This Week’s Ask Alice: On-line prayer services

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Brian asks: Is there a list of prayer services on-line, that will accept prayer requests and actually conduct the praying requested. (There must be an element of trust here.) Kind of like lighting the candles in church with a prayer request, but on-line. Do you think this works, that the service actually prays the individual request, or is it lumped together and “here are the prayer requests for today”. What are the top sites that will take your prayer requests?

Alice answers: Two online prayer services, which are both prayerful and personal, are International Compassion Ministry (prayers@frrookeyicm.org) and OurPrayer (ourprayer@email.ourprayer.org.) At various times, I have contacted each of these groups and was moved by the healing touch of each ministry.

International Compassion Ministry was founded in 1987 by Fr. Peter Mary Rookey, a Servite priest who has the gift of healing. Scores of miracles around the globe have been attained through his prayerful intercession. Prayer requests are presented both online and by phone. From 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, Fr. Rookey is in his office and prays with callers by phone at (708) 748-MARY. A family member and two friends were healed through Fr. Rookey’s intercessory prayers.

OurPrayer is a faith community, which offers online prayerful support 24 hours a day. This prayer group, founded 50 years ago, is part of the Ruth Stafford Peale Prayer Power Network. Its motto is “over 50 years of praying for others by name and need.” Volunteers from OurPrayer will send a personal email response if you request one.

Personally, I’m not much of an online prayer service devotee. When desperate for the aid of prayer warriors, I contact several of my praying friends, who contact their praying friends, who contact their friends, then together, we storm Heaven.

My favorite method for seeking special help from God, is to call collect His Heavenly Hotline. Why dial directory assistance ( a prayer service) when you can speak directly to our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament? It’s not the number of people praying that determines the outcome of our pleas. God hears even the shortest prayer and commits each petition to His Sacred Heart. Remember, also, that Jesus, Mary, our guardian angels, and all the saints are available to hear our pleas and intercede for us with our Heavenly Father.

“He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him.
I will be with him in trouble.
I will deliver him and honor him.”
(Psalm 91:15)

In Christ’s Love,

Alice

Doug Lawrence adds: The Archdiocese of St. Louis maintains a very good, easy to use prayer request site. Another great site offers perpetual Masses, for an optional, voluntary donation of one Hail Mary (a super deal!) We at Ask Me About God Catholic Ministries also maintain a comprehensive prayer list, currently including daily intentions for some 1188 souls.

Please remember us in your prayers, too. Thank you!

Click here to see all of Alice’s other columns

Never before published sacramental records from St. Louis Cathedral paint a picture of church life before Louisiana was a state.

Saving the souls of the slaves:

The Archdiocese of New Orleans has done something historic, with a hi-tech twist. Centuries old records of slaves and free people of color in New Orleans are now available on its website.

Archbishop Gregory Aymond wanted this unveiling of years of work to be a tribute to the struggles of African-Americans on this first day of Black History Month.

“To read in a history book is one thing but to look at this and say ‘this is a person, a person that has a name and didn’t even have a surname.’ It says a great deal,” Aymond said.

Read more

Editor’s note: People often criticize the Bible for portraying slavery, yet those same people fail to realize that the primary mission of Jesus Christ (and his universal Church) is to free mankind from eternal slavery to Satan, sin, and death.

Slavery is a terrible thing. In fact, the only thing worse than human slavery (which is at least, finite and temporary) is the eternal slavery of a supernatural kind, which was in-store for all of us, if Jesus Christ had not come and destroyed Satan’s power, re-opened the Gates of Heaven, and made the peace between man and God.

The Catholic Church has been in the business of savings souls … no matter whether those souls belonged to free men or to slaves … since the very beginning. And it also did whatever was in its power to bring an end to slavery, on this earth.

Perhaps the Archdiocese of New Orleans on-line registry will help put all those efforts in the proper perspective.

Watch Vatican Holy Week and Easter Liturgies on-line

Visit the site

WWII Vatican Documents now available on-line

View them (.PDF format)

Most are not in English.

On-line dictionary of Catholic terms

Visit the site

FREE Downloadable Catholic E-Book Collection On-Line

Visit the site

Take some time out to enjoy a beautiful animated on-line Christmas Card

Click to enjoy!

Submitted by Doria2