Regardless of who you plan to vote for come November, we can all agree that the seemingly endless political posts on Facebook are beginning to feel daunting. If exposing the fragmentation and brokenness of our world isn’t enough, this election seems to successfully remind us that it really can be hard for us humans to unite as one voice. What’s harder, still, is productive dialogue.
What are we to do, then, when the coverage and issues at hand feel burdensome and far too voluminous? Exasperated by media coverage that feels like entertainment, by debates that are rarely fair, honest, or open, our sisters are turning to an age-old strategy: prayer. For the Dominican Sisters of Hope, it’s not just a coping mechanism, it’s a point of action.
The sisters agree that there is a great “need for prayer for the election.”
“Now we believe we are all keeping it in prayer,” Sister Catherine Walsh, a member of the Leadership Team, says. “But we focused on the need for deliberate prayer each day or even a few times a day.”
Together, the sisters decided to select their favorite prayers (the Rosary, Prayer of St. Francis, Memorare, etc.) and offer one a few times a day, or as Sister Catherine puts it, “whenever election rhetoric assaults us.”
Of course, prayer is only one way the sisters are responding to the upcoming election. Voting is imperative to them, as is calling members of Congress to support various causes. Before the primary election, the sisters engaged in conversation about the candidates and their stances with a United States Ambassador.
Prayers, which the sisters offer in addition to other efforts, are certainly powerful. Especially with this election cycle, there’s no such thing as praying too much.
The Dominican Sisters of Hope have been praying multiple times daily since the election was one-hundred days away. With less than three months until November 8th, consider joining us in prayer! Simply offer your favorite prayer up for the election as often as you feel called to so.