Sisters’ prayers a source of strength year round

Despite the cold weather of late fall and early winter, Sister Mary McDermott helped a tree grow at Maple Mount.

It was not a tree that needed watering or soil. It needed prayers.

Sister Mary volunteers in the Mission Advancement office. Each fall during the annual appeal campaign, the Development staff also urges the Ursuline supporters to submit their prayer requests. The campaign has a different theme each year, but regardless, the prayer requests are hung on a tree in the front vestibule of the Mount Chapel.

me of how many people need our prayers,” Sister Mary said. “It’s very humbling being a part of that. I read the intentions as I put them up. I’m very aware of how much our prayers are needed, and how much we depend on each other.”

“We pray for the intentions during Mass each day. I’m very aware of how much our prayers are needed, and how much we depend on each other.”

The prayer requests are not a seasonal event. After the tree came down at Epiphany in January, Sister Mary placed the prayer cards in a basket in the chapel, so they are not forgotten. This basket is used throughout the year, so anytime a supporter asks for prayers, it is passed onto Sister Mary, who fills out a prayer card and places it in the basket.

- Sister Mary McDermott

“When donations come in, Carol Braden-Clarke – the director of Development – gives me the prayer card, I cut it and put it on the tree,” Sister Mary said in January. “We had so many this year, I had to put them back to back. People are very generous every year.”

The 2022-23 annual appeal theme is “Serve with Joy,” and the prayer card features a colorful butterfly, a symbol of the personal transformation possible through Ursuline ministries.

“Every prayer request I hang on the tree reminds

“We pray for the intentions during Mass each day,” Sister Mary said. “Some Sisters will take a stack of cards to sit and pray with.”

The term “thoughts and prayers” has become cliché for some, at times dismissed as hollow words with no action. Sister Mary said the Ursuline Sisters take praying for the intentions of others very seriously.

“It’s important for people to know that the Sisters are praying for them,” Sister Mary said. “It’s an honor to be entrusted with these prayers.”

To send a prayer request any time, visit www.ursulinesmsj.org/prayer-requests or email prayer.msj@maplemount.org