We Are Connected by Prayer
One could say that it is in God’s whisper that we are called to do great things.
Earlier this year, Amanda Livermore, vice president of Mission Effectiveness for Bishop Moore Catholic High School, responded to an invitation to be a guest of “manyhailmarysatatime,” a daily, live Instagram prayer group. She was so touched by the experience that she wanted to bring a similar opportunity to the BMC campus.
When Pope Francis called on Catholics throughout the world to “unite spiritually” by praying the rosary simultaneously on March 19 amid worsening conditions of the global coronavirus pandemic, Mrs. Livermore responded, leading the BMC community in virtual prayer.
“We were surprised and inspired to see how many people from our BMC community and extended friends and family chose to participate in that live rosary experience,” Mrs. Livermore said.
And then God whispered.
“Right away, we received requests for it to continue, and we were happy to provide a way for us to safely stay connected to one another,” she said.
To this day, Mrs. Livermore, along with an array of special guests, have been leading more than 1,000 people every day at 4 p.m. in praying the rosary via Facebook Live and recorded videos.
“We have plans to continue the prayer virtually at least until we can get together in person to pray together again,” she said. “However, we may have also discovered a way for people to be together in prayer even when they can't physically be present.
“If this is something the BMC community would like to continue even when things get back to ‘normal,’ we will be happy to pray together on Facebook live indefinitely! We are a family, and families pray together.”
Participants also have the opportunity to share prayer requests by posting them in the comments section. Mrs. Livermore said this has added to the impact and beauty of the prayer,
“As we pray, I am able to see their worries, struggles, hopes, joys...and I am able to lift those up in real time,” she said. “It connects all of us on such a personal level. I hope it has made some people feel more comfortable praying the rosary, too. Each time, it's a little different depending on the special guest. You get to see their own way of praying, their laughter, their lives...the consistency of the prayer is enhanced by the individuality of the person praying.”
The process has not been without its flaws.
“We've also messed up sometimes, and I love that people can see that prayer doesn't have to be perfect in order for it to ‘count’,” Amanda said with a smile. “We bring our littleness, and God’s grace fills in the rest.
“Our Lady is with us, and is teaching us how to see and love her son,” she concluded. “In turn, Jesus teaches us how to see and love the Father. By praying the rosary together, we walk with Mary and Jesus, learning from their perfect faith and perfect love. Each prayer has the power to transform the world, and also the power to transform our own hearts to be moral like theirs.”
-- Linda Caldwell
Director of Marketing, Central Region
Diocese of Orlando Office of Catholic Schools