Prayer for Our Nation

Spirit Catholic Radio wishes you all a happy and safe Fourth of July! We invite you to join us in praying for our country. The following prayer comes from Catholic Online at catholic.org.

God our Father, Giver of life, 

We entrust the United States of America to Your loving 
care. 

You are the rock on which this nation was founded. 
You alone are the true source of our cherished rights to 
life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. 

Reclaim this land for Your glory and dwell among Your 
people.

Send Your Spirit to touch the hearts of our nation´s 
leaders. Open their minds to the great worth of human life 
and the responsibilities that accompany human freedom.
Remind Your people that true happiness is rooted in 
seeking and doing Your will. 

Through the intercession of Mary Immaculate, Patroness of our land, 
grant us the courage to reject the "culture of death." 
Lead us into a new millennium of life. 
We ask this through Christ Our Lord.

Amen

Blogged by Lisa Maxson, senior writer/reporter.

Mother's Day

Spirit Catholic Radio wishes all moms a Happy Mother’s Day this Sunday!

Below is a prayer for mothers, courtesy of MothersDayCelebration.com.

Most Gracious Heavenly Father,

We thank you for our mothers to whom you have entrusted the care of every precious human life from its very beginning in the womb.

You have given to woman the capacity of participating with you in the creation of new life. Grant that every woman may come to understand the full meaning of that blessing, which gives her an unlimited capacity for selfless love for every child she may be privileged to bear, and for all your children.

Watch over every mother who is with child, strengthen her faith in your fatherly care and love for her and for her unborn baby. Give her courage in times of fear or pain, understanding in times of uncertainty and doubt, and hope in times of trouble. Grant her joy in the birth of her child.

To mothers you have given the great privilege and responsibility of being a child's first teacher and spiritual guide. Grant that all mothers may worthily foster the faith of their children, following the example of Mary, Elizabeth and other holy women who follow Christ. Help mothers to grow daily in knowledge and understanding of your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and grant them the wisdom to impart this knowledge faithfully to their children, and to all who depend upon them.

Assist all "spiritual mothers," those who though they may have no children of their own nevertheless selflessly care for the children of others -- of every age and state in life. Grant that they may know the joy of fulfilling this motherly calling of women, whether in teaching, nursing, religious life, or in other work which recognizes and fosters the true dignity of every human being created in your image and likeness.

We beseech you to send your Holy Spirit, the Comforter, to all mothers who sorrow for children that have died, are ill or estranged from their families, or who are in trouble or danger of any kind. Help grieving mothers to rely on your tender mercy and fatherly love for all your children.

We ask your blessing on all those to whom you have entrusted motherhood. May your Holy Spirit constantly inspire and strengthen them. May they ever follow the example of Mary, mother of Our Lord, and imitate her fidelity, her humility, and her self-giving love. May all mothers receive your grace abundantly in this earthly life, and may they look forward to eternal joy in your presence in the life to come.

We ask this through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.

AMEN.

Blogged by Lisa Maxson, senior writer/reporter.

Praying for the Mission

There are many things that keep Spirit Catholic Radio on the air. Some are obvious, such as our radio towers, employees and funding and others are more "behind-the-scenes." 

The team at Spirit Catholic Radio feels that perhaps one of the greatest reasons the radio network has been able to broadcast the Gospel message for the past 15 years is through prayer.

Prayer is part of the Spirit Catholic Radio workday. Employees pray before meetings and meet for staff prayer in the Chapel of the Word Incarnate located in the Omaha studio, several times each week. They pray together for the mission of the organization, its listeners and many special intentions received at the radio station.

Just as important, Spirit Catholic Radio is blessed to have an incredible number of listeners that pray specifically for the mission. These listeners, known as prayer partners, are members of our Prayer Apostolate. Their prayer is essential in the keeping Catholic radio on the air in the heartland, allowing Spirit Catholic Radio to help others encounter Jesus daily.

How to become a member of the Prayer Apostolate
Spirit Catholic Radio invites you to become a prayer partner to the radio network. As a part of the Prayer Apostolate you will receive a monthly email with a prayer guide assisting you in praying for the mission of Spirit Catholic Radio. And as a member of our Prayer Apostolate, the staff at Spirit Catholic Radio comes together a number of times each week to pray for you. 

Click here to e-mail Kelly Miller, marketing and promotions manager, if you'd like to join the Apostolate or have any questions. Please note that we never share our listeners' e-mail addresses with third parties.

Blogged by Kelly Miller, marketing and promotions manager.

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