California Catholic school hopes to raise 1M prayers by All Saints Day

A Catholic school in La Puente, California, is running a campaign to offer one million prayers within about two months, both in support for the school and as a reminder that everyone is called to holiness.

“Together, we are proving that the desire for prayer is alive and transformative in our Catholic schools,” said Roger Ranney, principal at St. Joseph Catholic School, according to a press release sent via email by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. 

The initiative began Sept. 6, the eve of Saints Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis’ canonization Mass and will continue until Nov. 1, All Saints’ Day. The campaign takes inspiration from the lives of these two young saints.

“Our hope is not only to reach a million prayers,” Ranney added, “but to remind ourselves and others that we are all called to be saints. Even the smallest voices lifted in prayer can change hearts and impact the world.”

So far, St. Joseph School has raised more than 200,000 prayers from supporters, according to the press release.

The central prayer of the campaign is the Rosary. Both Pope Leo XIV and Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles have encouraged the faithful to pray the Rosary daily during October, the month traditionally dedicated to the Marian devotion. St. Joseph School has echoed these calls, asking all families involved in the school to recite the Rosary together daily.

All those who pray for the school, whether through the Rosary or any other devotion, are asked to make a record and share with the school how many prayers they have said. Participants are encouraged to share prayers via social media with the hashtag #MillionPrayerChallenge.

The campaign has also begun to spread beyond the St. Joseph community; four other Catholic schools in the area have joined the effort. The school hopes that more people will lift their minds and hearts to God for St. Joseph Catholic School.

“We warmly invite other Catholic schools, parishes, and families across the Los Angeles Archdiocese to join us,” says a post from the school’s Facebook page. “Together, let’s walk the path to sainthood one prayer at a time.”