AIS

Prayer has often been considered as a social archaism, but it still represents one of the most common practices that manifests itself in different ways. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the practice of prayer and its significance in the largest system of Prayer Groups in the world. The Prayer Groups of Padre Pio are very strong in Italy but they also encompass 60 countries and involve thousands of groups. The results of this study suggest a concept of prayer that goes beyond the traditional definition of coping and embraces more complex sociological categories such as those of the relationship.