One of the dreams that I have for us as a parish is that we can more and more be a faith community where the healing power of the Lord can be experienced. There is plenty of suffering going on in town, in our families: illness, addictions, money issues, lack of self-esteem, family problems, relationship problems, hurts, anger, loneliness, and loss. Often there is the loneliness of suffering alone. There can be suffering going on behind closed doors. There can be shame and secrecy related to some of these issues. 

Here at Little Flower we wish to offer a variety of prayer services or rituals where people can gather with others going through similar pains. We can gather to acknowledge that people are suffering in these ways and that we choose to, in a spirit of faith, hope and love, to not be alone; to support each other in our afflictions; to be Jesus for one another.

Here are some of the areas: Parents of children with special needs; All Souls/Bereavement; Couples Desiring Children; “Blue Christmas” Depression at Holydays; People Living with Addictions; Anger/hurt with God/Church; “In the Middle”: Caring for Children and Older Parents; Caregivers; Infant and Pregnancy Loss; and others. 

After we have the prayer service, the staff can find out if the participants would like to follow up the time of prayer with a support group that can last one session or more.

The Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy are a part of our Catholic Church. They are based on the words of our Savior and Healer, Jesus Christ and on Church practice since the time of the Apostles. I call you forward to share in these times of healing whether you are suffering now or have suffered in the past. Together, let’s be the healing presence of Jesus with and for one another.
 
 Fr. Andy Prachar