As the election draws nearer. Catholic vigils, novenas, prayer services popping up all over the country

 

In lead-up to midterms, Catholic prayer vigils and novenas spread across US

Pedestrians walk past street signage on the first day of early voting in New York, on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (AP/Heather Khalifa)

by Camillo Barone

October 28, 2026

As the November midterm elections approach, Catholics across the United States are preparing to keep vigil — online, in churches and in prayer groups stretching across time zones — asking for peaceful polling places, honest vote-counting, and protection for people exercising their right to vote.

In Detroit, those concerns have already brought faith leaders together. At an interfaith vigil held Oct. 21 at Gesu Catholic Church, Archbishop Edward Weisenburger denounced what he described as efforts to restrict voting, calling them a moral issue rather than simply a political dispute.

"We have seen gerrymandering and voter suppression, especially the closing polling locations in communities of color," the archbishop said. "While some might say, 'Well, that's just politics,' I say, 'It's an affront to God.' Every voter should be able to fully participate in elections as a matter of human dignity and the common good."

The gathering, organized by the Religious Leaders Forum of Metropolitan Detroit, brought together Catholic and other religious leaders to pray for voters, election workers and volunteer poll chaplains. Weisenburger urged Catholics to oppose racism and voter suppression and noted that hundreds had volunteered as peaceful presences near polling sites.

"These poll chaplains might cast different votes for different candidates," he said, "but they stand united against intimidation and for democracy."

Drawing on Pope Leo XIV's encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, the archbishop spoke of Americans being "entrusted to each other" and called for vigilance against misinformation and rhetoric that dehumanizes opponents. 

He also cautioned against portraying the time needed to count ballots as proof of wrongdoing: "Remember, a careful, lawful process takes time."

"No matter how inflamed the climate becomes," he said, "we tend the soil and plant the seeds of compassion and hope."

The Detroit gathering is one sign of a broader mobilization of Catholic prayer around the Nov. 3 elections, involving peace organizations, religious sisters, diocesan leaders and parishes. Their devotions vary — such as Eucharistic adoration and virtual novenas — but organizers interviewed for this story repeatedly described fears about intimidation and political violence in the electoral process.

Pax Christi USA is organizing a nationwide, 24-hour prayer vigil beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern on Nov. 2 and ending at the same hour on Election Day. Participants can reserve half-hour periods and pray wherever they are, creating what the Catholic peace movement hopes will be an uninterrupted chain of prayer.

"Vigils stand as a very powerful and important piece of Christian witness," Michelle Sherman, Pax Christi USA's program director for nonviolence and campus outreach, told NCR.

She connected the practice to the disciples keeping watch with Jesus in Gethsemane and to contemporary vigils outside detention centers and prisons. For Sherman, the observance joins prayer with the movement's ongoing local advocacy and action.

Judy Coode, the organization's communications director, said the goal is "to facilitate a wave of prayer across the country that is consistently taking place." Individuals may pray the rosary, meditate silently or read Scripture. Participants already span the country, she said, from Massachusetts to California.

"Even when it's not their half hour, they'll know that somebody's praying," Coode said.

Both Sherman and Coode said concerns include intimidation at polling stations and the possibility of escalating violence. Coode also pointed to fears that democratic norms might not be respected.

Pax Christi is also co-sponsoring an online Election Eve prayer service with Franciscan Action Network on Nov. 2 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern. Robert Christian, the Franciscan Action Network's director of strategy, emphasized that the service is distinct from Pax Christi's round-the-clock effort, although the groups are working together.

"We wanted to gather together in prayer for free, fair, peaceful elections," Christian said.

He pointed to anxieties about federal immigration agents being present near voting sites, and to worries about polling places closing early or being moved. Christian said the aim is for people to feel able to exercise their voting rights without fear.

Another virtual initiative will continue beyond Election Day. Catholics in Communion is hosting a nine-night election novena Nov. 1-9 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern, with participation from the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and Network, a Catholic social justice lobby.

Each session will use prayers from the U.S. bishops' Novena for Faithful Citizenship, alongside intercessions, updates and reports from communities holding local vigils. Network says Spanish interpretation will be available and sessions will not be recorded.

St. Joseph Sr. Carol Zinn, executive director of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, told NCR that many sisters and sisters' associates are volunteering to peacefully oversee polling stations and that the prayer gatherings ahead of the elections are "political and not partisan."

"We ask God to please just kind of blanket everyone, everyone, regardless of party, blanket everybody in safety," Zinn said.

She described meeting people who fear going to the polls or doubt their ballots will matter.

"Those are serious, serious wounds to the heart of a democratic process," she said.

Other vigils and gatherings, which do not share a single format or emphasis, have been announced around the country. Some focus on electoral participation and the safety of poll workers while others focus on human life, reconciliation or civic discernment.

In St. Louis, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet will hold a Zoom vigil Oct. 28 focused on unity, hope and a fair election. 

That same evening, the Archdiocese of Seattle and its St. James Cathedral are among the co-sponsors of an interfaith vigil for unity and peace at St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral in that city.

In New York City, St. Ignatius Loyola Church has scheduled an outdoor election vigil the same evening, with song, silence and prayers for safe and honest elections. 

On Election Day, St. Agnes Parish in San Francisco plans an all-day vigil for peace.

Denver's Archbishop James Golka and Auxiliary Bishop Jorge Rodríguez invited Catholics to pray the U.S. bishops' Novena for Faithful Citizenship beginning Oct. 26, seeking prayers for candidates, voters and elected officials.

In Massachusetts, St. Anna Catholic Parish in Leominster will hold a Patriotic Rosary on Oct. 28, offering prayers for elected officials, residents of every state, and the nation's future.

At Incarnate Word Catholic Church in Chesterfield, Missouri, parishioners will gather for an Election Eve Holy Hour on Nov. 2, with prayers emphasizing protection of human life and guidance for national leaders.

This story appears in the 2026 Midterm Elections feature series. View the full series.

First the Bishops prayed over President Trump; then they apologized to, well, just about everyone. Confusing to say the least!

 

Bishops apologize over ‘manipulated’ White House video of prayer over Trump

written by Kate Scanlon 

October 26, 2026

The White House grounds in Washington Oct. 24, 2025. (OSV News photo/Elizabeth Frantz, Reuters)

WASHINGTON (OSV News) — Multiple U.S. bishops who attended an Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump less than two weeks before the midterm elections offered their regrets after a video taken of the meeting circulated by the White House sparked controversy.

Critics said the video, showing a dozen Catholic bishops praying over Trump on Oct. 22 risked creating the appearance of an endorsement shortly before the midterm elections.

Archbishop Jeffrey S. Grob of Milwaukee, one of the attendees at the meeting, offered a public apology Oct. 25 and said the administration publicized the encounter “without the consent of the participants.”

“Please know that my intention was never to cause confusion, anger, or disappointment among the people entrusted to my care,” Archbishop Grob said. 

The meeting, Archbishop Grob said, “was in no way an endorsement of the president, his policies, or his party.” He said he saw it as an opportunity to “discuss matters of importance to the Church and our people, including immigration enforcement, religious worker visas, and human dignity.”

‘We were told meeting was to be a private discussion’

“We were told the meeting was to be a private discussion, that several Catholic members of the cabinet might make an appearance, and that there could be an opportunity to pray privately with the president,” he said. “I took some time to weigh the decision and ultimately felt that, if I had the opportunity to offer my voice in a way that might improve the lives of God’s children, I ought to take it. I pray for our elected officials on a daily basis, so it seemed appropriate to do so in person.”

Archbishop Grob said after a 90-minute discussion with White House domestic policy staff and advisers, “we were eventually ushered into the Oval Office,” where the “president greeted us.” 

“We were then directed to stand behind him and pray. After which several photos were taken and we were ushered out. Unbeknownst to the group of bishops a video was also taken,” he said. “But permission for the public distribution or posting of either the video or photos was not given by the bishops.”

After the video was circulated by the White House, Archbishop Grob said he started getting messages “of serious concern over the possibility that I had inadvertently participated in a political event less than two weeks before a national election.”

He said, “I also heard from some who felt wounded because of the ways they or their family had been harmed by the president’s policies.”

Catholic population has felt brunt of Trump deportation policies

The Catholic population in the U.S. has felt the brunt of the Trump administration’s mass deportation policies, a joint report from the National Association of Evangelicals, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops‘ Migration and Refugee Services, the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and World Relief estimated.

That report found more than 10 million Christians living in the U.S. would be vulnerable to deportation under Trump administration policies implemented in 2025, and 61% were Catholic. It found more than 1 in 6 Catholics are either vulnerable to deportation themselves or could see a family member deported, barring law or policy changes.

Denver Archbishop James R. Golka and a group of U.S. bishops pray over President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington in a video posted on X Oct. 22, 2026, by the administration’s communications staff. The meeting was confirmed by the Archdiocese of Denver in a statement that day. (OSV News screenshot/@MargoMartin47 on X)

 “I feel a heavy sadness, not only over the pain I caused, but also for the fact that something so sacred to a group of religious leaders, prayer to our Heavenly Father, would be manipulated in that way,” Archbishop Grob said. “We came in good faith to try to work for the betterment of our fellow human beings, to ease their suffering, to build up the common good, and to pray with a president, not to pose for a political photo opportunity to benefit the few.”

He added, “We should never have been put in that position by the White House. I did not go without reservations. I wish I had heeded them. Please know that I have heard these concerns, understand how I caused them, and I apologize for any damage my actions have done. We are, as ever, a pilgrim people. And that includes bishops.”

 Bishop William M. Joensen of Des Moines, Iowa, also expressed regret in a statement, saying he was invited to the meeting to “discuss policies spanning a variety of issues. These issues included immigration and the exploitation of vulnerable poor persons; visas for international clergy, incentives for restorative reproductive medicine and advancement of a culture of life versus access to abortion-causing medicines; and support for private education with newly available federal tax credits.”

Bringing Gospel, Church’s teachings to bear on contemporary matters

“As a bishop, I am frequently called upon to engage people whose positions and actions are not aligned with the Church’s teachings, including local and higher-level elected officials,” he said. “I regarded this invitation as a distinct opportunity on the Memorial of St. John Paul II to bring the Gospel and the Church’s teachings to bear on contemporary matters that impact people in our Diocese and beyond. There was also a concluding opportunity to pray for and with our president, that God would guide his heart and impel him to lead in a way consistent with the dignity of his office.”

The meeting came shortly after a recent survey by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center found Trump’s approval rating among U.S. Catholics has dropped from 47% at the beginning of his second term to 30% in October 2026. Among Hispanic Catholics, it dropped from 31% to 18%, and among white Catholics from 59% to 39% over the same period. 

It also came just weeks after many U.S. bishops strongly objected to a proposed and later canceled livestream of a military execution, and amid the ongoing war in Iran, which Pope Leo XIV has rebuked. 

Some of the Trump administration’s immigration policies have also prompted criticism from the USCCB, notably ‘indiscriminate’ mass deportations or policies that separate families. 

Administration’s record on life issues has met with mixed reception

The second Trump administration’s record on life issues has been met with mixed reception from Catholic leaders. They lauded a brief window of time where taxpayer funds were stripped from Planned Parenthood, but that funding has since resumed.

They also objected to the Trump administration’s attempts to expand in vitro fertilization, or IVF, and its approval of a second generic form of mifepristone, making a drug commonly used for first trimester abortion cheaper to acquire.

The Trump administration has also thus far declined to roll back the Biden administration’s eased restrictions on mifepristone, and has sought to block state challenges to it pending a safety review by the Food and Drug Administration that will not be concluded until after the midterms.

Bishop Joensen acknowledged that “there are many things tied to this present Administration that are blatantly at odds with our Catholic faith.”

“The advance communication we received indicated that we were to have a conversation and that key officials would be interested in hearing our perspective,” he said. “None of us bishops were unaware that our meeting was on the cusp of a national election. Yet in no way did any of us intend by our involvement to endorse any political party or any individual candidate.”

‘I pray I am more prudent and wise going forward’

He added, “That said, in retrospect, I would have done well to be more mindful of Jesus’ admonition: ‘Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves’ (Matthew 10:16). I wish I had been more shrewd and less simple, like those who exploited our meeting for partisan political purposes. I pray I am more prudent and wise going forward, even as I remain resolute in my openness to engaging and praying for political leaders at all levels.”

A spokesperson for retired Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas, said in written comments provided to OSV News the three-hour meeting “was organized by the White House Faith Office as part of its regular outreach to faith leaders.”

“During the far-ranging conversation, Archbishop Naumann voiced his principal concerns including the need for stricter regulation of the chemical abortion pill as well as the ethical and moral concerns surrounding In Vitro Fertilization (IVF),” the statement said. 

Topics raised at the meeting also included efforts to “protect children from the predatory pornographic industry that targets our youth,” and that industry’s ties to human trafficking, as well as “the protection of religious liberty, immigration as well as other issues,” the statement said. 

“The White House staff promised to share the concerns and recommendations raised during the session with President Trump,” the statement said. “Following the meeting, President Trump met with the bishops in the Oval Office for a 15-minute greeting. During the meeting, the President expressed his gratitude to the bishops for prayers asking God to bless and guide the President, his staff and the nation.”

Retired archbishop at White House ‘on his own behalf’

In a written statement provided to OSV News, Kansas City Archbishop W. Shawn McKnight said, “Archbishop Emeritus Naumann’s attendance to the White House on October 22 was done on his own behalf. His actions and presence at that event were not representative of myself or the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.”

After controversy over the video, Archbishop James R. Golka told the Denver Catholic, the archdiocesan news outlet, “Though I originally thought it would be a private meeting, I knew that it could be shared and that some might use it for political purposes.”

“But as I prayed about it, I thought that this is what Catholics do. We pray for people. No matter whether we agree or disagree on anything, we always pray for our country and leaders,” he said.

Archbishop Golka said that he understands “that many people saw the video, posted by the Administration twelve days before an election, as an endorsement.” 

“That was never my intention,” he said. “The bishops of the United States teach that the Church cannot champion any candidate or party. I hold to that. However you vote, you ultimately belong to Jesus who loves you infinitely more than you can imagine.”

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has long held that it will not endorse or oppose specific candidates for public office, instead referring Catholics to its document “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship” as a guide for discerning their choices at the ballot box. 

Chieko Noguchi, a spokesperson for the USCCB, told OSV News the organization had no role in the meeting.

The midterm elections are scheduled for Nov. 3. 

Bishops who prayed over President Trump was never intended to be political says Archbishop Golka

 

Catholic Leaders Say Meeting with Trump Wasn’t Intended to Be Political

A video of Catholic leaders praying with the president was shared by the White House. One archbishop said it was done without permission.

Archbishop James R. Golka during Mass earlier this year. The archbishop said he prayed about whether to accept the invitation to the White House.Credit...Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post, via Associated Press

By Mitch Smith

The video, not even 30 seconds long, showed several Roman Catholic bishops praying with President Trump last week in the Oval Office.

That footage, shared on social media by a White House official during the thick of election season, blazed across the internet and became entangled in the fractured politics of the country and the church.

Archbishop James R. Golka of Denver, who led the prayer, told a local Catholic publication that it “was never my intention” for the meeting to be seen as an endorsement.

One attendee, Bishop William Joensen of Des Moines, wrote afterward that “I wish I had been more shrewd and less simple, like those who exploited our meeting for partisan political purposes.”

Another, Archbishop Jeffrey S. Grob of Milwaukee, publicly apologized on Sunday and claimed that the video had been shared by the White House without the bishops’ permission.

“I feel a heavy sadness, not only over the pain I caused, but also for the fact that something so sacred to a group of religious leaders, prayer to our Heavenly Father, would be manipulated in that way,” Archbishop Grob wrote in an open letter. He added: “We should never have been put in that position by the White House.”

White House officials did not directly comment on Archbishop Grob’s claim that the video was shared without permission.

“There has never been a greater president for Catholic Americans than President Trump, and his strong record proves it,” Taylor Rogers, a White House spokeswoman, said in a statement when asked about the meeting. She said that the president had pardoned anti-abortion activists, “proudly defended and expanded our religious rights” and “stopped the weaponization of the federal government against Christians.”

The prayer itself — at least the snippet of it shared by the White House — was not explicitly political.

Archbishop Golka, with his hand on Mr. Trump’s shoulder, said, “Thank you for the gift of our great, beautiful nation; thank you for the gift of our government; thank you for the gift of this office of presidency. We lift up our president and ask your blessing upon him.”

The video, posted on X by the White House official Margo Martin, appeared to start mid-prayer and seemed to end before the archbishop had finished. Footage of the meeting was also posted on a Facebook page for Mr. Trump’s political operation with the caption, “FAITH FRIDAYS: This White House prays together.”

American Catholics are politically mixed.

Denver Archbishop James Golka prays over President Donald Trump alongside brother bishops at the White House on Oct. 22, 2026. | Credit: Photo courtesy of the White House

Pew Research Center data from 2023 found that about 52 percent of Catholics were Republicans or leaned Republican, and 44 percent were Democrats or leaned toward Democrats. Former President Joseph R. Biden Jr., a Democrat, and Vice President JD Vance, a Republican, are both Catholic.

Catholic leaders have historically called out presidential administrations of both parties for actions seen as contrary to the church’s teachings. Mr. Biden was often criticized for his support for abortion rights. And Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff, has often been publicly at odds with Mr. Trump.

Last year, Archbishop Grob and other Wisconsin bishops signed a letter voicing “strong concern regarding the indiscriminate nature of the current federal immigration enforcement.”

In his apology on Sunday, Archbishop Grob said he had been joined by 11 other bishops at the White House in a meeting organized by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative group. A Heritage Foundation spokeswoman, Marguerite Bowling, said the organization had not arranged the meeting but that one of its leaders was in attendance.

Archbishop Grob said he had been “told the meeting was to be a private discussion, that several Catholic members of the cabinet might make an appearance, and that there could be an opportunity to pray privately with the president.” He said he had not intended to endorse “the president, his policies or his party.”

“We came in good faith to try to work for the betterment of our fellow human beings, to ease their suffering, to build up the common good and to pray with a president, not to pose for a political photo opportunity to benefit the few,” Archbishop Grob wrote.

Bishop Joensen of Des Moines wrote that “there are many things tied to this present administration that are blatantly at odds with our Catholic faith,” but that he often engages with officials who hold differing views.

“None of us bishops were unaware that our meeting was on the cusp of a national election,” Bishop Joensen wrote. “Yet in no way did any of us intend by our involvement to endorse any political party or any individual candidate. That said, in retrospect, I would have done well to be more mindful of Jesus’ admonition: ‘Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.’”

In an interview with Denver Catholic, an archdiocese publication, Archbishop Golka described praying about the invitation.

“Though I originally thought it would be a private meeting, I knew that it could be shared and that some might use it for political purposes,” the archbishop said. “But as I prayed about it, I thought that this is what Catholics do. We pray for people. No matter whether we agree or disagree on anything, we always pray for our country and leaders.”

Mitch Smith is a Chicago-based national correspondent for The Times, covering the Midwest and Great Plains.