Groups of women pray for priests

By Tanya Connor |  The Catholic Free Press

Women in the Worcester Diocese have joined others around the world offering holy hours for priests through the Seven Sisters Apostolate.
The ministry is “a call to strengthen the Church by ensuring that a holy hour is prayed each day of the week for the sole intention of a specific priest or bishop - a ‘holy wasting’ (cf. Mt. 26:10) or lavishing of prayer for his deeper conformity to Christ,” according to its website www.sevensistersapostolate.org.
Ideally the holy hour is done in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. It is for whatever priest or bishop is currently serving the parish or other ministry; when a priest moves on, the group prays for his successor.
“This whole apostolate is a privilege,” said Kimberly Harmon, of Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish in Worcester, who helped start a holy hour for Father Donato Infante III, director of the Worcester Diocese’s Office for Vocations. “There’s a tremendous joy that comes from this kind of prayer, because we’re praying for our priests. We know how important our priests are for the diocese, but also for the Church, especially … now, where there’s so much suffering in our Church and our world.
“We pray that every single pastor in our diocese is covered in prayer” by many more women joining the apostolate. “It’s (about) all priests, but we really felt the Lord put on our hearts the pastors and the retired priests. …
“We know that the pastors are under a spiritual attack. … They play such an important role shepherding their flock.
“And then the retired priests – sometimes they’re the forgotten ones. As they prepare to meet the face of God, how beautiful it is to cover them in prayer.”
Ms. Harmon said she heard about the apostolate through Father Infante. She prayed about becoming involved and talked with him and with the apostolate’s founder, Janette Howe. 
On March 8 a group was formed to pray for Father Infante, with Ms. Harmon as the anchoress, or organizer. Father Infante celebrated Mass for the women and held a holy hour with them to pray for priests in the whole world, she said.
The apostolate’s website gives the following history of its origin.
In 2010, Ms. Howe had “sensed a nudge” to pray more for her pastor, Father Joseph R. Johnson, rector of the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul, Minnesota, who was supportive of her son studying for the priesthood. She began offering a weekly holy hour for the pastor.
“On March 24th, 2011, while in prayer for Father Johnson, Janette ‘heard’ the words ‘Seven Sisters’ in her heart,” the website says. She sensed that God “wanted to invite six others - seven in total - to offer one holy hour once a day for Father Johnson. “The Holy Spirit impressed upon Janette” that the holy hour should be just for the pastor and should ask for his deepening devotion to Mary.
She told Father Johnson, “who directed her to start the apostolate with seven churches - 49 women in total. By June of 2011, the first Seven Sisters groups made their one-year commitments under Janette’s oversight.”
Now the apostolate is praying for “priests and bishops at more than 1,350 parishes, chanceries, seminaries, hospitals, and other locations around the world,” the website says. It says the apostolate “is currently in the process of seeking approval from the Catholic Church as a private association of the Christian faithful.”
Ms. Harmon said she and Father Infante helped start a group for Father Nicholas Desimone, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Uxbridge, and she’s working on getting groups started in other parishes.
Father Infante was also instrumental in initiating the apostolate at St. Joseph Parish in Charlton, which has a group praying for the pastor, Father Robert A. Grattaroti, and one praying for the associate pastor, Father Charles P.O. Omolo.
“I recall hearing about the apostolate a few years ago,” said Lisa Diezel, anchoress for the group for Father Grattaroti. This past summer Father Infante, formerly St. Joseph’s associate pastor, asked her if she was familiar with it, since he knew “we have a strong eucharistic adoration devotion at our church,” she said. 
“I took it to prayer and decided to move forward with it,” she said. She contacted the apostolate and fellow parishioners and “it was very well received.”
On Aug. 15, the feast of the Assumption, 14 women prayed the apostolate’s commitment prayer after Mass, she said.
Their pastor and associate pastor joined them for the commitment prayer, Mrs. Diezel said. The focus of this “hidden,” though not secret, apostolate is prayer for priests, she said.
“It’s not meant to bring the attention to us,” she said. “It’s not meant to request or impose anything on the priests.”
New groups register with the worldwide apostolate, which sends emails for the anchoress to share with group members, Mrs. Diezel said.
“I’ve definitely felt graced and blessed to be able to serve in this ministry,” she said, adding that her own prayer life has grown.
“There is a role for men,” Mrs. Diezel said. Men can form a group to fast in support of the Seven Sisters.
Father Grattaroti said Mrs. Diezel told him weeks ago, “We’re going to be praying for you.”
“I’m overwhelmed,” he said. “I said, ‘This is outstanding!’ We priests in the Latin Rite are celibate … and it’s so wonderful that we have somebody” assuming a spiritual spousal role, doing what a wife would do for her husband – asking God to give him guidance, strength and perseverance.