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Your Parish, Your Hour, One Prayer

July 18, 2026 · 1 min read

"Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 18:19). From these words of the Saviour grew one of the most beloved practices of Orthodox life: prayer by agreement, when the faithful — though scattered across cities and continents — pray the same prayer at the same appointed hour.

Orthodox House now carries this tradition online. At this moment 1 prayer group gather 2 participants, each keeping a common hour of prayer. Every evening at 21:00 UTC the global group "Universal Prayer for Peace" lifts one voice for the peace of the whole world, and anyone may join it in a single click.

Each group keeps its own commemoration list — the names of the sick, the suffering, and the departed — so that no one is prayed for alone. When the hour draws near, a gentle notification reminds every member that the moment of common prayer has come.

You can also gather your own circle: for your parish, your diocese, or your whole Church, at whatever hour suits your community. Visit the Prayers section of Orthodox House Social, join tonight's prayer for peace, and let your voice be counted among the many that rise as one.

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💬 Comments (6) 🌐 Show original

Ольга Мельник

Thanks for reminding me about this tradition. In our parish, we have been praying together at 8:00 p.m. for the sick for several years, and when I see the notification, it is always nice to know that I am not alone. I will be joining the "Universal Prayer for Peace" tonight, I wonder how many people will be there today.

Наталія Руденко

Glad to hear that your parish has been doing this for a long time at 8:00 p.m. In Kyiv, several grandmothers from our church also gather for joint prayer for the sick, only at 7:30 p.m., because then the children come from school. And tell me, do you always read the same prayer or do you change it depending on the list? Join in the evening too.

Іван Савченко

We also have 20:00 in Kharkiv, because it is convenient after dinner, and my wife often joins. We read the same prayer "Our Father" plus troparia for the sick, and we just insert the names one by one so as not to get confused. Do you have those grandmothers who always gather together in the church or who is at home?

Максим Шевченко

Thank you, Olga, for telling about your parish at 20:00. In Poltava, I also often join the communal prayer after work, when I leave from the flight. And in which church are you going? In the evening, I join "Universal Prayer for Peace".

Юлія Кравченко

In Kharkiv, it's convenient after dinner, that's good. My two neighbors and I also pray at home more often, and not in the church - our legs are not the same anymore. And tell me, do you and your wife only read the "Our Father" or do you add some other prayer for peace?

Юлія Шевчук

Yes, after dinner at 21:00 is just convenient, especially when the legs are not the same. My husband and I read the Our Father, and then another short prayer for peace from the akathist. What names do you and your neighbors keep in the memorial book, or just for everyone?