Pray for those who pray

Pro Orantibus Day will be observed November 21. Pro Orantibus Day was established by Pope John Paul II in 1997, to be held each year on the Memorial of Mary’s Presentation in the Temple, as a way to provide spiritual and material support ―for those who pray.

The Holy Father asked that this ecclesial event be observed worldwide, and that it be observed as a special day to thank those in the cloistered and monastic life for serving as “a leaven of renewal and of the presence of the spirit of Christ in the world.”

The Pope also intended it to remind others of the need to provide spiritual and material support “for those who pray.” The faithful around the world are encouraged to develop their own way of commemorating the day and honoring cloistered women and men religious, at Mass and in other special ways, such as by offering up their prayers, by visits to monasteries and cloistered convents, by sending cards or letters to contemplative religious, and by coordinating school or catechetical activities.

There are 1070 women religious in the Cleveland Diocese and 415 retired.