Dawn was a wish as Catholics made their way in darkness to St. Paul Seminary to begin a 40-hour prayer vigil for the G-20 summit.

The 40 hours of Eucharistic adoration in East Carnegie was one of many prayer gatherings for the summit. Bishop David Zubik celebrated the opening Mass, and later said the 6:30 a.m. turnout of about 100 was larger than he anticipated. At least two people will remain in prayer before the exposed blessed sacrament until 10 tonight.

Linda Nevins of Whitehall, an officer of the Legion of Mary, was thrilled that the Catholic Men's Fellowship had organized it.

"We're praying that the leaders of the world will realize that life must be treasured. It is not a commodity," she said.

Two hours later the chapel at LaRoche College opened for Buddhist meditation, sponsored by the Zen Center of Pittsburgh. The only sound was water splashing from a fountain in an adjacent prayer room.

The Rev. Kyoki Roberts, head priest at Deep Spring, had covered the altar with a soft, green cloth and placed bowls of incense around it. Paper was nearby for people to write their intentions for the G-20. When the meditation ends at 9 p.m., they will be read aloud, and then burned to release them to the world.

Gary Crouth of Squirrel Hill, chairman of the Zen Center, had prepared a series of short readings on peace, from authors as diverse as Fred Rogers and the Persian poet Hafiz.

"This is an opportunity for people to come and sit quietly. Rather than talk about peace or argue about peace, we can be peace," he said.

In Uptown, the sanctuary of Shepherd's Heart, an Anglican parish for the homeless, was rocking. Evangelicals and Pentecostals had been in round-the-clock prayer since 7 p.m. Wednesday, ending at 7 tonight. A band played as 50 people raised their arms to heaven in prayer. At times homeless people slept on the floor around them.

Archbishop Robert Duncan of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh (Anglican) and Pentecostal Bishop Joseph Garlington of Covenant Church of Pittsburgh in Wilkinsburg, led the congregation in noon prayer, swaying together to the songs as they prayed aloud above the music.

Karen Phillips, an administrative assistant from Greensburg, told the congregation that she felt the history of conflict between many G-20 nations.

"Each one has built a wall. They know how to walk into a room and greet one another, but in their hearts, the walls are up," she said. "I pray that true feelings and emotions will be exchanged, and that in that exchange there will be healing."

While many Downtown businesses were boarded up, the door to Smithfield United Church of Christ stood open. Inside, on the floor of the church, was a labyrinthine path made from tape, intended for people to walk along as an act of journeying toward God. The labyrinth is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. through Sunday.

The hall was dimmed, and candles burned at several prayer stations. At the final one was a globe, which people were to spin and then stop with their finger, praying for the people or creatures wherever their finger landed.

"It's a walking meditation," said the Rev. Douglas Patterson, the senior pastor. "We hope that people will find it a guide to their prayers for the G-20 and for world peace."