Shalom World Prayer

07/14/2025

St. Kateri Tekakwitha, known as the "Lily of the Mohawks," was born in 1656 in the Mohawk village of Ossernenon near present-day Auriesville, New York. She was the daughter of a Mohawk chief and an Algonquin woman, both of whom died from smallpox when Kateri was just four years old. This same disease left her with severely impaired vision and a disfigured face. At the age of nineteen, after encountering Jesuit missionaries, Kateri converted to Christianity, a decision that fueled conflict with her tribe. Despite the opposition and persecution she faced, her faith did not waver. She was baptized on Easter Sunday, taking the name Kateri, which is the Mohawk form of Catherine, after St. Catherine of Siena. Her conversion marked the beginning of a life devoted to prayer, penitential practices, and care for the sick and elderly. In her quest for a deeper spiritual life, she took a vow of chastity.

Kateri's sanctity was evident in her life through her extraordinary acts of kindness, her intense devotion to the Eucharist, and her great love for Jesus Christ. She died on April 17, 1680, at the young age of 24. Witnesses reported that within minutes of her death, her scars disappeared, leaving her face remarkably beautiful. She was canonized a saint by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012, becoming the first Native American saint. St. Kateri Tekakwitha is a symbol of resilience, faith, and purity, inspiring many across the world.

St. Kateri Tekakwitha, pray for us, that we may find strength in our faith and lead lives of courage and holiness, just as you did.

07/13/2025

Join us in celebrating the Holy Mass Live from St. Marie's Cathedral, Sheffield, UK.
Celebrate the memorial and sacrifice of our Lord’s life, death, and resurrection.

SUBMIT
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07/12/2025

07/12/2025

Join us in celebrating the Holy Mass Live from St. Marie's Cathedral, Sheffield, UK.
Celebrate the memorial and sacrifice of our Lord’s life, death, and resurrection.

SUBMIT
Prayer Request : https://www.swprayer.org/prayer-request
Testimonials : https://www.swprayer.org/testimonial

07/12/2025

Sts. Louis Martin and Marie Azélie Guerin, parents of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, were born in France in the early 19th century. Louis, born on August 22, 1823, in Bordeaux, was a successful watchmaker, while Marie, known as "Zélie," was born on December 23, 1831, in Guéliz, Morocco, and was a talented lace maker. They met in Alençon in 1858, drawn together by their shared faith and commitment to Christian values. They married on July 13, 1858, and led a life filled with joy and challenges.

The couple had nine children, of whom only five survived to adulthood: Marie, Pauline, Léonie, Céline, and Thérèse. They instilled values of faith, love, and perseverance in their children, with Zélie's nurturing spirit balancing Louis's reserved demeanor. Their home was a place of prayer and love, establishing a strong foundation for their daughters. Zélie taught them the morning offering and acceptance of daily difficulties, which influenced Thérèse's "Little Way."

Tragedy struck when Zélie passed away from breast cancer in 1877, leaving Louis to care for their five children, the youngest being four-and-a-half. He moved to Lisieux to be near family, where life became more austere. Louis's greatest offering was his submission to God's will, entrusting all his daughters to Him. In the last years of his life, marked by health struggles, he suffered two strokes and severe dementia. He passed away on July 29, 1894, at age 71.

In 2015, Louis and Zélie were canonized as saints by Pope Francis, becoming the first married couple to be canonized together. Their story exemplifies the significance of family, love, and the everyday holiness found in a life dedicated to God, inspiring many in the Christian community and beyond.

Sts. Louis Martin and Marie Azélie Guerin, pray for us that we may raise our children in faith and bring our families into the Light of Jesus.

07/11/2025

St. John Gualbert, who came from the Visdomini family of Florence, Italy, believed it was his duty to avenge the murder of a close relative, as was typical in his time. When on Good Friday of the year 1013, he happened to meet his relative's assassin and was about to strike him with his sword, the latter threw himself at his feet and, with arms outstretched cross-like, begged for forgiveness and commended his soul to God. John thereupon forgave and embraced him, and when, a little later, he stopped to implore God's pardon for his own sins in the Benedictine Church of San Miniato, Jesus on the Crucifix is said to have bowed his head to him in approval of his act of mercy. John then dedicated himself to prayer and penance as a member of the Benedictine Order. John's exemplary virtue and austerity were widely recognized, and when his abbot passed away, he was unanimously selected to succeed him. However, despite the honor, he refused to accept the position.

Four years later, together with a group of stricter monks, John went to Camaldoli and there he lived for 21 years until, in 1038, he founded at Vallombrosa a new monastery for those who, like himself, wished to lead a life of extraordinary austerity and penance. Here, the law of silence was perpetual, the enclosure and poverty the strictest, and the monks were contemplatives who performed no manual labor contrary to the usual Benedictine rule. The manual labor was performed by lay brothers known as "conversi". These men were illiterate and had either renounced the world or reformed their notorious lives in their later years. John introduced the concept of lay brothers, which was quickly adopted by other Orders and became significant in later centuries. St. John Gualbert died on 12 July 1073. After the founder's death, the Vallombrosan Congregation experienced rapid growth. Its most significant achievement was its strong opposition to simony and concubinage, which were prevalent among the clergy at the time.

St. John Gualbert, intercede for us to obtain the grace to dedicate our lives to serving our Lord.

07/11/2025

St. Veronica is venerated as one of the holy women of Jerusalem who, moved by deep sorrow and compassion, stepped forward to comfort Jesus as He carried His Cross to Calvary. In a moment of tender mercy, she offered Him her veil to wipe the blood and sweat from His Sacred Face. In return for her courageous and loving gesture, the Lord left the miraculous imprint of His Holy Face upon the cloth.

According to sacred tradition, St. Veronica later journeyed to Rome, taking the veil with her. This relic, known as Veronica’s Veil, has been cherished throughout the centuries as a holy and miraculous image of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It has been preserved and venerated in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican since ancient times.

On the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem, a small chapel known as the Chapel of the Holy Face marks the site believed to be St. Veronica’s home, and the place where this act of love and the miracle occurred.

The Church celebrates the Feast of St. Veronica on July 12th, honoring her for her bold compassion and the reverence she showed to the suffering Christ. May her example inspire us to recognize the face of Jesus in all who suffer. Prayer St. Veronica, you saw the suffering face of Jesus and responded with love and courage. Pray for us that we may recognize His face in all who suffer. Help us to show compassion with boldness and faith, and to bring comfort where there is pain. Amen.

07/11/2025

Through his monthly prayer intentions, the Holy Father shares the deep concerns of his heart for the needs of humanity and the mission of the Church.
Each intention is a universal call to prayer, guiding us toward a mission of compassion, mercy, and hope.
Let us join in prayer, seeking the grace to turn our petitions into concrete acts of love that reflect the Heart of Jesus.
Pray with the Holy Father—every Monday and Saturday at 3:30 PM ET / BST / AEST on Shalom World.

07/10/2025

In the year 480, St. Benedict of Nursia was born into a noble family in the Italian village of Nursia. He spent his early youth in Rome, but his fellow students' dissolute lives prompted him at the age of 16 to give up everything and seek salvation as a lone hermit in a hidden cave high above Subiaco. After a few years, during which he matured rapidly in mind and character, reports of his sanctity, his miracles, and his gift of directing souls attracted more and more earnest disciples. He organized these into 12 monasteries, each comprising 12 monks with its superior.

Benedict also instituted schools for the Christian education of the young. He accepted a providential donation of some land further south from the father of his pupil Placidus and, after 28 years at Subiaco, moved to Monte Cassino in 529. There, he established the great abbey, which became the motherhouse of the Benedictine Order for the reclamation and regeneration of Christian Europe. It is this achievement that led Pope Pius XII to bestow upon him the title "Father of Europe," and Pope Paul VI to declare him the "Patron Saint of all Europe" on 24 October 1964.

In contrast to the seclusion of Subiaco, the new foundation was set like a great beacon on a mountaintop halfway between Rome and Naples. Benedict's Holy Rule of 526 aimed at the moral and spiritual training of the monks according to the evangelical counsels. It gradually became the norm for all Western monasteries because of its reasonableness, moderation, and adaptability to every clime and age. It emphasized the importance of community life and complete cheerful obedience. By performing work that had always been regarded as that of serfs and by reclaiming war-devastated and abandoned land, his monks now vested manual labor with dignity. The vows comprised poverty, chastity, obedience, and the stable attachment to one monastery for life. The Benedictine monastery was not only self-supporting but also in a position to succor the poor, the sick, and the afflicted and give shelter to the stranger.

Bishops, Abbots, nobles, and simple folk came to consult the holy founder and were inspired by his quiet, dignified, balanced view and way of life. Superiors, he thought, should always endeavor to cultivate love rather than fear in their subjects. The poor found in him a sympathetic protector. St. Benedict died on 21 March 547 in his abbey church, his hands raised heavenward in prayer after receiving Holy Communion before the high altar, and was buried next to his sister, St Scholastica, in the Oratory of St John the Baptist at Cassino. Though not a priest himself, his Order has given the Church no less than 24 Popes, 4600 Bishops, and over 5,000 Saints!

St. Benedict, obtain for us the grace to live and die as faithful children of God, be ever submissive to His holy will, and attain eternal happiness.

07/10/2025

The Saint Benedict Medal is a Christian sacramental medal containing symbols and text related to the life of Saint Benedict of Nursia. According to tradition, it protects from curses, evil, and diseases. The Archabbey of Monte Cassino, founded by St. Benedict in the sixth century, produced the first version of the medal in 1880 to mark the fourteenth centennial anniversary of St. Benedict’s birth.

𝐈𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭. 𝐓𝐨 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭❜𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬, 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐮𝐩, 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐦, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐩 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐭. 𝐓𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭, 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞, 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐟 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝. 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 ❜𝐄𝐢𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐎𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐮 𝐍𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚 𝐌𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐦𝐮𝐫❜, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 ❜𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐞 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡❜. 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐭. 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 ❜𝐄𝐗 𝐒𝐌 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐨, 𝐌𝐃𝐂𝐂𝐂𝐋𝐗𝐗𝐗,❜ 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 ❜𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝟏𝟖𝟖𝟎❜.

St Benedict, intercede that we may never be separated from Jesus, Mary, and the company of all the blessed. May we be delivered from temptation, spiritual oppression, and diseases through your intercession.
Amen.

07/10/2025

Join us in celebrating the Holy Mass Live from St. Marie's Cathedral, Sheffield, UK.
Celebrate the memorial and sacrifice of our Lord’s life, death, and resurrection.

SUBMIT
Prayer Request : https://www.swprayer.org/prayer-request
Testimonials : https://www.swprayer.org/testimonial

07/09/2025

Sts. Rufina and Secunda were two sisters who put God first and suffered martyrdom in AD 257 during Valerian's persecutions. Their names are mentioned in several ancient documents, such as the Jeromian Martyrology and the Marmoreal Calendar of Naples. This attests to the importance of the cult of the two saints, in whose honor a basilica had already been erected in the 4th century, with work begun at the behest of Pope Julius I.

According to tradition, Rufina and Secunda had been betrothed to two young Christians. At the raging of the persecutions commanded by Valerian, the latter abandoned their faith and tried to convince their two fiancées to do the same. But Rufina and Secunda refused to follow their example and fled secretly from Rome. Their flight was soon discovered, and they were overtaken not far from the city and brought before Prefect Junius Donatus. He imprisoned them with the object of making them apostatize, and when he found that they were unmoved either by arguments or threats, he ordered Rufina to be scourged, whereupon Secunda cried out, "Why do you judge my sister to honor and me to dishonor? Be pleased to beat us both together, for we declare that Christ is God."

After they both had been tortured in diverse ways, they were put to death by beheading in the woods called Silva Nigra. The bodies of the two martyrs were abandoned in the woods. The remains of the two sisters were given a proper burial, thanks to the efforts of a Roman woman named Plautilla. In a dream, the sisters appeared to Plautilla, revealing the location of their martyrdom and urging her to embrace faith. Many miracles were attributed to Sts. Rufina and Secunda and the faithful flocked to Silva Nigra to ask for their intercession.

Sts. Rufina and Secunda, pray for us to hold fast to and defend our faith in the face of struggles.