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.
September
ULAF Region
Lord, you said to your apostles, “Peace be with you” (Jn 20:20). Why is it so hard for us now to live in that peace?
We ask you, O Father, to guide us along the paths that lead to peace.
We ask you, O Good Jesus, to make us aware of the love and commitment that peace requires.
We ask you, O Holy Spirit, to transform our minds and hearts so that we may seek actions that help us live in peace.
You are our peace, Lord Jesus. That is why we ask you to watch over our people, tormented by violence and burdened with insecurity and fear.
You are our peace, God the Father. That is why we ask you not to abandon the work of your hands. You created us, you knit us together in our mother’s womb. Look upon us, your people, with mercy.
You are our peace, Holy Spirit. Fill us with the fire of your love, that we may courageously pursue and practice nonviolence.
Holy Trinity, help us to trust in your peace, your mercy, and your love.
Amen.
European Region
Lord our God, we turn to you with confidence:
You are a God of peace and reconciliation, of love and mercy
Look at your earth!
We are stunned and cannot find words for what is happening:
War and terror, attacks, destruction, violence.
We are stunned and cannot find words for the suffering and hardship, fear, death, persecution, hunger and despair of countless people worldwide.
You're never on the side of one nation, one party,
You are always on the side of the victims, of those who suffer.
Let us, too, stand by their side and help with all our strength and resources wherever we can.
Let us stand by their side so that they do not lose courage and hope, so that they persevere on the long and difficult road to peace, justice, and freedom.
Open the hearts of the leaders of all nations to understanding and just peace.
Open the hearts of the leaders of all nations to compassion for all the people affected by war, give them a heart full of compassion for all the persecuted, the refugees, the hungry, the physically and mentally wounded.
Lord our God, we trust completely in your word: “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
Amen