Father Gabriel Waweru speaks on the St. Monica Persistent Prayers group at a Gospel Around the Grill event in August. (Photo courtesy of Mari Holderness)
Many people have experienced the pain of having loved ones leaving the faith. Mari Holderness had an idea to help do something about it.
When she shared, at a charisms home group, her idea for helping parishioners in her mission field pray for their loved ones, she got an enthusiastic response, especially from Angie Gadacz.
“No, that’s something really important to do,” Gadacz said.
Gadacz said that while assisting with the diocesan Let’s Listen sessions carried out in the Brainerd area, she had heard frequently the hurt people experienced watching their children or other family members walking away from the faith.
Now, in light of Bishop Daniel Felton’s emphasis on bringing the healing, hope, and joy of Jesus to our families, parishes, and communities, this was an area of need. It’s a healing initiative.
“I said this is something that we really need to address, and this is a great way to do it,” Gadacz said.
That “way,” Holderness said, was to have a St. Monica prayer group but not have meetings, “because people are busy.” Instead, the idea was to do it through email. Prayers would be sent to people, and they would pray those prayers on their own, only getting together once in a while.
One problem: Holderness said she didn’t have much in the way of computer skills. “But she does!” she said of Gadacz.
Their mission field is comprised of both the north and south clusters of Brainerd-area parishes, including St. Francis, All Saints, St. Andrew, and St. Mathias. Having already gained the support of Father Michael Garry, pastor in the northern cluster of parishes, Holderness and Gadacz reached out to Father Gabriel Waweru, pastor in the south cluster.
Holderness said he was “over the moon” in support of the initiative.
Father Waweru helped to further refine and flesh out the idea, and St. Monica Persistent Prayers was born. Launched this past June, the group takes inspiration from St. Monica, who famously prayed with great persistence for the conversion of her wayward son, the future St. Augustine.
In addition to the weekly emails with prayers — many of them drawn from the traditional prayers of the church — the mission field includes an intention related to the intentions of the group at all Masses one weekend a month and has an annual Mass and gathering.
Father Waweru also gave a talk about the group at a popular faith formation event called Gospel Around the Grill. He also wrote a column about it in the local Lakes Catholic magazine.
Father Waweru said the group had its first annual meeting in September, and it was evident it’s bearing fruit. “People are praying,” he said.
He noted that encouragement and hope were shared, that some experienced the beauty of not feeling alone in this experience, that they have “brothers and sisters in the same boat.”
In some cases, there was even a dynamic of prayers being answered in unexpected ways, where instead of a particular family it’s a neighbor asking about becoming Catholic. Father Waweru said the best outcome is to be drawn closer to God, and through that more people will be brought closer to him through you.
“God is doing whatever he wants through our prayers.”
Holderness said the gathering showed enthusiasm and gratitude among the people already participating. “People shared their concerns for their loved ones,” she said. “They’re just hungry to get their people back to church, not just family but friends, people in other states.”
“There’s so much hurt and pain,” she added. “When you see your kids not going to church, it hurts. … I think people have been wanting something like this because of the pain.”
Gadacz said some people are finding that the prayers are bringing people a measure of peace as they let go of guilt, realizing that “it’s not really our fault” when loved ones leave the faith.
The name “Persistent Prayers” reflects a certain commitment. “We know we’re in it for the long haul, and God is working in the lives of those we’re praying for,” Gadacz said.
Gadacz said there are currently about 160 people receiving the weekly email. Others, such as parishioners in nursing homes, are able to get a printed booklet, and the website for the parishes has a version that can be downloaded containing the prayers for every week until the end of the year.