ACN reported that this year the campaign gained popularity in Poland. The Eastern European country recorded the largest number of participants, with a total of 275,000 children:
“The community prayer of the Rosary with kindergarten children took place there, at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Fátima, in Zakopane. Thanks to the online broadcasts, families, schools and hospitalized children also participated,” ACN explained.
Among the nations that contributed the most participants are Slovakia (approximately 156,000), the Philippines (approximately 136,000), the United Kingdom (approximately 77,000) and Brazil (approximately 47,000).
The Pontifical Foundation explains that it was able to verify greater participation than that registered on the website thanks to the emails and photos they received from all over the world.
They give the Congo as an example, where only 1,300 children were registered, but on October 18, the day of the campaign, “ACN received messages from more than 80 schools where the Rosary was being prayed. In just three of those schools, more than 5,000 children participated.”
In addition, they highlighted the participation of countries affected by the violence of war and the persecution of the Catholic Church, such as Nigeria, Nicaragua and Ukraine. Even children from Israel and Palestine prayed to the Mother of God that day for peace in the world.
Cardinal Antonio Marto, Bishop Emeritus of Leiria-Fátima (Portugal), who presided over the recitation of the Rosary that day at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima, stated that the special intention of the campaign is to obtain the intercession of the Virgin to achieve “ “the gift of peace for this world that is at war.”
He concluded by pointing out that this year’s “One million children praying the Rosary” initiative was carried out in a special way for “the land where Jesus and the Virgin walked,” for Ukraine and other places “where war has broken out.”