Hallow’s Lent Pray40 Community Prayer Challenge for 2025
“If our desire for holiness is sincere, if we are docile enough to place ourselves in God’s hands, everything will go well. For He is always ready to give us his grace, especially at a time like this — grace for a new conversion, a step forward in our lives as Christians. We cannot regard this Lent as just another liturgical season which has simply happened to come around again… Jesus is passing by and He hopes that we will take a great step forward — today, now.” St. Josemaría Escrivá
This Lent, Hallow will once again launch its Lent Pray40 prayer challenge, beginning on Ash Wednesday.
Jonathan Roumie, Sr. Miriam James Heidland, Fr. Mike Schmitz, and Mark Wahlberg will serve as guides for the prayer challenge, whose theme will be The Way based on the powerful verse John 14:6 “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”
Drawing on the incredible writings of St. Josemaría Escrivá, author of The Way, we’ll follow Jesus into deeper faith every day this Lent.
As part of the prayer challenge, Cardinal Robert Sarah will lead Saturday sessions focused on meditation in silence, to find peace amidst the noise of the world, and Fr. Mike Schmitz will lead Sunday homilies.
Actor Chris Pratt will join guide Mark Wahlberg in sessions focused on fasting, one of the three pillars of Lent.
To help bring Escrivá’s advice to life, we’ll follow the story of Servant of God Takashi Nagai, a Japanese physician who survived the atomic bombing of Nagasaki in 1945. He survived, but his life was not without difficulty, heartbreak, and, ultimately, conversion.
As we meditate on the lives of those who follow Christ, we’ll see that despite the noise and distraction of today, Jesus died on the cross so that we might experience His love, His peace, and, ultimately, eternal life. We need only to follow His Way.
Past Pray40 Challenges
Last year, Pray40 focused on the book He Leadeth Me, the powerful story of Fr. Walter Ciszek.
We walked through the life-changing, spiritual classic He Leadeth Me, written by Fr. Walter J. Ciszek, S.J. Fr. Walter, a Jesuit priest and missionary, was imprisoned for more than 20 years in the Soviet Union, first in solitary confinement and then in a Siberian worker camp. Amidst some of the most brutal conditions imaginable, Fr. Walter underwent a profound spiritual journey. In fear, he found hope. In confinement, he surrendered his life to God.
In 2023, the Imitation of Christ inspired Pray40.
Daily readings from the 15th century book, written by monk Thomas a Kempis, were center to the Lenten prayer challenge. The book, which influenced the lives of countless saints over the centuries, is equally powerful today.
In 2022, Hallow’s Pray40 challenge focused on the Seven Last Words of Christ.
These seven “words,” which are actually sayings that contain multiple words, represent these seven themes: Forgiveness, Salvation, Relationship, Abandonment, Distress, Triumph and Reunion. They helped us keep our prayer focused on Jesus’s time on the cross, fixed on the incredible sacrifice He made for us.
Pray40 Resources for 2025
Go deeper with your experience going through the Pray40 Lent prayer challenge with additional resources available from Hallow.
The Way is a collection of profound spiritual advice from St. Josemaría Escrivá compiled in 999 categorized “points,” or considerations.
A Song for Nagasaki is a biography of Servant of God Takashi Nagai written by Fr. Paul Glynn, S.M.
Hallow partnered with Ignatius Press to create a special edition of A Song for Nagasaki for the Pray40 challenge, which you can purchase below.
Also check out Hallow’s blog on The Way, as well as our blog on A Song for Nagasaki.
SEE MORE: Lent Prayers for 2025 | What to Give Up for Lent | Ash Wednesday 2025 | Where to Get Ashes | Divine Mercy Chaplet | Lent 2025: Schedule and Important Dates | Good Friday 2025 | Stations of the Cross
Join the #Pray40 Lent Community Challenge
Spread the Word!
In 2024, nearly 2 million people joined Pray40, leading to Hallow reaching #1 overall in the App Store.
This year, we’d love for you to spread the word about Hallow’s Pray40 Lent prayer challenge, inviting others to pray every day leading up to Easter.
Visit the following link to download images that you can share via social media and elsewhere: