Nearly 60,000 people signed up ahead of seven-day prayer series launching today.
Franciscan University of Steubenville President Father Dave Pivonka, TOR, is joining Father Mike Schmitz for “Rebuild My Church,” a new seven-day prayer challenge launching today on Hallow, the popular Catholic prayer and meditation app.
Nearly 60,000 people signed up for the challenge before its launch. Running October 5-11, the series invites Catholics to consider how Christ renews his Church through ordinary men and women who respond generously to his call.
The challenge takes its name from Christ’s famous words to St. Francis of Assisi: “Francis, go and rebuild my Church.” Through the series, Father Pivonka and Father Schmitz will introduce listeners to seven witnesses whom God has used to draw others closer to Christ and renew the life of the Church.
“St. Francis discovered that rebuilding the Church was not ultimately about repairing buildings. It was about allowing Jesus Christ to rebuild hearts and then being willing to go wherever he sent him,” said Father Pivonka. “That invitation is just as urgent today. The renewal of the Church begins when each of us asks the Lord what he is calling us to do and then has the courage to say yes.”
Each day, Father Pivonka will also offer practical ways participants can deepen their connection to their local Catholic communities and live the call to help renew the Church in their own parishes, families, and neighborhoods.
The challenge is designed primarily for adults and emphasizes that authentic renewal does not depend first on programs or perfect people, but on Catholics who allow themselves to be transformed by Christ and become instruments of his grace.
The collaboration brings together two of the most recognizable Catholic priests engaged in evangelization and formation today. Father Schmitz is a priest of the Diocese of Duluth and the host of Ascension’s The Bible in a Year and The Catechism in a Year podcasts. Father Pivonka, a Franciscan Friar of the Third Order Regular, has served as president of Franciscan University since 2019 and has spent decades preaching, teaching, and leading Catholics into a deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit.
The challenge also carries particular significance during the Jubilee Year of St. Francis, being celebrated January 10, 2026—January 10, 2027.
For Father Pivonka, the words Christ spoke to St. Francis remain a challenge for every generation.
“The Lord is still rebuilding his Church, and he chooses to do it through his people,” Father Pivonka said. “We do not have to wait for someone else to begin. The Holy Spirit is inviting every one of us to greater holiness, deeper communion, and more courageous witness. My hope is that this challenge helps people hear that invitation personally and respond.”
“Rebuild My Church” is available beginning today in the Hallow app.
