Praying the News: A Passion and Calling for Carmelite Sisters

Every day is a "National Day of Prayer" at the Carmelite Monastery in Indianapolis. In the morning, afternoon and evening, 13 nuns come together before God with petitions, praise and thanksgiving. And each night, they "pray the news."

Sister Terese explains, "It is something we have always done. We watch the news together, then whatever is on the news that night enters into our nightly prayer times." On any given day that could mean praying for President Bush, for Congress, for victims of a plane crash, for children dying of hunger, for hostages.

The Sisters, who consider themselves born-again Catholics, go beyond merely praying within the cloister walls. They also have leaped onto the Internet with their "praythenews.com" Web site. An unlikely place for a group of nuns?

Not at all, says Sister Terese. "Since we are a cloistered group, a Web site is an ideal medium because it enables people to come to us without encroaching on our prayer time and our life of prayer and solitude. At the same time, it enables us to reach out to the world."

Sister Joanne agrees: "We are a contemplative community, which means that our life is a blend of prayer and work, solitude and study. We try always to earn our living without going out of the monastery."

She continues, "When you are a contemplative, it is very important to be in touch with the world. We believe the world is a holy and sacred place and that God's action is in the world. God came down to the world to help show us how to live, and how to be loving to each other. That doesn't always happen. So we feel our lives of prayer can help make the world a more peaceful place, a more loving place. It is important to take in the problems in the world and lift them up to the Lord."

Sister Terese jumps in: "We have to believe that our prayer makes a difference in the lives of people involved in a crisis or tragedy."

Their primary outreach tool, praythenews.com, is a blend of news items and prayer tools. Each week, the Sisters post a different story from the media. Below the article text are links to six points of view. This week, they are contemplating global warming, utilizing an article from Time Magazine:

Just one example of a commentary, from Sister Rachel: "As I pray for resolutions to global warming ... I see no alternative but for the American people to first acquaint themselves with all the facts and secondly as individuals, as families or as groups (either new or joining with those already in existence) to force their state legislatures to critically consider what can be done. Surely modern technology can play an important role in halting the progress of what is really impending doom. We as Americans seem to function best at the grassroots level, and I sincerely pray that we will always continue to do so."

In addition to the feature article is "News you Miss" - a significant item that hasn't quite made the headlines. This week? "Hope For Paralyzed Patients" from the April 2 Newsweek.

According to one lay employee at the monastery, "The Sisters probably know more about the real world than we who are in the real world. In their library are 60 periodicals that change monthly. You can see Sisters in the halls with their earphones on, listening to National Public Radio."

She adds, "Most people would think the Sisters are on the inside praying for themselves. But that's not true. They are inside, becoming better educated about the world, and reflecting on it in a whole new way with their intense prayer lives."

The other part of PraytheNews.com centers on prayer and reflection. There is even a link that explains how to have a personal retreat.

People who visit the site can submit a prayer, which the Sisters print out and read at midday praise in the Chapel. "We take this very seriously," Sister Joanne says. "It has been very encouraging for us to see the hearts of people who enter prayers in that section."

According to Sister Jean, "We have been saying for a long time that we're not just here to pray for people, but also to convey to people that we are all called to a relationship with God, and to finding some place in one's life for reflection and quiet. We hope to convey that too."

Says Sister Terese, "There is such a spiritual longing that we encounter today. It should give hope to people that in the midst of a busy life, they too can find some space to be with God and relate to God."

Praythenews.com is more than an outreach to the world. The nuns hope it will draw young women into their community. According to Sister Terese, "There has been a shift over maybe the last 20 years in women choosing religious vocations. There are a lot of other choices now available to women and other ways to serve God without becoming a Sister."

She says they are not seeking a huge influx of recruits, as that would violate the intimacy the Sisters cherish. "We are just trying to have enough vocations so the life can continue. In order to keep the community of friends that was envisioned by our foundress, we must keep our numbers small. There's a certain kind of intimacy in the way that we live. We're not just a large collection of individuals."

But, they don't want the way of life to die when they do. And many people today have misconceptions about the vocation, or may never have seen a nun.

According to Sister Jean: "It used to be that Catholic girls would see Sisters teaching and consider the vocation. But now with different ministries that the Sisters do - they work with battered women for example - they're not in the schools as much. Kids may never see a Sister, so we need to be 'visible' in a different way, even if that means going online."

"If people don't know you are out there, they won't know there is a group that maybe would fit their longings," adds Sister Therese. "We feel we have something to give to the world that is beautiful. If our way of life were not present, there would be something lacking."

By Janet Chismar, Religion Today editor