The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (PWPN), formerly known as the Apostleship of Prayer (AoP), celebrated their 175th anniversary in June with Pope Francis. While remaining in continuity with their tradition and history, they now have a deeper engagement with the digital world.
They are the official platform for the Pope’s intentions, with a monthly 90-second video from the Holy Father: The Pope Video. The app “Click To Pray” is the official prayer platform for smart phones. The app invites users to brief prayers three times a day.
The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network was born as the Apostleship of Prayer in 1844, in a house of formation for young Jesuits in Vals, in the south of France. Fr. François-Xavier Gautrelet, SJ, spiritual director of these young people, proposed to them a way of being apostles in their ordinary lives and encouraged them to be available for Christ’s mission through the offering of their lives. Fr. Henri Ramière, SJ, from 1861, guided the Apostleship of Prayer in the dynamic of the Heart of Jesus. Today, this proposal of service and prayer is 175 years old.
About The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network
The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network is a pontifical work with the mission of mobilizing Catholics through prayer and action, in the face of the challenges confronting humanity and the mission of the Church. These challenges are addressed in the form of prayer intentions entrusted by the Pope to the entire Church. Its mission is inscribed in the dynamic of the Heart of Jesus: a mission of compassion for the world. This work was founded in 1844 as the Apostleship of Prayer. It is present in 98 countries and is made up of more than 35 million Catholics. It includes a youth branch, the EYM: Eucharistic Youth Movement. In March 2018, the Pope constituted this ecclesial service as a Pontifical Work and approved its new statutes. Its international director is Fr. Father Frédéric Fornos, SJ. More information at: