The Prayer Partners: New Ministry Offers and Shares the Power of Prayer
Two parishioners each had the same idea to help us here at St. Francis Solanus, and thanks to the foundation of stewardship, we now have a Prayer Partners Ministry.
Cindy Reichert and Prudy Patterson independently saw the benefit of having a ministry to offer prayers for various intentions and were looking for a way to make it a reality. Our Stewardship Chair, Marcia Steinkamp, brought the two together, and now the Prayer Partners Ministry is beginning its mission.
“I have always wanted to do this at St. Francis,” Cindy says. “When I have attended other churches, I noticed that they had prayer requests listed in their bulletins. I thought that was so nice to give parishioners a chance to pray for a member of their parish family! I found out from a mutual friend that Prudy was interested in starting a prayer ministry also at St. Francis. So, we met and realized that we both were passionate about prayer. I feel truly blessed to have Prudy as a CoChair for this Ministry!”
“I have a close friend who’s a Methodist,” Prudy says. “Her church has been doing it, and a few times when I asked her to pray for intentions special to me, she always said ‘yes.’ I like the idea, and I thought we can do this at St. Francis.”
The ministry currently has more than a dozen members, and both coordinators expect it to grow.
“This prayer ministry is so important to our St. Francis Parish because it will bring us together as a parish family, by showing others that we care and will always lift them and their loved ones up in prayer whenever they need us,” Cindy says.
Although no set meeting has yet been determined, Cindy and Prudy are considering having the group meet once a month, most likely at 3:15 p.m. before the Wednesday adoration held before the 5:30 p.m. Mass.
Anyone with a prayer request may contact either Cindy or Prudy. If the intention is to be confidential, this request will be honored, and will be given as “a special intention.” The ministry members then are contacted through texts, emails, or phone calls with the prayer requests, and they offer the prayers on their own.
Cindy and Prudy worked to make this ministry possible because they both strongly believe in the power of prayer.
“The way the world is, we all need prayers,” Prudy says. “To me, prayer is the way of talking to God from your heart. Prayer is so important to me in relation with others. With this group, we show people we care about them and are compassionate towards them and their problems.”
“This prayer ministry is so important to our St. Francis Parish because it will bring us together as a parish family, by showing others that we care and will always lift them and their loved ones up in prayer whenever they need us,” Cindy says.
Not only did stewardship bring about this new ministry, but it also serves as a way to practice stewardship of time.
“This ministry is a great way to practice stewardship of time because you are making time to be a servant to others through prayer — not only at St. Francis, but our other parishes in our community,” Cindy says. “A week ago, I received a call from a parishioner at St. Anthony’s, and she belonged to the Prayer Ministry there. She was reaching out to all the parishes requesting prayers for a couple from their parish. I felt so blessed to be able to pass this on to our Prayer Partners. We are all one family, and it feels good to pray for all those in need.”
“This most definitely is a way to practice stewardship of time because you can pray anywhere or any time,” Prudy says. “If you are having a long day, you can offer a short prayer. This is what I like about it — say, if you’re traveling, you can still pray.”
“This most definitely is a way to practice stewardship of time because you can pray anywhere or any time,” Prudy says. “If you are having a long day, you can offer a short prayer. This is what I like about it — say, if you’re traveling, you can still pray.”
Even in its early days, the ministry has had an impact on the members in varying ways.
For Prudy, she recently received the good news that a prayer intention has seen a positive outcome, and this news has brought her joy.
“It makes you happy to help someone,” Prudy says.
Cindy believes that while she cannot comment yet on how the other prayer partners feel, it has deeply affected her faith in prayer and service for others.
“You always grow closer to Christ through prayer!” Cindy says.
Anyone in the parish can be a Prayer Partner by contacting either Cindy Reichert at 217-257-1627 or [email protected], or Prudy Patterson at 217-257-1177 or at [email protected].