No Shepherd Left Behind: Seven Sisters Apostolate seeks to cover every priest in prayer

By Patty O'Connell

Priests do so much for us.  We go to our priests for our spiritual needs, prayer requests, Mass offerings, and sacraments (sometimes urgently).  Through the hands of the priest we receive the greatest gift ever given — the Holy Eucharist.  Without our priests, we would not be able to receive the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord, Jesus Christ.  Yet, how is the priest sustained spiritually in all that he does for us?  Praying for the priest is one of the most generous things we can do for him. 

Recognition of this generosity was the inspiration behind the Seven Sisters Apostolate begun in 2011 by Janette Howe of St. Paul, Minnesota.  The Seven Sisters Apostolate consists of a core group of seven women praying a holy hour one day of the week (covering each day of the week), specifically for their pastor or parochial vicar. Seven Sisters is now in 27 countries, with more than 3600 groups on six continents. The simplicity of the apostolate is such that it requires no meetings or mandatory gatherings. The commitment is a generous offering of one year, with an opportunity to prayerfully discern to re-commit for another year.  The soul of the apostolate is the “hidden” commitment of a weekly holy hour.

The Seven Sisters Apostolate “is a call to strengthen the Church by ensuring that a Holy Hour is prayed each day of the week for the sole intention of a specific priest or bishop — a “holy wasting” (cf. Mt. 26:10) or lavishing of prayer for his deeper conformity to Christ.” (Seven Sisters Apostolate website).

The local apostolate continues to grow in Colorado Springs. Currently, 36 priests have a Seven Sisters group praying for them, and Bishop Golka has a group of 21 women praying for him, as three holy hours per day are required for the office of Bishop. 

Bishop Golka has often said that he would like every priest in the diocese to be prayed for by a Seven Sisters group. There are still many parishes without even one Seven Sisters group, leaving many priests without these daily holy hours prayed for them. The goal is to cover all the parishes first, and then establish groups for priests who are not associated with parishes, i.e., hospital chaplains, the priests at the Citadel, and priests who are part of our diocese but serving elsewhere. 

Women who commit to praying a holy hour each week express a conviction that not only does the priest benefit from this holy hour, but abundant graces are received by those who pray. Katlyn Charlesworth, Anchoress at St. Mark, Highlands Ranch said, “. . . the opportunity to serve in simplicity, silence, and sacrifice is a truly immeasurable grace!”

Many priests in the Colorado Springs diocese contact us to ask how they can be provided with a Seven Sisters group to pray for them.  They recognize their need for prayers for the graces to shepherd their people faithfully. All it takes is for one woman to ask six other women to commit to praying one hour a week. 

While this holy hour each week may seem like a daunting commitment, there is no particular structure for that time of prayer.  A Seven Sister has access to a simple guide book with specific prayers for the physical, emotional/social, and spiritual needs of the priest for whom she is praying. Her holy hour may include a rosary or scripture meditation, offered all for the sake of that particular priest. Each holy hour is unique depending upon the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. “When we give that hour of prayer, each and every second that passes is a priceless gift we all seek to be in the Kingdom of God,” says Deborah Washington, anchoress at Holy Apostles Parish, one of the first groups in the diocese.

In my own life, I have never been part of something that is so simple, and yet so profound.  I firmly believe this is one of the most significant apostolates of our time. My beloved sisters, let us not fall asleep during this important time in the life of the Church. Let no shepherd be left behind.  Please prayerfully discern whether our Lord is asking you to watch and pray with him for the priests he has called personally to shepherd us.

(Patty O’Connell is the Diocesan Coordinator for the Seven Sisters Apostolate in Colorado Springs. She can be contacted at sevensisterscolospgs@gmail.com. For more information about the apostolate, visit https://sevensistersapostolate.org/)