Fr. Schmitz novena, cards: More ways to pray for conclave

Prayer cards featuring a prayer for the conclave and cardinals are available now. And Fr. Mike Schmitz is leading a novena.

POPE LEO XIV

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A Catholic publishing company is hoping to reach 500,000 people with its prayers for the conclave and for the cardinals who will select the next pope.

"At Catholic Imprint, our mission is to equip families, schools, and parishes with tangible faith resources that encourage prayer and spiritual unity — especially during significant moments in the life of the Church," John-Paul Kaplan, business principal at Catholic Imprint, told Aleteia.

The conclave, which begins May 7, "is one of those sacred times when the entire Church is called to prayer," he said.

To facilitate these prayers, Catholic Imprint created prayer cards. One is "A Prayer for the Election of a New Pope," and it is available in both English and Spanish.

Another is a "Novena Prayer for the Sacred College of Cardinals," and features the prayer composed by Cardinal Raymond Burke.

"Incredible response"

"We've seen an incredible response to our initiative. Many dioceses, parishes, and schools across the country have reached out to request the prayer cards, and we've also been blessed to donate sets to communities in need," said Kaplan.

A number of parishes have told Catholic Imprint that they intend to distribute the prayer cards "as a way to encourage everyone — young and old — to pray for the cardinals and the conclave."

In a world full of apps, websites, and podcasts, a physical prayer card can have special significance, said Kaplan.

"A printed prayer card becomes a daily reminder to lift up the Cardinals in prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to guide the Church," he said.

As the conclave approaches, Kaplan says Catholic Imprint is "well on our way toward our goal of 500,000 individual prayers being offered for the cardinals and the conclave."

"Praise God for the beautiful unity this initiative is inspiring," he said.