Special Observances

The World Communications Day tradition was established by St. Paul VI in 1967. This year we celebrate the 59th World Communications Day with the theme, " Share with gentleness the hope that is in your hearts." Earlier this year, Pope Leo asked Catholic communicators to use their platforms to inspire hope through kindness and a language that respects the dignity of others.

…it is increasingly urgent to introduce media, information and AI literacy into education systems at all levels, as already promoted by some civil institutions. As Catholics, we can and must contribute to this effort, so that individuals — especially young people — can acquire critical thinking skills and grow in freedom of spirit. This literacy should also be integrated into broader lifelong learning initiatives, reaching out to older adults and marginalized members of society, who often feel excluded and powerless in the face of rapid technological change.

It is important to educate ourselves and others about how to use AI intentionally, and in this context to protect our image (photos and audio), our face and our voice, to prevent them from being used in the creation of harmful content and behaviors such as digital fraud, cyberbullying and deepfakes, which violate people’s privacy and intimacy without their consent. 

We need faces and voices to speak for people again. We need to cherish the gift of communication as the deepest truth of humanity, to which all technological innovation should also be oriented.

Message of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV for the 60th World Day of Social Communications

Read more of Pope Leo’s message on the Vatican website, HERE.

More information about World Communications Day is available on the USCCB website.

"Let us pray, then, to Mary Most Holy, Mother of the Church, that every Christian community may be a home open to all and attentive to each person."

"The month of May has begun: throughout the Church, the joy of gathering in the name of Mary, our Mother, is renewed, especially by praying the Rosary together. We relive the experience of those days between Jesus’ Ascension and Pentecost, when the disciples gathered in the upper room to invoke the Holy Spirit. Mary Most Holy remained in their midst, her heart keeping watch over the fire that animated the prayer of all. I entrust my intentions to you, particularly for communion within the Church and for peace in the world."

Pope Leo XIV, Regina Caeli
St Peter's Square, 5^th Sunday of Easter, 3 May 2026
Copyright © Dicastery for Communication - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

FOR PRIESTS IN CRISIS

Let us pray for priests going through moments of crisis in their vocation, that they may find the accompaniment they need and that communities may support them with understanding and prayer.

From June 22nd to June 29th, Catholics are invited to PRAY, REFLECT and ACT to promote and protect religious freedom in the United States under the theme: Witness to Hope.

The week includes daily intentions (Coming soon):

USCCB Prayer for the Protection of Religious Liberty:

O God our Creator,

from your provident hand we have received

our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

You have called us as your people and given us

the right and the duty to worship you, the only true God,

and your Son, Jesus Christ.

Through the power and working of your Holy Spirit,

you call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world,

bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel

to every corner of society.

We ask you to bless us

in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty.

Give us the strength of mind and heart

to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened;

give us courage in making our voices heard

on behalf of the rights of your Church

and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith.

Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father,

a clear and united voice to all your sons and daughters

gathered in your Church

in this decisive hour in the history of our nation,

so that, with every trial withstood

and every danger overcome—

for the sake of our children, our grandchildren,

and all who come after us—

this great land will always be "one nation, under God,

indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Additional Links:

Home Page: Religious Liberty | USCCB

Patron Saints of Religious Freedom Week, St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher | USCCB.

Prayers of the Faithful: Coming Soon

The World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests was established in 2002 by St. Pope John Paul II. Each year, on the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Priests are called to prayerfully reflect on the beauty of their vocation and the ways in which God calls them to grow in their journey as shepherds of His Flock. The Church too is called to remember its priests by praying for their holiness and the strength to be faithful to Christ and His bride, the Church. The USCCB provides a list of resources to support priests in their vocation and continual formation:

Priestly Life and Ministry | USCCB

During the month of June, let us remember and pray for the sanctification of our priests in our Universal Intentions:

For our priests, that guided by the Holy Spirit they may embrace the beauty of their vocation to selflessly serve the flock that has been entrusted to them, and that this same spirit may grant them the strength to pursue a life of holiness by remaining faithful to Christ and his Church.

Por nuestros sacerdotes, que guiados por el Espíritu Santo abracen la belleza de su vocación para servir desinteresadamente al rebaño que se les ha encomendado, y que este mismo espíritu les conceda la fuerza para vivir una vida de santidad permaneciendo fieles a Cristo y su Iglesia.