ULAF Region
Prayer for Peace in War-Torn Countries
Merciful Father, through the intercession of St. Joseph, I lift up this prayer for all countries suffering the horror of war. You see the pain of the innocent, the tears of the families who have lost so much, and the fear of those who live under constant threat. Lord, have compassion on these nations and pour out your peace upon them.
I beg you to intervene with your power, to stop the violence and to confound the plans of the enemy. Protect, console and bless refugees, orphans, and all the victims of such immense violence.
Change the hearts of the leaders involved. Give them understanding, humility, and a deep desire to seek peace and reconciliation. Above all, Lord, may they encounter you and be filled with your Holy Spirit and your wisdom, so that they may make decisions that bless and edify.
Strengthen those who work for justice and peace. Soften the hearts of the powerful, that they seek the common good. Lord, heal the wounded and comfort those who mourn the loss of their loved ones.
Lord, restore those who have been destroyed by war: homes, families, dreams, and hopes. May your Holy Spirit move in each of these nations and among their peoples, granting them strength, comfort and light.
Lord, I cry out for lasting and true peace, the peace that only you can give: the peace that restores, heals, and builds up.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Assisi Province, South India
O God of Peace and Harmony,
who dwells in every heartbeat
and breathes through all creation,
hear the longing of our world.
We live in a time of unrest—
of broken trust, wounded lands, and restless souls.
Yet we believe peace is possible
when hearts are changed
and hands are joined.
Teach us, as You taught Saint Francis,
to walk humbly with the poor,
to listen deeply to the cry of the earth,
and to recognize every person
as our brother and sister.
Bless our world torn by war, division, and greed.
Heal the wounds of nations, soften hardened hearts,
Bless the leaders of the world with humility, patience, and vision.
Strengthen those who work silently for justice, protect the vulnerable,
and awaken in every heart a responsibility for one another.
May peace begin within us,
take root in our communities,
and spread across nations
like light at dawn.
Amen
January
St. Francis Province, North India
Loving and Merciful God, as we step into this New Year 2026, we come before You with hearts open and trusting. You are our refuge and strength,“a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).
Lord, we place this new beginning into Your hands. Like a gentle dove hovering over troubled waters, let Your Spirit descend upon our wounded world,bringing calm where there is chaos, hope where there is despair, and light where darkness still lingers.
Jesus, Prince of Peace, You said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid” (John 14:27).
We ask You to plant this peace deep within us—peace in our hearts, peace in our families and communities, peace in our nations torn by division and violence.
For Your Word reminds us,
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9).
As the sun rises on this New Year, may it remind us of Your unfailing mercy:
“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you” (Numbers 6:24–26). Amen.
December morning, House Hochfelden
European Region
Lord, we cry out to you: Look, many people, many nations live in “darkness and in the shadow of death”.
Security has been shattered, law and justice are being trampled underfoot, rulers are putting the freedom and lives of countless people at risk. Images of unimaginable suffering, violence and destruction keep haunting us day and night.
Lord, we long for your light and your peace - peace that the world cannot bring. Lord, we long for you!
In these Advent days, let us not ignore the voice of St. John: Repent! Prepare the way for the Lord in the desert!
Lord, your way is the path of peace, direct our steps towards it. It is the path that does not answer injustice with injustice, violence with violence. It is the path of hope, the path of love. It is the path on which we find you, on which your star shines for us, on which we hear the message of your angels “Do not be afraid” and “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
International Leadership Team
Prayer for the Decade of Nonviolence
I bow to the sacred in all creation.
May my spirit fill the world with beauty and wonder.
May my mind seek truth with humility and openness.
May my heart forgive without limit.
May my love for friend, enemy, and outcast be without measure.
May my needs be few and my living simple.
May my actions bear witness to the suffering of others.
May my hands never harm a living being.
May my steps stay on the journey of justice.
May my tongue speak for those who are poor without fear of the powerful.
May my prayers rise with patient discontent until no child is hungry.
May my life's work be a passion for peace and nonviolence.
May my soul rejoice in the present moment.
May my imagination overcome death and despair with new possibility.
And may I risk reputation, comfort, and security to bring this hope to the children.
~ Mary Lou Kownacki, OSB
U.S. Province
World Council of Churches
Give me a heart of poverty, able to love
and open up and give myself to others.
Give me a heart of patience,
able to love and live in hope.
Give me a heart of peacefulness able to love
and sow peace in the world.
Give me a heart of justice, able to love and
measure myself by the standard of justice.
Give me a heart of mercifulness, able to love and
understand and forgive others.
Give me a heart of sensitivity, able to love
and weep without being discouraged.
Give me a heart of purity, able to love and
see God in everyone.
Give me a heart of strength, able to love and
be faithful unto death.
Give me a heart touched by the Gospel, able to love.
