A heartfelt appeal to prayer continues to echo across the consecrated life and the wider Church following the grave attack in Papiri, Niger State, Nigeria. On 21 November 2025, armed men stormed St Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools, entrusted to the Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles, abducting 315 pupils and staff members. Around fifty children managed to escape in the immediate aftermath, while 265 people remained unaccounted for, among them nursery children as young as five.
In recent hours, a development has brought a glimmer of hope: around 100 hostages have been released. Families have welcomed the news with profound emotion, recognising it as a first step toward the restoration of the school community. Yet grave concern persists for the approximately 165 children and adults who remain in captivity, for whom the Church continues to implore protection and swift liberation.
For days, the community of Papiri has lived in a state of suspended fear and fragile hope. The Sisters in Nigeria, together with their communities across the twenty-one countries where the Congregation serves, remain close to the suffering of the families and accompany them in prayer and solidarity.
In this distressing context, Sr Mary T. Barron, Superior General of the Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles, has issued an appeal to the whole Church, calling for a global mobilisation of prayer on behalf of the abducted children, their teachers, and their families. “We believe that the strength of our communion, expressed through prayer and solidarity, can bring hope to those who suffer,” she writes.
The UISG therefore invites congregations, dioceses, and all people of goodwill to join in this united intercession. In this season of Advent, the plea rises with renewed intensity:
“Come, Lord Jesus, save your children and turn the hearts of the violent to peace. Amen.”
As the Canossian Daughters of Charity, we join in heartfelt solidarity with the families of Papiri and accompany in constant prayer the children, the teachers, and all those who remain in captivity, entrusting to God the grace of their swift and safe release.
The Canossian Mothers have promptly responded to the appeal of the International Union of Superiors General (UISG), joining the global network of prayer and solidarity for the school community of Papiri. With deep compassion, they uphold in prayer the children, the teachers, and all those who remain in captivity, entrusting to God the grace of their swift release and spiritually supporting the families who continue to live in fear and uncertainty.
The full message of the Superior General is available in the attached documents:
