Spiritual work of mercy: Call on these holy people for an end to Ebola

According to NBC News, "Congo’s fast-moving Ebola outbreak has now killed over 2,300 people and become the deadliest outbreak of the disease on record in the Central African nation."

The outbreak began in May and has not stopped, spreading throughout most Eastern provinces in DRC. Many factors are making the outbreak more difficult to stop, including the long-running armed conflicts in the region.

Unfortunately this is not the first time that Ebola has claimed thousands of lives in DRC. In fact, this time is the 17th such outbreak.

Catholics around the world are encouraged to pray for an end to the Ebola outbreak, for the souls of the deceased, for caregivers and medical personnel, for politicians, for peace in the region, and for all the many families who are grieving.

DRC (formerly Zaire) has given the Church many holy people, including several who died in 1964, in a communist-led rebellion.

Here is a small litany of saints, invoking many holy individuals from DRC, and particularly six heroic nuns who themselves died of Ebola. The first on the list was the topic of a long reflection by Pope Leo in November 2025. (Read here).

And the last of the beatified on this list, Blessed Floribert, was killed only in 2007 and is known as a martyr of honesty, because his death came about due to him refusing a bribe. Pope Leo was able to speak with the young man's mother the day after his beatification.

We can be certain that these holy men and women are praying for their homeland. We join our prayer to theirs.

Let us pray:

You can help DRC through Aid to the Church in Need.