Catholic sisters unite for peace with a global livestream prayer on March 6, calling for action and compassion amid the U.S.-Israel-Iran war.
Newsroom (05/03/2026 Gaudium Press ) As conflict continues to unfold across regions affected by the U.S. and Israel-Iran war, Catholic sisters from every corner of the world are turning to prayer as their response to escalating violence. The International Union of Superiors General (UISG), representing more than half a million religious sisters from over 1,900 congregations worldwide, has issued a heartfelt invitation for all people of faith—and goodwill—to join a global, livestreamed prayer for peace on March 6.
The virtual gathering will take place at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (3:30 p.m. Rome time) and will be broadcast live via youtube.com/@UISGRome. Organized under the theme of unity, compassion, and hope, this worldwide event seeks to unite voices from every continent in a shared plea for healing and reconciliation.
Sister Roxanne Schares, a member of the School Sisters of Notre Dame and executive secretary of the UISG, emphasized the moral duty of consecrated women religious to respond to the suffering caused by war. “As consecrated women religious, present in the most fragile contexts of society and close to those who suffer, we cannot remain silent in the face of a spiral of destruction that undermines human dignity and jeopardizes the future of new generations,” she said in announcing the event.
The UISG has called for prayer, fasting, and action, underlining that peace requires persistent effort and collective responsibility. For the sisters, peace is not a distant ideal—it is a daily act of compassion and solidarity witnessed in communities devastated by violence and displacement.
“Catholic sisters living alongside refugees, the wounded, and devastated families daily bear witness that peace is not an abstraction, but a fundamental human need denied to millions,” the organization stated.
The union’s message extends beyond religious boundaries, appealing to humanity’s shared longing for peace. Through their prayer, the sisters seek to entrust victims of conflict to what Sister Roxanne calls “our loving, compassionate God,” while also renewing their own resolve to promote peace in a deeply divided world.
“We entrust to our loving, compassionate God the victims of all conflicts and war, implore the gift of courage for us to become artisans of peace, and reaffirm our commitment to walk together beyond borders with all our sisters and brothers so the world may truly become a home for all,” Sister Roxanne affirmed.
From their convents in Europe to villages across Africa, Asia, and the Americas, the sisters’ initiative symbolizes a global network of care and solidarity. Their call resounds as both prayer and protest—an appeal to conscience amid the relentless noise of war.
Through this shared moment of devotion and unity, the UISG invites the world to remember that peace begins not only with policy but with people willing to pray, act, and believe that a more compassionate world is still possible.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from OSV News
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