About one million children from around the world are invited to pray the Rosary for peace and unity between October 1 and 7, in an initiative promoted by the Foundation Aid to the Church in Suffering (ACN), which this year celebrates its 21st edition. The campaign aims to mobilize children from all continents for a great international prayer chain, in a context marked by wars, violence, and religious persecution.
In Portugal, the central moment of the initiative takes place on October 7, the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, at 6:30 PM, at the Chapel of the Apparitions, at the Sanctuary of Fatima. The choice of this location aims to recall the request made by Our Lady to the three Little Shepherds in 1917 to pray the Rosary daily for peace. The 2026 edition also features a message from Pope Leo XIV addressed to the initiative.
The campaign was born in 2005, in Caracas, Venezuela, inspired by a phrase attributed to Saint Padre Pio: "When one million children pray the Rosary, the world will change." Since then, the initiative has grown and reached international dimensions. In 2024, the ACN Foundation recorded the participation of 1,118,013 children, from about 80 countries and all continents, with Portugal having 25,617 registrations in 2025.
The ACN Foundation is again challenging Portuguese schools, parishes, movements, catechism groups, and families to transform the first days of October into a great prayer chain. To facilitate participation, support materials have been prepared for families, schools, parishes, catechism groups, hospitals, and religious communities.
