Years ago, I sat in on a religion class for kindergarten students in one of our Catholic schools. They gathered on a carpet in front of their teacher who had initiated a “discussion” about bosses. It was during a time when, “You’re not the boss of me!” was a common expression among youth.

I could see the teacher was helping them come to an understanding about responsibility and respect, and the reality that everyone has someone to answer to.

“Do you know who my boss is?” the teacher asked the children.

“Ooh, ooh, I know, I know!” came multiple voices with outstretched, waving arms.

“Mrs. Fischer!” yelled out one impatient five-year-old, referring to the school principal.

“Very good!” said the teacher. “Now, does anyone know who the Pope’s boss is?”

I was pleasantly surprised that most students seemed to know who the Pope was and noticed a picture of Pope John Paul II on the wall near the prayer corner.

Once again, hands shot up and students strained to almost jumping to their feet. I’m sure the teacher was expecting to hear an enthusiastic, “God!” But before she could call on any one student, the same very engaged five-year-old yelled out, “His mom!”

It was priceless!

Learning about the Pope as leader of the Catholic Church is an important element of faith formation, as is knowing something about the man who has become the Pope. In the case of Pope Francis, we knew from the moment he was elected that he was a humble man of prayer.

His first words to the people as he stood on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica after being elected by the conclave of cardinals were: “First of all, I would like to say a prayer for our bishop emeritus, Benedict XVI. Let us all pray together for him; let us all pray together for him so that the Lord may bless him, and that the Madonna may protect him.”

After praying the “Lord’s Prayer,” the “Hail Mary” and the “Glory Be” with the crowd, the Holy Father continued, “And now, let us start this journey, bishop and people, bishop and people, this journey of the Church of Rome, which leads all the Churches in charity, a journey of fraternity, of love, of trust among us.

Let us always pray for us, one for the other, let us pray for the whole world, so that there may be a great fraternity. I hope that this journey of the Church that we begin today and which my cardinal vicar, who is here with me, will help me with, may be fruitful for the evangelization of this beautiful city.

“Now, I would like to give you a blessing, but first I want to ask you for a favor. Before the bishop blesses the people, I ask that you pray to the Lord so that he blesses me. This is the prayer of the people who are asking for the blessing of their bishop. In silence, let us say this prayer of you for me.”

So, it is no surprise that Pope Francis releases a list of monthly prayer intentions each year and asks the faithful to join him in praying for those specific intentions. What may come as a surprise is the fact that the Apostleship of Prayer, founded by Jesuit seminarians in France, has received monthly, universal prayer intentions from the Pope since the late 1800s. An additional missionary intention was added by the Holy Father in 1929.

Certainly, prayer has long been at the heart of the Church, and the monthly prayer intentions of Pope Francis provide an opportunity for students to not only pray, but to discuss the many important current issues that benefit from the prayers of the faithful.

Teachers who are interested in incorporating Pope Francis’ prayer intentions into their classroom prayers may find the monthly list of Pope Francis’ prayer intentions for 2023 and information on how prayer intentions are chosen at Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, Apostleship of Prayer.

Of interest for teachers, January’s prayer intention is for educators: “We pray that educators may be credible witnesses, teaching fraternity rather than competition and helping the youngest and most vulnerable above all.”

About the Author
Mary Clifford Morrell, mother of six and grandmother to ten, is a Catholic journalist, editor, and author who has served the Dioceses of Metuchen and Trenton, New Jersey; Burlington, Vermont, and RENEW International in the areas of religious education and communication.