Sisters in transatlantic prayers for elections

The Sisters of St Joseph of Peace in the United Kingdom and United States are uniting in a special six-month prayer and reflection process for elections taking place in both their countries and across the globe. The daily election prayer, weekly intention, and reflection resources are available for download on a special page on the Congregation's website: www.csjp.org/electionprayer.

The sisters invite others to join them in this effort.

"We believe that our collective and personal prayer holds transformative power not only for ourselves, but for our world, during this critical time," said Congregation Leader Sister Andrea Nenzel. "Today we are asking that all of us commit to join together in a transformative endeavor of intentional daily prayer until the end of this year. There is no set time, just an invitation to join daily in prayer during this time of worldwide elections."

Pope Francis has said that "elections are an essential moment in the life of any country, since they allow all citizens responsibly to choose their leaders." More than two billion people across more than sixty countries have already or are preparing to vote in 2024, the largest global election year in human history. Voters in the United Kingdom will go to the polls on 4 July and in the United States on 5 November. National elections are also scheduled later this year in Algeria, Georgia, Ghana, Jordan, Lithuania, Mauritius, Moldova, Mozambique, Namibia, Palau, Romania, Rwanda, Somaliland, South Sudan, Syria, and Venezuela.

The Sisters have chosen to commit to pray for global elections, during a time of increased polarization, misinformation, armed conflict, and climate crisis, as a way of living out their 2022 Congregation Chapter Act, To Be Who We Say We Are: "These new times demand a change of heart: to be, think, and act differently. Our spiritual lives require deep re-examination and transformation; our outward actions must confront privilege and power in ourselves and society … It is time to live our words. We embrace these promptings of the Sprit with courage, humility, hope and trust."

In addition to sharing the text of the daily prayer and weekly intention, the Congregation website also includes resources from a variety of organisations, including Pax Christi, CAFOD, the Columbans, and Churches Together, and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious to help voters reflect and prepare for the July UK Election and November US election.