Seven Sisters ministry comes to Council Bluffs
April 13, 2022
By Andrea Harper
While praying in her home parish, Janette Howe describes having “an interior experience.”
She felt the words, “seven sisters” come to her. She shared with a priest her experience and her discernment to lead something with seven women praying together in solidarity for priests and bishops.
Her priest responded, “Let’s test it by its fruits.”
From a seed of the words “seven sisters,” Howe began to cultivate, to scatter, and to watch her seeds begin to bear fruit.
That spring in 2011, the Seven Sisters began at the Cathedral of St Paul in St Paul, Minnesota.
Now, 11 years later, that fruit has flowered into women praying in 1,350 parishes, chanceries, seminaries, hospitals and other locations around the world.
Howe shared her story as guest speaker at the recent gathering of the Des Moines Diocesan Council of Catholic Women in Atlantic.
A branch of the Seven Sisters group has begun in the Diocese of Des Moines.
In this group of women who have a common gift, also called an apostolate, seven agree to each take one day of the week to pray for the needs and intentions of their priest.
Elena Espinoza, a parishioner at Council Bluffs’ Corpus Christi Parish, serves as a leader, called an anchoress. Espinoza is the “Monday” sister who began a group in support of then new priest, Father Enrique Garcia.
Ann O’Toole, also of Corpus Christi Parish, also felt called to the apostolate and began another group of seven sisters for their associate pastor, Father Jacob Epstein. O’Toole assists Espinoza with communication and language barriers she might encounter as a primarily Spanish speaker.
Franciscan Sister Joyce Blum also helps translate for Espinoza.
Corpus Christi’s Seven Sisters are, as Espinoza and Sister Joyce described them, “Some Hispanic, some Latino and one Americano.”
They said they pray to strengthen their priests, who in turn will strengthen them.
“We need their strength and they need our strength,” Espinoza said through Sister Joyce. “We are the body of Christ living in communion with one another.”
Although it is not required, their holy hour is prayed in front of the Blessed Sacrament.
“I cannot always go to the church physically,” said Maria Zimmerman, a member of the Seven Sisters who uses a wheelchair. “I live right down the street from the church so I part my curtains from my window and I turn my face toward Jesus, toward the church and give my hour to Father Enrique from my home.”
The apostolate uses an image of Mary Magdalene pouring expensive oil onto the feet of Jesus for reflection. A “holy wasting,” Howe said, encourages us to set aside time to pray in preparation for what is to come.
For more information on the Seven Sisters, go to sevensistersapostolate.org.