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Centering Prayer
Charismatic Prayer
Eucharistic Adoration
Intercessory Prayer
Labyrinth Prayer
Marian Devotion
Taizé Prayer
12-Step
Prayer
Vespers/Evening Prayer
Way of the Cross
Resources for the
Liturgy of the Hours
Glossary of Prayer Terms
“The
spiritual
life...is not limited solely to participation in
the liturgy.... Popular devotions of the Christian people,
provided they conform to the laws and norms of the Church,
are to be highly recommended.... But such devotions should
be so drawn up that they harmonize with the liturgical seasons,
accord with the sacred liturgy, are in some way derived from
it, and lead the people to it, since in fact the liturgy by its
very
nature is far superior to any of
them.”
--
Second Vatican
Council,
Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy
(1963) #12, 13.
Opportunities
for Public
Prayer and Devotions
Over the centuries, the Christian
tradition has developed a wide variety of prayer styles and
formats designed to help individuals and groups experience and express
their relationship to God, both privately and publicly. The following is
a list of various opportunities for communal prayer and devotion
available in the Cedar Valley.
• • •
Centering Prayer
Centering Prayer is a form
of contemplative prayer shaped by the spirituality of
Catholic mystics like John Cassian, Teresa of Avila and John of
the Cross. It is inspired by the wisdom saying of Jesus in
the Sermon on the Mount: "When you pray, go to your inner room,
close the door, and pray to your Father in secret." In
recent years, the writing of several Cistercian monks like
Thomas Merton, Fr. Thomas Keating and Fr. Basil Pennington have
introduced centering prayer to a modern audience. The goal
of Centering Prayer is to "rest" quietly in God's presence,
undistracted by any intentional thoughts, ideas, or feelings. In
this form of prayer, the pray-er
often chooses a word, a short phrase or symbol to focus the mind
and heart -- using the word or symbol to re-focus on quiet
listening when other thoughts occur. Some individuals seem more naturally
inclined toward contemplative prayer, although many others find that, with practice, it
becomes a rich oasis in the midst of a busy life.
Related websites:
www.contemplativeoutreach.org
Local Opportunities for
Centering Prayer
• American
Martyrs Retreat House,
2209 N. Union Road, Cedar Falls
Bi-monthly, on the first and third Sunday
of the month,
3:30-5:30pm.
Contact:
Sr. Jeanine Kuhn, PBVM (319-266-3543;
email
DBQAMRH@arch.pvt.k12.ia.us)
• Nazareth Lutheran
Church, University & Main Sts., Cedar Falls
Bi-monthly on the second and fourth Tuesday of the
month in
Room 158.
Contact Lorene Wellnitz (319-232-4100; email wellnitz@cfu.net)
•
The Retreat House and Contemplative Outreach of Northeast Iowa
co
host various extended centering prayer retreats and training sessions
throughout the year.
Local website:
https://sites.google.com/site/contemplativeoutreachofneiowa/
• • •
Charismatic Prayer
Charismatic Prayer is a type of enthusiastic and expressive
(hence "charismatic") prayer inspired by the experience of the
first disciples at Pentecost. According to the testimony of the
early church, members of the community continued to receive
special charisms* of the Spirit for the purpose of building up
the community and accomplishing its mission. In later
centuries, this aspect of the Spirit's presence was somewhat
overshadowed and at times discouraged. It was revived in recent
years by Pope John XXIII and the Second Vatican Council
(1962-65) which affirmed that in addition to the sacraments and
official ministries of the Church, "the Holy Spirit makes holy
the people [and] distributes special graces among the faithful
of every rank" (Lumen Gentium, #13). Charismatic prayer became
popular among American Catholics who associated themselves with
the Charismatic Renewal Movement which began in Michigan in the
late 1960s.
Related website:
www.nsc-chariscenter.org/
Local Opportunities for Charismatic
Prayer
•
The Inter-City Charismatic Prayer Group
Sacred Heart
Church, 627 W. Fourth St., Waterloo. (Use side entrance)
Weekly,
on Tuesday evenings, 7:30-9:00pm.
Contact:
Sharon Even (319-232-7338)
The Inter-City Charismatic Prayer Group which meets at Sacred Heart
Parish was organized in 1972.
Its weekly prayer includes a combination of songs of praise and worship;
personal witness, praying in tongues* and interpretation, shared Scripture and intercessory prayers*.
In
addition to weekly prayer, this group also sponsors "healing Masses" at local parishes
several times a year.
• • •
Eucharistic
Adoration
Eucharistic adoration
is one of many devotions* by which
Catholics express their belief in the real presence of
Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. During
Eucharistic adoration, individuals spend a certain amount of
time
(customarily an hour) in quiet meditation before the Eucharist
which is publicly displayed on the altar. Some adorers use
prayers, hymns or sacred reading, but the primary disposition is
to contemplate the mystery of the Incarnation by which God
became human in the person of Jesus Christ.
Some observers liken this experience to that of the apostles
during the Transfiguration (cf.
Luke 9:28-36).
Devotion to the Eucharist originated as a way of honoring the bread
which was consecrated at Mass and reserved for later
distribution to the sick and dying or sent to neighboring
communities as a sign of unity. Various Eucharistic devotions
developed in the early Middle Ages in response to
theological controversies over Jesus' presence in the Eucharist
and became more widespread following the Protestant Reformation.
The Second Vatican Council emphasized the primacy of the
Eucharistic liturgy, which is the source of Christ's
sacramental presence on earth;
the Council insisted that Eucharistic devotions must flow from
and lead to full and active participation in the liturgy itself.
Related website:
www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/intro/a11.html=
Local Opportunities for Eucharistic
Adoration
• Columbus High
School Chapel, 3231 West Ninth St., Waterloo.
Perpetual Adoration
(24 hours a day).
For information or to sign up for
a regular adoration time contact:
Joni Hansen at 319-290-2025.
•
Blessed
Sacrament Church, 650 Stephen Ave., Waterloo.
Adoration and benediction* on the first Thursday of the month, following
Marian Prayer.
• St. Edward Church, 1423 Kimball
Ave., Waterloo.
Adoration and benediction* on the third Monday of the month at 7:00pm.
•
American Martyrs Retreat House,
2209 N. Union Road, Cedar Falls.
Adoration on Tuesday evenings, 6:30-7:30pm
• • •
Intercessory Prayer
Intercessory prayer is a
form of petitionary prayer in which one prays for a particular need, group or person (oneself or others).
It is inspired by the instruction Jesus gave to the disciples: "Ask and you shall receive, knock and it shall be
opened to you" (Mt.7:7) and Jesus' own prayer for his
disciples and the People of God (John 17:9ff). Petitionary or intercessory
prayer is perhaps the most common form of personal prayer; over the years, it has also been a frequent form of common or
public prayer. Many contemplative communities of men and
women have been formed for the expressed purpose of being intercessors for church authorities, the
church at large, the world, or particular causes. In times
of natural disasters or public crises such as war, Christians
have often gathered together in their local churches to pray for
safety, deliverance or peace. The "Prayers
of the Faithful" at Mass (sometimes called "the Petitions")
are a form of intercessory prayer, as is the Eucharistic Prayer
itself.
Local Opportunities for
Communal Intercession
•
I-HOPE Ministries
722 S. Hackett
Rd, Waterloo.
Weekly, on Monday evenings, 7:00-9:00pm
Contact:
Mike Peters (email: michaelfpeters@cfu.net)
I-HOPE Ministries is a
non-denominational community organized to provide opportunities
for prayer, healing, charity and evangelization. The
community provides a variety of prayer and worship opportunities
and a free health clinic. The weekly prayer and worship
meeting on Monday evenings is dedicated to intercession* for
local needs and for specific social needs such as an end to
abortions.
•
Prayer for the World
Scallon Hall, Queen of Peace Church,
320 Mulberry St., Waterloo.
Weekly, on Wednesday evenings, 7:00-7:30pm.
(Use the Third Street entrance.)
Contact:
Judith Boston (319-232-0572;
email JANDQB@aol.com)
The
Prayer for the World prayer group at Queen of Peace Parish began in September, 2001 in
response to the events of 9/11. It has met weekly since
then, first at St. Nicholas Parish in Evansdale, and later at
Queen of Peace Parish in Waterloo. The group's prayer
reflects Gospel themes such as non-violence, forgiveness,
justice, peace, love for enemies and solidarity with the
suffering of the poor, neglected and victims of violence.
Each prayer session includes readings, a short reflection time,
intercessions and closing prayer. The group seeks to
create a prayer experience which combines quiet meditation and
individual prayer with a sense of communal solidarity and
responsibility for the world.
• • •
Labyrinth Prayer
A labyrinth is a pattern or
design which originated
in ancient times and has been adapted over the years by various
religious traditions as a means of prayer and contemplation.
Unlike a maze, a labyrinth has only one single path which leads
to and from the center. In the Christian tradition,
labyrinths became popular in the Middle Ages as a symbol of
life's spiritual journey and as a substitute for pilgrimages to
the Holy Land. Labyrinth prayer fell out of favor in early modern
times, but has been revived more recently by various groups trying to
popularize the mystical and contemplative
traditions of Christian spirituality. The labyrinth is walked
slowly in silence; as in other forms of contemplative prayer, the
goal is to avoid distracting words and activity so that one can
become more aware of God's presence. However, some labyrinth pray-ers
use a word or short phrase from Scripture, such as a verse from
Psalm 25: "Lord make me know your ways" or "Teach me your paths
O Lord." When pray-ers reach the center of the labyrinth,
they customarily pause for a few moments and then begin the
return journey to the point from which they started (a reminder that prayer always calls us back into
the world around us).
Related website:
www.labyrinthsociety.org/
Local Opportunities for
Labyrinth Prayer
•
St. Luke Episcopal
Church in Cedar Falls offers an opportunity for labyrinth prayer during Advent and Lent.
•
Outdoor labyrinths
are available at Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality
Center in
Hiawatha and Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat Center near
Wheatland.
Click here for
information about local retreat centers.
• • •
Marian Devotion
Devotion to Mary the Mother of Jesus dates back to the earliest
days of the Christian community -- perhaps as far back as the wedding feast at Cana,
where Mary intervened
with her son on behalf of the hosts who had run out of wine (cf. John 2:1ff). This devotion has included a variety of
public and private prayer forms, including novenas*,
chaplets*, and the Rosary*. Catholic devotion to Mary and
the saints is an extension of our belief in the Incarnation, by
which God became human in the person of Jesus Christ, and the
Communion of Saints, by which we are united with all who have
gone before. Catholics do not worship Mary or the saints,
but we value them as role models in this life
and intercessors in the next. Over the years, many
Catholics relied on their devotion to Mary and the saints when the Church's official worship seemed
too impersonal, intellectual or masculine. Modern Marian
devotion is often closely associated with appearances (or apparitions*) of the
Blessed Virgin, such as those at Guadalupe in Mexico (1531),
Lourdes in France (1858), Fatima in Spain (1917), and Medjugorje
in Bosnia (1981).
Local Opportunities for
Marian Devotion
•
Marian Prayer
Group
Blessed
Sacrament Church, 650 Stephen St., Waterloo.
Weekly, on Thursday evenings, 7:00-8:00pm.
Contact:
Stan Tuve (319-236-2336; email: Dolphin35@mchsi.com)
The Marian Prayer Group at Blessed Sacrament Parish was formed in 2000, following a pilgrimage to Medjugorje, and many of its members have a special devotion to
Our Lady of Medjugorje. The group's prayer consists of various readings, litanies*, Vespers* and
hymns, the Divine Mercy Chaplet*, and the Rosary*. On the
first Thursday of the month it also includes adoration of the
Blessed Sacrament.
Related website:
www.medjugorje.org/index.html
•
Parish Rosary
St. Edward Church,
1423 Kimball Ave., Waterloo.
Weekly, on Monday evenings, 6:30pm
• • •
Taizé Prayer
Taizé Prayer is a
meditative
style of prayer developed by an ecumenical community of monks in
central France. The community was founded by a Protestant
layman in 1949; it adopted the traditional monastic order of prayer and work,
poverty, chastity and obedience. Over
the years it has attracted many Catholic members and is today a
popular destination for thousands of young pilgrims from around
the world. The monks of Taizé developed a distinctive style of
meditative prayer which incorporates the frequent repetition of simple contemporary chants
with periods of silence, readings from
Scripture, prayers of praise and intercession.
Taizé prayer is a style of public prayer which combines elements
of the Church's traditional Liturgy of the Hours* with elements of
contemplative meditation. The Taizé
style of prayer is widely practiced today in
student centers and retreat houses; it is also growing in
popularity in parish churches throughout
the world.
Related website:
www.taize.fr/en
Local Opportunities for Taizé Prayer
•
St. Stephen the Witness Catholic
Student Center,
1019 W. 23rd Street,
Cedar Falls.
Monthly, on the first Tuesday of the month, 9:00pm.
Contact: St. Stephen Catholic Student Center
(319-266-9863).
• First Baptist Church of Waterloo,
W. 4th & Baltimore Sts, Waterloo.
Monthly, on the last Sunday of the month, 6:00pm.
Contact: First Baptist Church (319-234-1537).
• • •
12-Step Prayer
Contemplative
Outreach of Northeast Iowa sponsors a 12-Step Outreach service
team of persons who are active in 12-Step communities and
practice Centering Prayer as their eleventh step. Members
of the service team will meet with others in 12-Step communities
who are interested in learning how to use Centering Prayer and
other contemplative practices for spiritual enrichment and
growth.
Local Opportunities for
12-Step Prayer
• An 11th Step
Centering Prayer Group meets in Suite 201 of the Lincoln
Park Building, 327 East 4th St. in Waterloo.
Weekly on Thursdays, 6:00-7:00pm.
Contact Julie Rowell at 319-232-6835
(email julirowell@mchsi.com)
• • •
Vespers (Evening
Prayer)
Vespers or Evening Prayer is one of six designated times for
prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours, the Church's official
daily prayer. Like the other "Hours" (morning, midmorning,
midday, midafternoon and night), it consists of selected
prayers and psalms, Scripture and readings from the
Church Fathers. The early Christian community adopted this
style of prayer from the Jewish custom of praying at
designated times each day, and the pattern formed a model for
early monastic communities. Daily
prayer is still common among Christians,
but the habit of using an official prayer, at six specific times
during the day, was
gradually limited over the years to religious communities and the clergy.
Today the "Hours" are prayed in common in communities
of monks and nuns; most priests, deacons and vowed religious men and
women pray the "Divine Office" or a version of the
Liturgy of the Hours privately. The Second Vatican Council
urged that the "Hours" be more widely celebrated in
parishes as well.
Resources for Praying the
Liturgy of
the Hours
Here are resources for individuals or small
groups who want to pray the Liturgy of the Hours on their own.
• Liturgy of the
Hours. Catholic Book Publishing Co., 1980. (This official
four-volume set can be challenging for the
average person. The
following resources are adapted from the official Hours and are easier
for the
average lay person to use.)
•
Christian Prayer--the Liturgy of the Hours. Catholic Book
Publishing Co.,
1999.
•
Shorter Christian Prayer. Catholic Book
Publishing Co., 1999.
•
A Catholic
Book of the Hours and Other Devotions. William G. Storey.
Loyola Press, 2007.
•
An Everyday Book of the Hours. William G. Storey.
Liturgy Training
Publications, 2001.
•
Night Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours.
United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops.
• Benedictine Daily Prayer--A
Short Breviary. Maxwell E. Johnson and
the Monks of St. John's Abbey. The Liturgical Press, 2005.
•
Praise God with All
Creation--A Book of Prayer for Morning and
Evening. Michael Kwatera, OSB. Resource Publications.
• Magnificat
(monthly journal with morning and evening prayer from the
Hours,
plus daily Mass readings).
Order from 866-273-5215 or online at
www.magnificat.com.
•
Access the prayers and daily readings online at:
www.universalis.com/-600/readings.htm
• • •
Way of the Cross
According to Christian tradition, what became known over the
years as a pious
devotion called the “Way of the Cross” (or
“Stations of the Cross”) originated among early Christians,
perhaps with Mary herself. The early community attached
spiritual significance to the practice of re-tracing Jesus’ path
along the via dolorosa (“way of sorrow”) from Pilate’s
court to the site of the crucifixion on Calvary and to the
nearby tomb. As the Church expanded into Europe and Africa,
participation in this devotion became more and more impractical
for the average Christian; after the Muslim conquest of the
Holy Land in the twelfth century, it became virtually
impossible, even for wealthy Christians. In place of a
pilgrimage to the Holy Land itself, Christians began
constructing a local Way of the Cross with “stations” inside or
outside parish churches, chapels and shrines. The Catholic
Church standardized the traditional form of the Stations in the
eighteenth century. Today the devotion consists of fourteen
"stations," represented by paintings, sculptures or plaques
depicting the events of Christ’s Passion. Participants, or a
representative of the community, pass from one Station to the
next, reciting prayers and meditating on the saving events of
Jesus’ passion and death.
In Hispanic culture, the traditional Via Crucis dates back to colonial times, when Spanish and
Portuguese missionaries introduced the devotion to the
indigenous population. The emphasis on the suffering and death
of Jesus in Spanish devotional theology, combined with the
social and political condition of the new converts, made the
annual Via Crucis a particularly evocative and powerful
spiritual experience. The entire community was involved in
planning and re-enacting the Lord's passion on Good Friday.
Related Website:
http://www.scborromeo.org/soc.htm
In 1991, Pope John Paul II observed a slightly different set of
stations, now referred to as the "Scriptural Stations."
Related Website:
http://www.usccb.org/nab/stations.htm
Local
Opportunities for Stations of the Cross
•
Stations of the Cross are scheduled during Lent in each Waterloo
parish.
Click here
for the current Lenten Schedule.
• The Hispanic Community at Queen of Peace Parish customarily
celebrates the traditional Via Crucis on Good Friday.
Click here
for information about the Via Crucis commemoration.
• Outdoor stations of the cross are available at American
Martyrs Retreat
House in Cedar Falls and Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat
Center near
Wheatland.
Click here for
information about local retreat centers.
• • •
Glossary of
Prayer Terms
Apparition
-- An extraordinary
personal vision or private revelation experienced by an
individual or group of persons. The most common
apparitions over the years have been of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Officially the Catholic Church accepts the possibility of
such miraculous spiritual experiences, but is cautious about endorsing
specific claims. It does not consider the messages
received in an apparition part of official church teaching and
the faithful are free to believe or not believe in the messages
received during an apparition.
Benediction -- A short Eucharistic devotion during which
the Blessed Sacrament is displayed on the altar, usually in a
gold container called a monstrance. There is a
short period of special hymns and prayers, after which the
presider blesses the assembly with the Blessed Sacrament.
The custom arose in the 15th century but was not officially
sanctioned by the Church until 1958.
Charism
-- A special gift or personal attribute
given to individuals by the Holy Spirit for the welfare of the
community. These include the gifts of healing, prophecy, speaking
in tongues, and interpretation of tongues. The sudden, intense awareness of these charisms is sometimes referred to as
a "baptism in the Holy
Spirit" or "being slain in the Spirit."
Chaplet --
A set of beads on a chain or string used in prayer. The
practice of using beads during meditation or prayer pre-dates
Christianity and is widely used in many traditions. In the
Catholic tradition, chaplets are used particularly to invoke the
assistance of Jesus, Mary and the saints. The most popular
chaplet is the Rosary.
Devotions -- Refers to popular, often unofficial,
prayers, rituals and gestures used by individuals or groups to
worship God or venerate Mary and the saints. Often
devotions express a particular conviction about the object of
the devotion: Eucharistic devotions are commonly an expression
of Catholic belief in the real presence of Jesus in the
Eucharist; devotions to Mary and the saints commonly express a
confidence in their role as spiritual companions and
mediators. Familiar Eucharistic devotions are adoration of
the Blessed Sacrament, Benediction*, 40 Hours, and processions.
Familiar devotions to Mary and the saints include novenas* and
various forms of special prayers and rituals. Devotions
historically originate in local cultures, and often reflect the
unique spiritual and ethnic sensitivities of the local
population.
Divine Mercy Chaplet -- A particular chaplet or devotion
created to commemorate and invoke God's mercy. This
relatively recent devotion was inspired by instructions
received by a Polish nun, Sr. Faustina Kowalska (d.1938).
For some time the devotion was officially banned, but the ban
has since been rescinded by church authorities.
Litany -- A form of prayer which uses a series of
short invocations followed by common acclamations. In many
cases, both the invocation and the acclamation are frequently
repeated; in others, the invocations vary but the acclamation is
repeated. Litanies became popular in the Middle Ages when they
were used during processions and other public rituals where it
was inconvenient to use texts, and among populations which were
not literate. The "Lord have mercy" and
"Lamb of God" in the Mass are variations of early litanies.
Novena -- A nine-day period of prayer, inspired by the
nine days the Apostles spent in prayer between the Ascension and Pentecost. In
the Middle Ages, novenas were a time of prayerful preparation
for major religious feast days. More recently, novenas
became of form of devotional prayer addressed to Mary or one of
the saints for special intentions or needs. A novena
consists of a specific petition, repeated each day, and a
variety of other prayers. Novenas may be prayed privately
by individuals or publicly in groups.
The Rosary
-- Use of the Rosary in
devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary probably developed early in
the Christian tradition, although its exact origins are
uncertain. The Rosary as we know it was introduced by St.
Dominic in the early 13th century and popularized by Alan of Rupe in the late 15th century.
Some early forms of the Rosary consisted of fifteen "decades"
(groups of ten prayers), but the popular Rosary used today
consists of five decades; each
decade consists of the Lord's Prayer, ten Hail Marys, and the
Glory Be. A scriptural event or "mystery" is assigned to
each decade. Pray-ers meditate on a different set of
mysteries each day.
Tongues or
Speaking in Tongues -- One of the gifts or
charisms* given to selected individuals by the Holy Spirit. In
the account of Pentecost, it refers to the apostles' ability to
speak in languages understood by listeners from foreign
countries. More commonly in Christian tradition, it refers
to the ability to pray in a kind of ecstatic language which
cannot be understood except by those who have the charism of
interpreting tongues. The late Cardinal Suenens called
tongues "the voice of the subconscious rising to God."
• • •
For information contact:
Director of Adult
Faith Formation • 320 Mulberry St., Waterloo IA
50703 Phone:
319-234-9912 • Email:
DBQ208s3@arch.pvt.k12.ia.us
Posted 02.08.08
• Last Update
11.30.11 |