The nation’s Catholic leaders are asking everyone to pray for peace amidst the “current climate of fear and polarization, which thrives when human dignity is disregarded,” especially regarding migrants, according to the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Paul Coakley.
Catholic clergy and faithful in Philadelphia gathered for a Day of Prayer for Peace on Tuesday, Feb. 24 inside the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul in Center City for a noon Mass and Holy Hour for Peace, with prayer before the Blessed Sacrament all afternoon.
Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez, flanked by fellow bishops, celebrated the Mass that called for prayer not only for peace-centered change in the world but also for discernment of how to turn prayer into Christ-like loving action.
“We are all made in the image of (God), and we all possess dignity. It’s not given to us other than by God. Our dignity revolves around all of us, and so we pray that we can be the best version of ourselves,” he said during his homily.
The Catholic Church of Philadelphia organized the Mass and holy hour in response to Archbishop Coakley’s request for a holy hour in all the Catholic churches in the United States to renew the hearts of Americans.
“Let us pray for reconciliation where there is division, for justice where there are violations of fundamental rights, and for consolation for all who feel overwhelmed by fear or loss,” he wrote.
Archbishop Pérez said that our hearts and actions need to be moved toward offering the kind of peace that can still exist in a world rife with tensions both overseas in Ukraine and Gaza as well as on the streets of America.
“Peace is not the absence of conflict. That’s not what peace is,” the Archbishop said. “Peace is actually when we are in right relationship with each other, in right relationship with God, in right relationship with ourselves, and then in right relationship with the people around us.”
The Mass began with Father Dennis Gill, the rector of the Cathedral Basilica, who invited the congregation into a spirit of prayer for peace.
“We pray for an end to all types of racism and discrimination,” he said. “We pray for an increase of love.”
The Responsorial Psalm for Tuesday’s Mass brought a poignance to the liturgy, as the words taken from Psalm 34 reflect the distress of the current times: “When the poor one called out, the Lord heard, and from all his distress he saved him. … from all their distress God rescues the just.”
In his homily, Archbishop Pérez told the congregation that “the Lord indeed rescues the just. We trust in His mercy.”
The Archbishop addressed that distress which we see every day on our televisions, our computer screens and our phones, images from a world away and from within our country and our own city.
“It doesn’t take a lot to see what’s going on in our world these days. Sometimes more than not, what we see is not the best version of ourselves. We see scary things, things that actually bring us sadness. It’s almost like we can’t get away from it. Our country, our city, right away, it just comes upon us,” he said.
“That has an effect on our hearts. It has an effect on our souls.”
He spoke of the immigration crisis in the United States with his powerful perspective as the son of immigrants, refugees from Cuba who came to the U.S. during the Castro regime.
“They came to this country seeking a better life for themselves. They came here seeking something better for their kids. They didn’t come here because they had nothing else to live for. They came here seeking a better life,” he said.
“I stand deeply grateful and aware that I am part of their sacrifices. And we all have those scars. In particular, some of our brothers and sisters are experiencing them here. You see some of those images.
“We also see the other side, those that are there to actually serve and protect us,” he said of the nation’s law enforcement personnel. “We care for them. We love them. They’re also in a difficult spot.”
Archbishop Pérez ended his homily by quoting Pope Leo XIV, a man educated at Villanova University in the Augustinian charism.
St. Augustine, the pope wrote in his message for the World Day of Peace on Jan. 1, 2026, “urged Christians to forge an unbreakable bond with peace, so that by cherishing it deeply in their hearts, they would be able to radiate its luminous warmth around them.
“Addressing his community, (the saint) wrote: ‘If you wish to draw others to peace, first have it yourselves; be steadfast in peace yourselves. To inflame others, you must have the flame burning within.’”
Concluding his homily, Archbishop Pérez quoted Pope Leo’s message saying, “Peace is more than just a goal; it is a presence and a journey. Even when it is endangered within us and around us, like a small flame threatened by a storm, we must protect it, never forgetting the names and stories of those who have borne witness to it. Peace is a principle that guides and defines our choices.”
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