Following the September 11, 2001, attacks in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania, students from nine Catholic elementary schools on Chicago's northwest side and in the western suburbs gathered together to pray. The schools collaborated on a project to count one million prayers for world peace. On Tuesday, May 27, a service commemorating the culmination of those one million prayers will take place at St. Cyprian School in River Grove at 1:30 p.m.

"After September 11, our students wanted to do something to help all of the people who were affected by the tragedy. We collaborated with the eight local schools in our school council and began counting prayers daily. Each school gave a report at our monthly council meetings so that we could keep track of the prayers of every student and faculty member in each of the schools," said Sr. Kathleen Klingen, O.P., principal of St. Cyprian. "Seven of the nine schools chose a continent to pray for, one school is praying for the world and one school is praying for the universe. We reached one million prayers in February, but the students continue their commitment to pray for peace."

On May 27, students and faculty members will gather at each of their respective schools to pray before sending student representatives to St. Cyprian. Schools participating in the million prayers for peace program are:

• Divine Savior School, 7750 W. Montrose Ave., Norridge., Ill
  
• St. Beatrice School, 4141 Atlantic Ave., Schiller Park, Ill.
  
• St. Celestine School, 3017 N. 77th Ave., in Elmwood Park, Ill.
  
• St. Cyprian School, 2651 N. Clinton St., River Grove, Ill.
  
• St. Francis Borgia School, 3535 N. Panama Ave., Chicago
  
• St. John Vianney School, 27 N. Lavergne Ave., Northlake, Ill.
  
• St. Maria Goretti School, 10050 W. Ivanhoe Ave., Schiller Park, Ill.
  
• St. Priscilla School, 7001 W. Addison St., Chicago
  
• St. William School, 2559 N. Sayre Ave., Chicago

The student representatives from each school will gather in St. Cyprian's lobby to place their lit candles, which represent God's peace, around blessed water, which symbolizes baptism and the oceans of the world. Students from each school will take turns praying for peace in each of their continents and will gather in a circle to sing songs of peace. In addition, the students will attach their physical depictions of the continents, the moon, sun and stars on a bulletin board in the school's lobby so that they can bless the world.

Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic Schools
The Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of Chicago play a critical role in the life of the community by developing the minds and spirits of nearly 123,000 students of many races, faiths and backgrounds in the 290 elementary and secondary schools in Cook and Lake counties. There are more than 6,000 teachers in the Catholic school system who instill values, teach discipline and achieve strong, consistent academic results in the Archdiocese of Chicago's 248 elementary and 42 secondary schools. Visit the Archdiocese of Chicago Website at http://schools.archchicago.org