In a world of change, one ministry at St. Ann keeps on trucking.  

Well, praying to be exact.  

St. Annʼs Prayer Line is closing in on 30 years of offering intercessory prayer for parishioners and beyond. Because volunteers have always offered up their prayers on their own time from wherever they choose, their duties have not changed since the onset of the Covid era.  

“If you join the prayer line, you will receive emails whenever a request is submitted,” said Jeanne Weiland, who took the reins from her mom, Micki Flaherty, who founded the group with Kathy Aparo. “Requests are sent out three times a day, three times a week, three times a month — it just depends.” 

Prayers are requested for all types of situations: for those who are sick, hospitalized, unemployed, addicted, depressed, worried or grieving — any issue you would like lifted to prayer is welcome. 

The Prayer Line is different from the prayer intentions in the bulletin each week and the names included in the prayer books presented at Masses. Those are handled by the Pastoral Care office.  

Fran Lehman, a founding member of St. Ann, has been on the prayer line since Weilandʼs mother ran it. 

“I joined because I believe in the power of prayer and I needed prayers for myself, my family and others,” she said. “When I receive a prayer request, I put it in my Bible and turn it over to the Lord. On the first Wednesday of the month, I review the past three months of requests, pray for them and then add a new month.” 

Pictured: The Prayer Line’s ‘headquarters’ is at Jeanne Weiland’s kitchen table.