By Greg Erlandson

Let's weave a web of prayers for the pope's visit

It is not easy to start a national movement. That is why we are asking your help to start one now.

This will be a movement of prayer for our Holy Father on the eve of his first visit to the United States as pontiff, and of prayer for our country, which is at such a political, economic and spiritual crossroads.

Let me explain.

Early this year, at the request of Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington, Our Sunday Visitor created a pamphlet and a prayer card to coincide with the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the United States. The initial intent was to help Catholics and non-Catholics alike know more about the papacy and about this remarkable pope.

This Lent, the Archdiocese of Washington has distributed tens of thousands of these pamphlets and prayer cards to its parishes and schools. Of course, we hope that these materials will be distributed in Catholic parishes and dioceses around the nation in advance of the papal trip.

We invite you, our dedicated readers, to help us spread the word about them to your pastors, religious educators and neighbors. (In fact, if you send me a self-addressed, stamped envelope, I will send a copy of both the pamphlet and the prayer card for free. They can be ordered in bulk on our website.)

Our Sunday Visitor's goal is twofold: To heighten awareness of this historic visit, and to envelop the Holy Father in a "web of prayers" for the success of his visit to the United Nations and to our nation's capital.

Both the pamphlet and the prayer card contain a prayer for the Holy Father. Our dream is to have Catholics around the country saying this prayer together. Now we are taking our dream of a "web of prayers" one step further: to the Web itself.

On our website there is a page where we invite all of you to write down your prayers for the Holy Father. Think of it as a gigantic spiritual bouquet of prayers to shower down upon him as he makes his way to our nation. Please make your way to www.osv.com/papalvisit.

This is such an important visit. At a time of tremendous international turmoil and confusion, Pope Benedict will be addressing the world in his speech to the United Nations. He will also be speaking to the presidents of Catholic universities and to priests from around the country. He will meet with President George W. Bush. He will celebrate Mass for thousands.

Please join us in weaving a web of prayers above our nation. May God use the occasion of this visit to renew our Church.

-- Greg Erlandson, president and publisher

Are you on Facebook? We've started a Facebook group for  "Web of Prayers for Pope Benedict XVI"»