The third “Catholic Prayer for America” Gala has taken place in Washington DC. Held on 19 March at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, DC, on the feast of St Joseph, the event was organised by Catholics for Catholics, a group founded in 2022 which describes its mission as promoting the evangelisation of the United States through prayer, media and political engagement.
In its official material, Catholics for Catholics stated: “Prayer is at the heart of what makes America great. Throughout our history we have seen the power of prayer at work, and we need Catholics united to pray for the future of our great nation.” The statement added that from “the frozen hills of Valley Forge to the overflowing churches on the morning of D-Day 1944, Americans have knelt down in prayer to beseech the Almighty for help.”
The evening brought together a range of speakers, including General Michael Flynn, Candace Owens, Matt Walsh, Eduardo Verástegui and Joe Kent, alongside musical performances and devotional elements. Central to the event was the presentation of the “Catholic Champion Award”, an honour associated by organisers with the Marian apparition of Our Lady of Champion, in which Adele Brise was instructed to teach the faith to children in what was then described as a “wild country” with the assurance, “Go and fear nothing, I will help you.”
This year’s recipients of the award were Eduardo Verástegui and Carrie Prejean Boller, both figures who have been prominent in their respective political and cultural spheres in North America. Their recognition formed part of a wider pattern in which the gala has become a platform for voices that have attracted both support and criticism in the national conversation.
Particular attention in the days leading up to the event focused on Joe Kent, whose appearance came shortly after his resignation as director of the National Counterterrorism Center. Appointed in July 2025, Kent had served less than a year before stepping down in March 2026 in protest at the decision of the Trump administration to initiate military action against Iran.
Speaking during the gala, Kent framed his position in moral terms, stating: “I will not, in good conscience, send young men and women off to die on foreign battlefields.” He also said that the United States had “absolutely no vital interest in a war against Iran”, reflecting a strand of opinion within conservative circles that has become increasingly critical of foreign intervention.
The following day, he published a resignation letter, writing on X that the US entered the war amid “pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby”. His remarks echoed the reasoning he had set out in his resignation, where he maintained that his conscience would not allow him to support policies he believed required misleading the American public.
Carrie Prejean Boller’s presence at the gala likewise followed a period of public controversy. Appointed in May 2025 to the Religious Liberty Commission, she was removed from the body in February 2026 after remarks made during a hearing on antisemitism prompted criticism.
During that hearing, she questioned witnesses on the relationship between Catholic teaching and Zionism, stating: “Catholics do not embrace Zionism, just so you know. So are all Catholics antisemites?” She also asked those testifying whether they were “willing to condemn what Israel has done in Gaza”, remarks which contributed to the decision by the commission’s chairman to remove her from her position.
Prejean also defended media figures against allegations of antisemitism, saying: “I watched her show [Candace Owens], and I have never heard anything out of her mouth that is anti-Semitic. So I’m not going to make a statement on something that I haven’t heard the full context of.”
Catholics for Catholics describes itself as a movement of “passionate activists” and states that while it is engaged in public action, “we know that without prayer our work is in vain”, citing the Gospel of John: “If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
Organisers have also pointed to increased media scrutiny of the event, noting that “particular media personalities and politicians have derided our organisation, its mission, and the speakers of this event”. This attention has contributed to the growing profile of the gala, which organisers claim now surpasses more established gatherings such as the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast.
While the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast has traditionally sought to maintain a broad and less overtly partisan character, the Catholic Prayer for America Gala has adopted a more explicitly political tone, placing Catholic engagement within the wider context of American public life.
A video message was also delivered by Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, who addressed the gathering in support of the aims of Catholics for Catholics, reinforcing the event’s emphasis on prayer and public witness while situating its mission within the wider context of the Church’s teaching.
