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The Prayer Ministry: A Parish Community Engaging in Faithful Gratitude and Support
The Catholic faith is rich with an abundance of ways to pray. These include the Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet, Lectio Divina, contemplative prayer, and, especially, the Mass. These different forms of prayer come from the Bible and Tradition. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus instructs us to pray together — “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). This command gives us insight into the power of praying with one another.
A newer ministry to the parish, the Prayer Ministry offers parishioners an opportunity to join other members of the ministry to pray together. This opportunity for intercessory prayer is offered after the Sunday Masses in the Pier Giorgio Frassati Room. Parishioners are invited to go to the room after Mass to pray with others.
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Leanne Bergford is heading up the organization of this new ministry.
“This ministry really comes from the heart of Fr. Jim to continue to make the center of our life around the Eucharist,” Leanne says. “We then reach out to people around that core of the Eucharist. We are available to be with people to pray with them. This is a prayer with them, not just for them.
“In a sense, this is not really new,” she adds. “It is an extension of what the parish already engages in. In our Perpetual Adoration Chapel, we have slips of paper on which people can write their prayer requests. Those prayer requests are then prayed over by adorers throughout the month. In the Prayer Ministry, folks will be invited, if they so choose, to write their prayer requests on a slip of paper to be added to those being brought before the Blessed Sacrament.
This praying with one another stems from the community that we are called to as Christians. When Christ began His mission on earth, He surrounded Himself with a community of disciples and followers — “He summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two” (Mark 6:7).
“We are called to do this in Scripture,” Leanne says. “Praying with people has been a part of my life for a long time, so this is just an extension of that.”
“This prayer is sacramental in the sense that you are connecting with other people,” she adds. “The Liturgy is really about the community’s worship. Then we can work more on an individual scale. We are blessed with a large parish, but it can be easy to feel disconnected in that. It is important for people to know that we walk together with them.”
This prayer opportunity is open to all parishioners.
“Sometimes during Mass, people’s hearts will be stirred,” Leanne says. “Or maybe they come to Mass with their hearts burdened. There is no stigma in sharing in prayer together, so I just really would encourage others to be open to the opportunity. Whether you have a specific need or just want to join others in prayer, all are welcome. You don’t have to have an impending crisis to come and pray. This is about experiencing God’s presence in another way.”
The Prayer Ministry has received a large response from its initial call for people to join the prayer team. If you feel God giving you a nudge to join the prayer team, please act on that nudge. There will be an orientation for those interested in joining.
“Being a part of the prayer team is about gratitude and seeing God for Who He is,” Leanne says. “It is about listening and just being there for another person in the spirit of the Lord. It is about being confident in God’s presence and His abiding love. Know that He loves and cares for the person who has asked you to pray with them.”
Ultimately, Leanne encourages parishioners to participate in this beautiful ministry of prayer and fellowship.
“It is very simple,” she says. “We have a very nice room off of the gathering space entrance. We have people available to pray with folks. The prayer room is open. Come, come for prayer.”
