A heartfelt question and a familiar prayer help a woman touch people’s lives

Thanks to seeds planted by Father John Hollowell and Father Jonathan Meyer, Janine Schorsch prays the rosary for people and writes notes of encouragement to them. (Submitted photo)

(The Criterion has invited our readers to share a special thank you with someone who has influenced their lives in a positive and powerful way. Here is the first in a series.)
 

By John Shaughnessy

One approach begins with a simple yet heartfelt question.

The other one begins with a familiar prayer.

Yet both have made a tremendous difference to Janine Schorsch, drawing her closer to friends and even strangers while also leading her to a deeper relationship with God.

For both approaches, she gives credit and thanks to Father John Hollowell and Father Jonathan Meyer, who serve at her parish, St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, in Bright in the Batesville Deanery.

“Father Hollowell and Father Meyer have both encouraged us to ask others, ‘What is one thing that I can pray for you today?’ We begin each Mass by turning to someone and asking that question,” Schorsch says. “We were even given bracelets to wear with those words, reminding us to ask others. I have asked people I know and many more that I don’t. The response has always been so positive.”

That simple question has led to a wealth of interactions with people that, Scorsch says, “have literally stunned me.”

“A man asked for prayers for his brother who had been diagnosed with cancer the previous day. A receptionist asked for prayers for her friend who had just brought her baby home from the hospital. The baby was in need of a heart transplant. A customer care representative on the phone shared that she had felt a ‘heavy heart’ and had just prayed that morning for guidance. She said, ‘Please pray for me.’ ”

There was also the exchange she had with a teller at her bank when Schorsch asked the woman if she needed to have a prayer said for her.

“She visibly relaxed her shoulders as if dropping a heavy load as she responded, ‘Yes! I have so many problems at home.’ ”

The second approach that Father Hollowell recommended has had similar results for Schorsch.

“Father Hollowell shared in a homily that he prays a rosary for someone every day and then sends a note, telling that person the date and that they were the intention of his prayer,” she says. “He encouraged us to do the same.”

That encouragement has led Schorsch to pray about 400 rosaries so far and to write the same number of notes.

“I don’t usually receive a response, but it is overwhelming when I do. I have had people ask me if I knew that they needed prayers on a certain day and others just sharing how they had been deeply touched by knowing that I said a rosary for them.

“I prayed individual rosaries over the summer for the children I had taught in family faith formation. Parents shared with me how excited their children were and what a difference it made for them.”

Both approaches have also made a difference in Schorsch’s faith and life.

“We can be so unaware of the need in others’ lives,” she says. “God, through the guidance of our priests, has allowed me to carry hope and comfort to so many people.

“I cannot envision a life in which I do not offer prayer for others. Through these prayers, my own faith has grown exponentially. I see God working through me, and I feel the joy of serving him.” †