Abduction at St Mary’s Schools, Papiri – A Call to Prayer and Solidarity

Shortly after 2.00 a.m. on Friday morning, 21 November, armed individuals entered the school grounds and forced their way into the dormitories. Students and staff were taken in darkness and confusion, leaving families and the wider community in profound shock. The Christian Association of Nigeria has confirmed that 315 members of the school community were abducted, including pupils from the primary and secondary schools as well as several teachers and staff.

Since the attack, at least 50 pupils have escaped and returned to their families. Their accounts have brought some relief amid the grief, yet approximately 253 children and 12 teachers remain missing. Local authorities, Church leadership, and community groups are working urgently, though cautiously, to secure their release. No group has formally claimed responsibility, and the situation remains unstable.

The impact on families and the wider community is immense. Parents have gathered in the parish compound and surrounding villages in vigil, waiting for word of their children. Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, clergy of the Diocese of Kontagora, and our own sisters in Nigeria continue to accompany families in these long hours of fear and uncertainty.

In her official press release, our Congregational Leader, Sr Mary T Barron, appeals for “prayers and spiritual solidarity from Religious Congregations, Catholic institutions, faith communities, and people of goodwill around the world.” She reminds us that while the situation is grave, our collective prayer carries strength, hope, and presence at a time when the community feels most vulnerable.

Her statement asks the global Church and all people of goodwill to hold the following intentions:

• For the safe and swift return of the children, students, and staff.
• For protection, strength, and consolation for families who wait in anguish.
• For safety and stability across the region, where communities continue to face growing insecurity.
• For a just end to violence, and for peace rooted in dignity, compassion, and the protection of the innocent.

Support has begun to emerge from across the world. Pope Leo has publicly appealed for the release of the abducted, noting that schools should be places of safety and learning. Interfaith leaders, including the Muslim Council of Elders, have condemned the attack outright and expressed solidarity with the affected families. These gestures point to a shared moral responsibility that transcends borders, faith traditions, and national boundaries.

As OLA Sisters, our mission is rooted in presence and accompaniment, especially in moments when hope feels strained. Our sisters in Nigeria remain close to the families, offering pastoral support, holding prayer gatherings, and keeping vigil with the community. Those of us elsewhere stand with them in spirit and prayer, trusting that God’s mercy and justice hold every one of these young lives.

For now, we ask you to join us in prayer. Hold these children gently in your heart. Remember the teachers who protected them and now find themselves among the abducted. Keep their families in your daily prayers. And pray for peace in a region where fear and instability have taken too much already.

May God protect the innocent, sustain those who wait in hope, and lead the captors toward justice and mercy. May every child and every staff member return home safely.