May 4, 2022

Beloved in Christ:

During the Lenten Wednesday Prayer Series this past winter, we had offerings of different methods of prayer:  Benedictine, Ignatian (the Examen), prayer beads, contemplative prayer, and walking prayer. I presented on the method of walking, or moving prayer and talked a bit about organizing a neighborhood prayer walk for our Calvary neighborhood. There was enough interest for me to get serious about this and do it! So on Saturday, May 21 at 1:00 p.m., I invite you to meet me at Calvary, and we will spend an hour or so walking part of our neighborhood together.

During a prayer walk, one plots out a route and walks with intention: not quickly with head down, but deliberately, head up, eyes, ears and heart open to the sights, sounds, people, events, happening along the way. And, we pray.  Not out loud, but silently, praying for the people, the places, the things and the moments we see, the interactions we witness, businesses and residents and any neighbors whose paths we cross.

A prayer walk has several purposes: to get a little exercise, to learn just who is living and working and visiting our immediate neighborhood, to become familiar with our parish boundaries, to join in fellowship with new and old friends, and to lift our neighborhood to God in prayer. We talk a lot in the church about responding to the needs of our neighbors, of loving our neighbors as ourselves, and of learning what God is up to in the neighborhood. A prayer walk is an excellent way to really learn just who is in our Calvary neighborhood and to find out just what God is doing there.

On May 21, come and plant some of the hundreds of flowers that will grace our Oasis Garden this summer, from 9:00 a.m. to noon; grab a sandwich or bring a picnic; and then join me in exploring our Calvary neighborhood with brothers and sisters – all ages are invited – from our own beloved community, to learn more about God’s larger beloved community in Rochester.

A blessed Eastertide to you all!

Beth+