Praying for priests made easy in ‘Seven Sisters’ effort

By Christine Bordelon
Clarion Herald
 

“You will get the nudge,” said Diane Pabst, to be a member of the Seven Sisters Apostolate, a lay women’s group that commits to a holy hour in adoration every day of the week for a specific priest, parochial vicar or even a bishop.

Pabst, co-coordinator of the Archdiocese of New Orleans’ Seven Sisters Apostolate, was attending a retreat when she was approached about participating in the apostolate. She went to the website and truly felt this was something she wanted to do, and she organized the first group in the archdiocese in October 2021.

“It has been a gift to me,” said the St. Clement of Rome parishioner and cradle Catholic. “This holy hour is offered solely for the intentions of a priest. You do not pray your personal intentions. (The priest) is not part of your holy hour. He is your holy hour.”

Pabst and other busy women enjoy the freedom this ministry gives them to contribute their prayerful participation at their leisure.

“You choose your day, and you choose your hour – any time during that day,” Pabst said. “There is no membership, no dues and no meetings. That has been the response. The women say it is beautiful.”

Jackie Webre has joined Pabst, and she said her hour in adoration for priests is something she truly enjoys doing. Several of her friends also participate in this ministry.

“I do a little spiritual reading and pray the rosary as I picture my priest,” Webre said. “Praying for someone special is like being with the Lord. When I spend this time with the Lord, I feel I am truly with him.”

Devotion bears fruit
People can start their own group of seven women (one for each day of the week) in a parish, with their pastor’s approval, and the appointment of a coordinator called the ‘“anchoress.” Pabst said group members don’t have to know each other, and even the priest doesn’t have to know any of the members.

“This is a hidden devotion almost,” Pabst said.”You commit for a year. … I say, myself, that is how you practice the virtue of humility.”

The group’s intention is directed toward the office of the shepherd – meaning when a priest is reassigned, his successor in the parish becomes the recipient of those prayers, Pabst said. If there are more than seven people who desire to pray in adoration for priests, they can also pray for rectors or parochial vicars.

There are also women’s groups called Elijah’s Helpers who pray specifically for priests going through difficulties, and men who are fasting brothers.

Pabst has seen many fruits gained from doing this work. One woman, who didn’t speak well of priests, now defends priests after doing this ministry, she said. Most of the women were already doing adoration, but say this is the fastest holy hour they do. They love it.

“The women who do this receive graces that they didn’t know existed,” she said.

Growing prayer effort
The idea for this prayer group came to Janette Howe in 2011, after a year of praying for her pastor, Father Joseph Johnson, rector of the Cathedral of St. Paul in Minnesota.

The Holy Spirit impressed upon her that the intercessor’s Holy Hour should be only for the pastor and for the priest’s deepening devotion to our Blessed Mother. The original ministry started with seven church parishes, which committed to pray for a year.

Today, there are 25 Seven Sisters Apostolate New Orleans-area groups in 20 church parishes in the archdiocese and two groups of men that fast. Two groups pray exclusively for the archbishop, Pabst said, and one for the seminary rector. Worldwide, more than 1,300 groups as far away as Italy, Spain, Israel, Scotland, Colombia, Argentina, Uruguay and Canada exist.

“After receiving the nudge from the Holy Spirit, I have come to not only appreciate my priests for what they can give me, I love my priests and my parish,” Pabst said. “I love them all. This is my church family. I think, ‘Where does this come from? It’s a gift from God.”

To learn more, email the local group [email protected]. The group’s website is sevensistersapostolate.org.

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