Lenten Prayer Walk

When the weather is nice, Mary Lou Alfieri takes a daily walk around her Papillion neighborhood and prays a rosary for the people who live on her street. 

She’s been doing this for about seven years – ever since her parish, St. Columbkille, did it as a Lenten program. Most people stopped when Lent was over, but Mary Lou continued.

St. Columbkille Parish is doing this project again for Lent, and already 50 people have signed up to participate, said Sister Jean Marie Faltus, religious formation director for the parish. From now until Easter, people are invited to walk their street every day or as often as possible and to pray with the “eyes of Jesus ,” she said.

“Try to see what Jesus would see if he was walking down your street,” she said. “We want the entire parish covered with prayer.”

Sister Jean Marie said prayer walkers are to pray for God’s purpose to be lived in every person’s life, God’s preparation for each person’s heart during this Lenten season, God’s presence in each person’s life and God’s grace to be released in the parish, homes, school and places of work.

Mary Lou said she likes praying for her neighbors, especially if her prayers are helping others. If she can’t walk outside, she prays for them at home and at daily Mass, she said.

“Who knows who’s out there in need of prayer,” she said. “I hope that my prayer helped someone feel good that day.”

In conjunction with the prayer walkers project, parishioners at St. Columbkille will read the same book during Lent, Sister Jean Marie said.

Members of the parish’s 25 faith sharing groups involved in the Spirituality-Faith Alive program will read “Encouraging Change,” by Father Joseph Siksica and use an accompanying journal written by Sister Jean Marie. This year they’ve extended the invitation to read the book to all parishioners. So far 100 additional books have been purchased by parishioners not involved with the faith sharing groups, Sister Jean Marie said, which means more than 500 people are set to participate.

“The thing I’m asking everyone who reads the book to do is change one little thing in their lives,” Sister Jean Marie said. “We really need this dome of prayer to keep everybody going during the season.”

Blogged by Lisa Maxson, senior writer/reporter