St. Paul tells us “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” This is a command that we ought to be striving for both personally, and as a parish community. But what exactly does that look like? Simply put, having a culture of unceasing prayer means everything the parish does is steeped in prayer. You can think of this culture being a three legged stool. Unless all three are present, the stool will wobble and fall.
Personal Prayer
To truly have a culture of unceasing prayer, each parish leader must have a personal prayer life – a consistent habit of taking time for silence and solitude with the Lord. You simply cannot lead and minister well to others if you are not cultivating your own relationship with the Lord daily. Many leaders are eager to grow but don’t know how to begin. Show them. Teach them how to pray with Scripture using lectio divina, or offer a simple workshop on silent prayer. Invite them to commit to a weekly holy hour. With so many resources available today, support is easy to provide. You cannot force a person to develop a daily prayer life, but you can teach, challenge, encourage them – the Holy Spirit will do the rest.
Communal Prayer
Too many parishes feel more like a DMV than an outpost of evangelization, and that is largely because they lack communal prayer practices that set them apart. This doesn’t require a lot of time—just a simple, intentional rhythm that shows everyone, including those who work in the parish or stop by the office, that this mission belongs to the Lord, so we turn to Him often.
Practices like starting the work day in prayer together, beginning meetings with more than an Our Father, stopping to pray the Angelus, gathering for a Chaplet of Divine Mercy in the afternoon, or just taking time to connect and pray for the petitions of the parish are examples of what this rhythm can look like. The form of prayer doesn’t matter as much; what matters is that your staff and leaders pray together in a meaningful way.
Spontaneous Prayer
We often offer to pray for the intentions of others, but imagine going one step further and asking, “Can I pray for you right now?” If that makes you uncomfortable, you’re not alone. Spontaneous prayer is probably the most challenging and foreign aspect of unceasing prayer for many staff and parish leaders, but what if when a mom came into the parish office to get a baptismal form your parish secretary offered to pray for her; or when a dad called to talk about signing up his child for religious education your DRE took a moment to ask how he’s doing and closed by offering to pray for his family. What if it wasn’t just the pastor who was offering to pray for others, but everyone from your DRE, business manager, and secretary on down to your catechists, ushers, and bulletin distributors . It doesn’t require fancy words, just genuine love for others and the courage to try.
Why This Matters
What kind of impact would it have on the life of your parish if your office was infused with a communal rhythm that punctuated the day and week with meaningful prayer times, if every one of your parish leaders had a rich, daily prayer life, and was on the lookout for opportunities to pray with people? Now that’s starting to sound like a culture of unceasing prayer! Anyone seeking something from the parish is seeking more than just a form. If your leaders are ready, they can lead people into a profound encounter with Jesus. That’s what a culture of unceasing prayer looks like, and it’s a culture that every parish should aspire to create.
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