Mothers in Prayer

(By uniting in prayer, we save our children.)

«Cease your cries of mourning,
Wipe the tears from your eyes.
The sorrow you have shown shall have its reward, says the Lord,
They shall return from the enemies land.
There is hope for our future, says the Lord;
Your sons shall return to their won borders.»
(Jeremiah 31. 16-17)

The Mother’s in Prayer Movement started in England in 1995 when two grandmothers, Veronica and her sister in law Sandra decided to pray for their children in a special way. While they prayed they realized that Jesus wants all mothers to entrust their children under His care, to pass along their maternal pain to Him so that he could send his blessings on their children. The Mother’s in Prayer Movement spread all over the world.

In the spring of 2008, with the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Stefan Soroka and Bishop Paul Chomnitsky, such a community was also founded at St. John’s Ukrainian Catholic Church in Newark.

These bishops dedicated this newly formed community to Blessed Martyr Mykolay Charnetsky whose relics are held in this Church. The mothers gather for common prayer every first Friday of the month. They pray for their children and grandchildren and for children who have no relatives and have no one to pray for them. Common prayer brings them closer to God, and what’s more, God draws near to them and their relatives, for their faith opens the way for them to their Creator. At the end of each prayer session on First Friday they take part in a Divine Liturgy where they pray for the above mentioned intentions.

Their road to God, as with every person of faith, is made up of good deeds, prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

Prayer is one wing – and faith another and they raise their community to heaven. Prayer without faith makes about as much sense as faith without prayer.

Fasting is an expression of love and devotion, a sacrifice of creature comforts in order to reach heaven.

Almsgiving is a bright example that we think not only of ourselves but, first of all, about our neighbors.

Beside praying for their children the mothers do concrete charity work to benefit needy people.

In particular The Mothers in Prayer organize breakfasts in the church hall and serve then to the parish family. The money that they make from these breakfasts is donated to help the most needy.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, we beg you to bless all of us and protect us with Your Blessed Blood so that no evil can touch us or our homes for we humbly stand before You as those who pray for their children. Amen.

Dear Jesus, You can see the pain in our hearts. We come to You and ask that You place our children under Your care. We know that You love them far more than we do. We ask that you protect us, our families and our community from evil. Lord, we know that You always triumph over evil and that is why we thank you for your protection and for Your presence among us. Amen.