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Prayer Ministry

The center of life for the Presentation Sisters is prayer. It is through this relationship with Christ that each sister finds strength and support for her ministry. Presentation community life allows the sisters to share this spiritual grounding with each other as they live out their vocational call.

“Prayer brings me focus and frees my mind so that I can begin each day with a heart full of joy and the strength that comes from knowing I am not alone,” explains Sister Adrienne Dorn.

Presentation Sisters feed their spiritual lives through private and community prayer and reflection. Eucharistic Adoration in Blessed Sacrament Chapel is a daily event for sisters living in Aberdeen, while the Prayerline Ministry allows the sisters to become aware of and pray for the needs of those they serve.

What is Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration?

In 1906, Bishop O’Gorman asked the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to begin perpetual Eucharistic Adoration for the needs of the people in the Sioux Falls diocese. December 25, 2006, marked the 100-year anniversary of our practice of daily Eucharistic Adoration.

The sisters gather daily in their Adoration Chapel; spending our time in this sacred space offering prayers for the intentions of those who have requested prayer, as well as for the needs of the people of the diocese, the nation and the world.

This practice has been an essential element of Presentation life in community. A facet that keeps this prayer ministry current and relevant is our prayer line ministry. Individuals throughout the world contact us via phone, e-mail or our Web site and request that we pray for their intentions.

Request a Prayer:

You can send us your intentions at wepray4u@presentationsisters.org or by calling us at 605-229-8331. You can also use the form below.

Prayer Request Form

You can request the prayers of the sisters for your intentions by filling out the form below (starred items are required).

Name:*
Address:
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featured sister

Sister Elaine Goodell

The mark that Sister Elaine Goodell has made in the ministry of chaplaincy at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center over the past 24 years is obvious. This fall Sister Elaine became the first chaplain in history to be awarded the Wholeness of Life Award by The HealthCare Chaplaincy. Sister’s longtime supervisor, Rev. George Handzo, explains, “The spirit of this award has always been to recognize the person who exemplifies the purity of devotion to care of the whole person totally unadorned by desires to attain status or place, but simply because it
is what caring human beings do in relationship to one another. Certainly no one that I know exemplifies this way of being better than Elaine.”

Sister explains that “by active listening, patients spill their innermost fears, stories, struggles, ugly behaviors and spiritual doubts.” Allowing patients to express these thoughts and doubts in a safe and caring environment frees them from the worry and pain and gives them a sense
of peace.

With 24 years of service in this ministry, Sister says, “Each time a patient goes into surgery more relaxed and peaceful it gives me joy and satisfaction. We all need someone who will listen and hear our stories. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to be that for a lot of people.”

Ernest Becker says that no one is strong enough to support the meaning of his or her life unaided by something or someone outside of himself or herself. Sister Elaine finds daily inspiration in that insight, saying, “Hopefully I am that someone to provide aid.”

While she lives and ministers in New York, Sister keeps in touch with her Presentation Sisters by
phone and e-mail, and by visits to Aberdeen several times a year. Her vocation and life as a Presentation Sister is invaluable in her ministry. “I couldn’t do this work without my vocation,” she explains. “I pray with patients all day long and those prayers strengthen my spiritual life. God feels right there all the time. I am connected to God and patients see and feel that.”

The biggest challenge for Sister Elaine in her current minister is balancing the use of technology
with the need to spend quality time with patients. While technology saves her some time, she finds
that it can also take away from the interaction at a patient’s bedside.

To underline the power of prayer, Sister shares a story of a very “macho” patient who agreed to visit with her only to appease his wife and daughter. Sister offered to share a prayer if he would like, and he agreed, once again to appease his family. At the end of the prayer, during which
Sister explained that God is with us and we are never truly alone, this patient jumped out of bed and hugged Sister Elaine. Remembering this event, Sister states, “Prayer gives us an underlying sense of peace in the midst of turmoil.”


Previously Featured Sisters:

Sister Paulette Garry

 

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Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary | 1500 North Second Street, Aberdeen, SD 57401-1238 | (605) 229-8317 | dmaas@presentationsisters.org