Sarah Congialdi

Mrs. Thomas
UWRT-1101-103
November 18, 2014

Going into this paper I wasnt happy with the topic I chose as I preferred to observe the
volleyball team instead, but they didnt meet as many times as I needed. I ended up choosing my
Aunts prayer group. Im not sure what direction I am going in with this paper, but I believe I
was able to grasp the concept of this group. After all I am pretty satisfied with how my paper
came out. After receiving such great feedback I added more details in my paper.I hope you end
up liking it! Thanks
My aunt, Dolores Baker has been in a prayer group for years now and she is more
dedicated than ever. She is Roman Catholic and has always had a strong belief in praying. She
created this group when she felt the blessed mother ask her internally through her spirit to start a
prayer group. Dolores has been actively taking part in this prayer group for over ten years. She
has a love for praying and seeks to spread her faith to others. My aunts prayer group is quite
diverse and includes women from age fifty and up and some males in their late twenties. I will
discuss the group dynamics and how the flow of one of their prayer sessions goes.
Not only does this prayer group pray together, they also sing hymns about the blessed
mother and meditate to the four mysteries of the rosary. The four mysteries of the rosary are: The
joyful, the sorrowful, the glorious and the luminous mystery. These different mysteries are each

prayed on different days of the week. When the group prays on these different mysteries they
talk about their testimonies in relation to the rosary. The purpose of the prayer group is to spread
the good news, change lives and convert sinners into giving up their lives to the Lord.
My aunt has recently bought something called an icon. The icon my aunt bought is a
picture of the blessed mother with rose petals all around her. The significance of the icon is that
those who pray to the icon will be healed and kept protected for the rest of their life. The petals
that surround the icon have been touches to Mary and Jesus and are very sacred. Since my aunt
has gotten the icon in her hands she has spread the world to those in the prayer group and caused
them to spread the word and now she keeps getting calls of people who believe that praying to
the icon will keep them safe.
Those who take part in the prayer group are devoted Catholics of any age who want to
pray and heal others. The way every one in the group communicates is by phone calls, emails,
text messages and group meetings at my aunts house for a couple of hours. They usually meet a
few times a week to all pray and discuss bible scriptures. At times during their prayer they speak
Latin derived from special masses. They spend the last ten minutes of the group praying for each
other and sharing prayer requests from those close to them. Newcomers that join the group listen,
pray, and interact with others to better understand how the prayer sessions flow.
When attending the prayer group session the order in which events occur goes a little like
this: Upon entering the room you kneel and say a silent prayer to yourself asking to receive the
messages that are about to be given. Once all of the members have arrived, the group starts by
singing hymns and religious songs of praise for about an hour. This helps put everyone in a
spiritual mood. Once in a spiritual mood you are ready to begin. The group then starts praying

and meditating upon the rosary and they then read spiritual messages from the Blessed Mother.
Songs and hymns will continue again until the final prayer is given.
A unique belonging my aunt wears is something called a scapular. A scapular is a
garment suspended from the shoulders. A cloth like necklace with a picture of the blessed mother
attached to it. You wear this around your neck and it goes under your shirt. This item is worn for
protection and to honor the Blessed Mother. Only those who believe in god and pay everyday are
ones to wear a Scapular after you have gotten it blessed. If the scapular is not blessed it has no
affect if you wear it.
My aunt goes to the Chapel for individual silent prayer called Adoration. This is a time
for you to go and be in the presence of the lord. During this time you talk to the Lord, pray to
Him and He heals you. At times the group goes together to pray in silence and strengthen their
individual spirituality, but Dolores also goes on her own time. Sometimes the prayer group goes
together, you have to be very silent while in adoration.
My aunts prayer group is starting to grow this past year. Everyone in the prayer group
loves to go around spreading the word about Christ. More people are starting to come over in big
groups and they are going to start traveling to spread the Word. Each member is fully invested in
the group and are always trying to reach out to those in local churches and communities to help
bring people closer to Christ. The group strives to be like family to one another, helping each
member grow in their spiritual journey to a better, more Christ-like life.
In the end my Aunts prayer group is something she is very passionate about and I love to
learn about what she loves to do on a day to day basis. I believe the different steps my aunt takes
to make her prayer group so successful is very inspiring and those who are a part of the group are

very proud to be in the group. Being in a prayer group that you are dedicated to is very helpful
when you are going through a hard time and need strength. The different factors I discussed are
all steps one would take if in a dedicated prayer group.

Work Cited
Baker, Dolores. Personal Interview. 17 Nov. 2014

My Aunts prayer room

Scapular

The Icon