Background: Pro Orantibus Day
November 21, 2025
On November 21, the memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Church commemorates Pro Orantibus Day (World Day of Cloistered Life), a day of prayer for cloistered religious. (“Pro orantibus” literally means “for the ones who pray.) Pope Venerable Pius XII established the commemoration in 1953; the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life recalled the day in a news release last year.
In 1997, Pope St. John Paul II described Pro Orantibus Day as “a day for cloistered women religious who are especially dedicated to prayer, in silence and recollection. I invite everyone especially to remember these sisters of ours who—as St Thérèse of Lisieux wrote—choose to abide in the ‘heart’ of the Church and need spiritual and material solidarity.”
On occasion, the popes have made reference to the day, as St. John Paul II did in 1997, Pope Benedict in 2006, and Pope Francis in 2018. In that year, Pope Francis also wrote a message for the day.
The Institute on Religious Life maintains CloisteredLife.com, a website devoted to the cloistered life. The site includes a directory of contemplative women’s monasteries in the United States.
For all current news, visit our News home page.
All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a current donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!
