San Diego, March 4 — Today as cardinals from around the world meet in Rome for the first time since Benedict XVI resigned as Pope, a Catholic organization has initiated an online Spiritual Bouquet of prayers and Mass intentions to give the faithful the opportunity to support, in prayer, the cardinals who will elect the next Pope.

Between now and the election of our next Holy Father faithful from around the world can join in contributing to a prayerful Spiritual Bouquet for the cardinals gathered in Rome to elect the next Pope. Spiritual Bouquets are prayers, devotional acts or good deeds that someone offers for someone else. This can be a number of Masses offered, Holy Communions offered, rosaries and, or, other prayers said. The idea is that each prayer is like a flower and that the group is like a bouquet mystically offered as a gift to God for a particular intention.

Thomas McKenna, the founder and president of Catholic Action for Faith and Family, the organization sponsoring the initiative, said that he conceived the initiative after speaking last week with Cardinal Raymond Burke, a long-time friend and episcopal advisor to the organization. “I asked Cardinal Burke if there was anything I could do and he responded that his only request was for prayers” McKenna said. “I understand that the most important roll of Catholics from all walks of life is to pray for the cardinals who will elect the next Pope” he continued. This power house of prayer intentions aims to unite Catholics to pray for the cardinal electors.

“This initiative is a blessing to Holy Mother Church and is testimony to the role of the laity in their aspiration to assist the Bride of Christ” stated Fr. John Trigilio, Jr., president of the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy and a popular EWTN program television host.

Faithful are asked to go to the Catholic Action website (CatholicAction.org) and register their prayer offerings. These offerings will be presented in Rome to the next elected pope.

For more information and to pledge prayer intentions for the Spiritual Bouquet go towww.CatholicAction.org.