Seven Sisters Apostolate: Prayer ministry for good shepherds

The Seven Sisters Apostolate embraces the commitment: One Holy Hour, one priest, each week.  One heart of prayer. 

The apostolate can be established at any parish where at least seven female parishioners commit to pray one hour per week each before the Blessed Sacrament (or in another place) for the intentions of their pastor/parish priest for one full year.

Inspired by Janette Howe, the mother of a seminarian in Minnesota, and officially founded in 2010 by Father Joseph Johnson, Howe’s spiritual director, the apostolate has since spread to six continents in 27 countries, featuring all 50 U.S. states, with more than 3,000 groups praying for priests and bishops. 

In Oklahoma, the Seven Sisters Apostolate is currently vibrant in 11 parishes, with the first groups established at the Catholic Pastoral Center in Oklahoma City in February 2020 praying for Archbishop Coakley, as well as at Saint Damien of Molokai Church in Edmond and Saint Thomas More Catholic Church in Norman praying for their parish pastors. 

At Saint Thomas More Catholic Church in Norman, the group is led by Brigid Brink, executive secretary, and Ann Arra, parishioner.

“It is a huge blessing,” Brink said. “Although I committed to only one hour of prayer in adoration for Father Brian Buettner and his campus ministry, I find myself praying more often for him throughout the week. I can’t stress how urgently we need prayers for our pastors worldwide.”

She said the appealing aspect of this silent apostolate is its simplicity and that.

“You can pray any time during the day,” Brink said. “There are no dues, no meetings, we are on our own in prayer, but united together as a group. I love it. Just go and pray.

“I haven’t spent a lot of time in adoration before, but now as one of the seven sisters I find myself wanting to pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament even longer. It is a gift for me. Sometimes I feel more blessed than my pastor for whom I pray. It is very rewarding.”

For Arra, joy comes in praying fully for the priests.

“The prayer focus is on the pastor’s physical, emotional and spiritual needs, their special intentions and in thanksgiving to God for the gift of priesthood,” she said. “There is so much power in this intercessory prayer. It is inspiring.

“As we pray regularly for the members of our families, we need to pray for our priests with the same dedication. They are our spiritual fathers.”

Father Brian Buettner, the pastor at Saint Thomas More Catholic Church shared, said he is inspired by the faith of those committed to the prayers.

“I have heard about the apostolate before, but I would never ask a group of my parishioners to make such a great commitment and pray for me regularly and intentionally,” Father Buettner said. “When I came to Saint Thomas More and learned that the Seven Sisters group was already established and active, I was very excited.

“It is so powerful, humbling and very special for me to know that each day someone, in addition to my mom, is praying for me and my priesthood in a dedicated way. I know that their prayers protect me from anything trying to disrupt my priestly vocation. 

“I can’t even put it in words how grateful I am and what it means to me.”

An active attempt has also been undertaken by university students at Saint Thomas More Catholic Church, led by Emma Singletary, to start a group of “young seven sisters.”

“We all recognize how many lives a college campus pastor has the capability to touch,” Singletary said. “Often, I end up having to pray my Holy Hours late at night after a long day of classes, but part of the prayer is sacrifice which makes it all the more impactful.”

“When I leave my Holy Hour, I feel almost like I just did a volunteer project. I feel joy in the fact that the graces of my prayer were redistributed to Father Brian. It feels like a full surrender of my life and efforts to a larger goal: God’s will.”

To start a parish group or learn more about the Seven Sisters Apostolate, visit sevensistersapostolate.org. 

“Support your priests with your love and prayers, that they may always be shepherds after Christ’s heart,” Pope Francis once said.

Jad Ziolkowska is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.

Photo: Fr. Brian Buettner with Brigid Brink (left) and Ann Arra inside St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Norman. Photo Jad Ziolkowska/Sooner Catholic.