For us, Maryknoll Sisters, prayer is at the very center of our lives. Our Foundress, Mother Mary Joseph, rooted us in “faithfulness to times of prayer and being
constantly mindful of God’s presence in our hearts as the foundation of the missionary life we follow.” (MMJ, 1948)
Prayer is the foundation upon which all our ministries and good works—near and far—depend. With our changing numbers, we now have a number of Sisters
who are not in overseas service or who may be retired, and who devote themselves in ever-increasing ways to the ministry of prayer.
In 2003, we gave this the formal name of the “Maryknoll Sisters Prayer Ministry.” Each year, these Sisters are assigned one or more of our missions,
or a special intention, to specifically include in their prayers. Some pray for the missions they once served in, while others pray for general intentions or specific
intentions from our friends and benefactors.
The ceremony for the assignment of prayer intentions is held in one of our Chapels. Each Sister is formally “called forth” and given a card with her name and
prayer intention, which she keeps for the coming year. Last year four Sisters—Jean Yamashiro, Barbara Noland, Helen Werner and Jane Buellesbach—were asked to pray for our missions in Guatemala. Sisters Joy Esmenda, Mary Malherek and Maureen Meyer pray for Mother Earth, ecology and the environment, and Sisters Margaret Sehlstedt and Louise Elling pray for refugees.
In our missionary life, we strive to be “contemplatives in action.” For our Sisters in the Prayer Ministry, the days of active service in our missions has grown into an active prayer life for the good of all.
This is something you share in too, through your own prayers and your support of the Maryknoll Sisters. I can assure you that every Sister, and every person whose life
is made better through their work, understands the great and vital role you play—as if you were standing there working and praying beside them!
Thank you for your dedication and your friendship, and may God’s blessings reward you in this life and in the life to come!