Diocese of Erie Invited to a Week of Prayer for Peace and Unity

By Kristine Rilling

02/02/2026

In a time that invites renewed hope, the Church is calling the faithful to pause, pray and recommit their hearts to peace. 

On Jan. 28, 2026, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, invited Catholics across the country to observe a Holy Hour for Peace as “a moment of renewal for our hearts and for our nation.” Archbishop Coakley reminded the faithful that “our faith matters, our prayers matter, and our acts of love and works of justice matter,” underscoring prayer as a vital first step toward healing.

In response to this invitation, Bishop Lawrence T. Persico is calling the Diocese of Erie to dedicate time for prayer for peace and unity in our country during the week of February 8, 2026. 

All parishes throughout the diocese are asked to offer the Mass, a Holy Hour or another form of prayer or devotion during that week for this special intention. Catholic schools across the diocese are also invited to participate in this effort in ways appropriate to their school communities, fostering prayerful reflection on peace, justice and unity among students and staff. 

As a diocesan expression of this call to prayer, St. Peter Cathedral, Erie, will host a Holy Hour for Peace and Unity at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. All are welcome to attend, and nearby pastors are encouraged to invite their parishioners to take part. 

Those who are confined to their homes, living in medical facilities or prevented from attending due to weather or other circumstances are encouraged to unite spiritually by praying the rosary, reading Sacred Scripture or offering any Catholic prayer for peace. 

Through prayer—whether gathered or alone—the people of the Diocese of Erie are invited to lift up our nation to God, trusting that hearts renewed in faith can become instruments of peace. 

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