4 minute read
Prayer Chain Brings Individual Needs to Christ in a Powerful Way: “The Key to God’s Heart”
It is no secret that we all go through hard times in life. We live in a fallen world marred by sin — therefore, life is not perfect. Yet, God has not left us to navigate this world alone. He’s given us the grace of the sacraments and created us for community wherein we are lifted up when life gets hard, through the love and prayers of others. And here at Queen of the Holy Rosary, we are particularly blessed with a community of believers intent on bringing our hardships to Jesus.
For over 30 years, our Prayer Chain Ministry has offered constant prayers for the needs of our parish, bringing our individual needs to Christ together as a parish and trusting that He will take care of them.
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“I really believe that prayer is the key to God’s heart,” says Doris Kapsch, coordinator of our Prayer Chain Ministry.
Doris and fellow parishioner, Carolyn Pate have both been involved in the Prayer Chain since its inception, and they have been running it together since the original coordinators stepped down — longer than either of them can remember.
“When the original coordinators stepped down because they were moving away, they asked me if I would head it up,” Doris says. “I had never done anything like this before, but I knew it was an important ministry. So, of course, I said yes. Then I reached out to Carolyn and asked her if she would help me, and she readily agreed.”
Together, the two orchestrate the ministry of over 70 prayer warriors. They take phone calls, listen to people’s prayer requests, and then pass the requests on to the other members of the ministry who take time out of each day to offer prayers for the specific requests.
“We pray for anyone and anything,” Doris says. “The needs can be big or small. We just want everyone to know we are here, and we will pray whenever you need us to.”
“Everyone has a need for prayer, and we are here to pray,” Carolyn adds. “If you can get 70 more people to pray for your needs, that is a great blessing.”
Christ Himself emphasized the power of praying together when he proclaimed, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there I am in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).
Prayer changes things, and both Doris and Carolyn say that they have witnessed miracles happen because of our Prayer Chain. God is here — He cares for our needs, and He wants us to bring them to Him.
“In addition to the prayers for healing or other needs, many people have called with prayers of thanksgiving,” Doris says. “They call and tell us that a need that we were praying for has been taken care of, and they want to praise God for that.
“This is a powerful ministry,” Carolyn adds. “It really is so simple. You just offer prayers for others. You really don’t have to put in any extra effort, but it brings all of us together in a very powerful way as a community.”
Doris and Carolyn encourage all of us to get involved. Call in your prayer requests. Offer your time to pray for others. This simple effort yields incredibly big results!
“It feels so good to be a part of something like this,” Doris says. “It is heartwarming to know you are helping others in this way.”
