Locals join in prayer for the country and peace on Election Day

By Tanya Connor | The Catholic Free Press
 
Local Catholics have been joining in prayer for the United States and for peace in conjunction with today’s presidential election.

Today there is day-long adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at St. Joseph Parish in Charlton. St. Mary Health Care Center is having prayer services today and tomorrow along with a group rosary today. This weekend there was a 21-hour extended adoration period Nov. 1 into Nov. 2 at Our Lady of Hope Parish’s St. James Church in South Grafton, and a Nov. 2 public rosary organized by the Evangelization and Outreach Ministry of St. Mary Parish in Uxbridge.

The rosary on Uxbridge’s town common – publicized on Facebook and through Flocknote, the Sunday bulletin and The Catholic Free Press –  drew about 40 parishioners, according to organizers.  

Roger Poulin, Evangelization and Outreach Ministry founder, said they were praying for a peaceful election and “putting it in Mary’s hands,” and they prayed on the common because it is the center of the community.  

He said they didn’t want anyone to promote any candidates or political parties.

Down the street, people not affiliated with their group gathered on opposite sides of the road with signs supporting the main presidential candidates.  

Mary Jo Rett, a member of St. Mary’s evangelization ministry with her husband, Christopher, said their group was praying for peace and that she feared the upcoming week would be rough; “it feels very volatile.”

“I’ve seen many elections; we’ve survived them all,” commented Dwain Robbins, at 83-years-old the ministry’s oldest member.

“I just feel this is a really pivotal election and I felt we need to entrust the election, its outcome and the future of the country to Mary,” said ministry member Lynn Normandin. “That’s why we chose the rosary.”

She said they try to spread God’s love beyond their church’s walls; “we just want the community to know St. Mary’s cares about the whole community.”  

Father Derek A. Mobilio, associate pastor of Our Lady of Hope, wrote about the election in the parish’s Oct. 27 bulletin, which also included an announcement about the extended prayer time.  

He quoted Blessed Jerzy Popiełuszko, martyred by communists in Poland in 1984, and said that “to make people believe falsehoods, there has to be a lot of noise.” Lies must be repeated over and over to drown out the quiet voice of truth.

“In these last days before the election, there will be even more shouting and noise than we are used to,” Father Mobilio wrote. “That noise will probably not stop in the days following the election either, regardless of how the results come in.  

“In these last months, we have been bombarded with messages and advertisements and slogans. We have heard the same speeches over and over again ... And we may fall prey to the temptation to follow it all too closely, to pin too many of our hopes on it, to pay attention to those words more than the still, silent voice of God … To let the voice of Christ, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, be drowned out by all this noise would be a grave mistake.”

Father Mobilio quoted Pope St. John Paul II as saying that God’s power is gentle, “responds to the whole depths of the human person, to his loftiest aspirations of intellect, will, and heart” and  “expresses itself in charity and truth.” The priest said that, whatever happens, the late pope offered another reminder: “Be not afraid. Open wide the doors to Christ.”

Our Lady of Hope parishioners were invited to spend time with Christ in adoration between 8:45 a.m. Nov. 1 and 5:45 a.m. Nov. 2 “for the blessing and protection of our nation,” the bulletin announcement said.

Parishioner Lori Dewar said they were also praying for the integrity of the election.
She said this was the longest period of eucharistic adoration she and fellow parishioner Bill Cotter have organized at the parish for a particular intention; they arranged for overnight adoration to pray about other concerns in the past. Fellow parishioner Maria Maglitta suggested it, she said, and she praised their priests for making it possible.

The adoration period was announced through emails, from the pulpit and with sign-up sheets at the parish’s church buildings, Mrs. Dewar said. She said 41 people signed up, some for three hours, and others stopped in – parishioners and people from other towns.

While the parish has weekly afternoon and evening adoration hours, “I think people really love sitting with our Lord in the wee hours of the morning,” she said.

Residents of St. Mary Health Care Center prayed right where they live.

St. Mary’s does not usually have a Communion service on Tuesdays, according to Colin McNabb, director of mission and pastoral care. But this week he organized one for election day to pray for the nation and for unity and peace within it. Afterwards, he and residents prayed the rosary for the country.  

At the regularly scheduled Wednesday Communion service they plan to pray for peace, following election day, he said.
 
At St. Joseph Parish in Charlton, parishioner Mark Kackley suggested eucharistic adoration for election day. It is scheduled for 9 a.m., after the weekday Mass, continuing through 8 p.m., when polls close in Massachusetts.

“Please come and pray for our nation anytime during the day,” said an invitation in St. Joseph’s Nov. 3 parish bulletin.

With everything going on in the nation and world, “I sometimes feel the only thing we can do is pray,” Mr. Kackley said. “My thinking was to do this adoration and to look to God for the answers, because he’s got the answers.” He wanted people to tell God, “We’re going to seek what you want us to do” and to find peace through adoration.

He said he felt the Holy Spirit nudged him to follow through on the idea of having adoration, which he raised to his pastor, Father Robert A. Grattaroti, a few months ago. Deacon William Shea and Becky Bachand, who coordinates adoration at the parish, arranged for it, he said.

He said it wasn’t hard to get enough adorers to cover each hour; “a lot of people jumped on board.”