The university and local communities are invited to a Candlelight Prayer for Peace at 8 p.m. Monday at the peace pole in front of the McGinley-Carney Center for Franciscan Ministry on the St. Bonaventure University campus.

The rain site is the Great Room of the McGinley-Carney Center.

“This is an opportunity for the university community to join with the Olean and Allegany community to remember that, as Franciscan people, the ways we speak and act on both the local and worldwide level are foundational to who we are,” said Alice Miller Nation, director of University Ministries.

“This can be a visual reminder that each of us has the ability to bring light to dark situations, in our lives as well as in the world. Setting aside violent words and actions in our daily lives offers a first step in peacefully resolving conflict and war in our world.”

Pope Leo presided today (April 11) at a prayer vigil calling for an end to the violence in the Middle East, Sudan and the Ukraine. Vigils throughout the world are being held to pray for peace and healing in our world, guidance for world leaders and solidarity with one another throughout the world.

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure is a community committed to transforming the lives of its students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a commitment to academic excellence and lifelong civic engagement. Out of 167 regional universities in the North, St. Bonaventure was ranked #8 for value and #19 overall by U.S. News and World Report (2025).