Prayer and Action gives youth the chance to give back to the community

by Odelia Colvin
Special to The Leaven

LAWRENCE — It had been a long time since 94-year-old Martha Jean O’Toole had cleaned her porch and windows.

“My husband’s been gone for about 12 years, and I haven’t been able to do that outside work,” O’Toole said.

Then, something in the bulletin of her home parish, St. John the Evangelist in Lawrence, caught her attention. It contained an advertisement for Prayer and Action. She decided to contact them and before she knew it, her porch and windows were clean.

Prayer and Action is a ministry of the archdiocese’s office of social justice. It functions as a mission trip for high school students, allowing them to provide service for their communities and to pray together.

“They had painted my deck,” O’Toole said, “and so they powerwashed the front of my house, and the porch. They got that all fixed up. And then, they washed those windows.

“The guys were outside washing the screens and the outside windows, and the girls were doing the inside. It was beautiful. They were wonderful kids.”

Hundreds of teens participate in the Prayer and Action program every summer. This year, Prayer and Action was hosted by Corpus Christi Church in Lawrence.

“It is amazing to watch the youth grow in their faith and have an experience that they’ve never had before,” Allan Towle said.

Towle was a supervisor with the Prayer and Action group that was paired with O’Toole. He had previously been involved with the group for two years.  

“They get to see and experience giving of themselves to people who need it,” Towle said. “And they get to see the gratitude of the individuals who they serve, which is absolutely amazing for young people to see and to feel that experience.

“You get more back when you give, just because you know you’ve done something wonderful for people.”

O’Toole was incredibly impressed with the group’s work.

“My windows downstairs are just looking beautiful. Beautiful. I think my house must be lighter now than it’s ever been,” O’Toole said.

“It would be hard to say just one thing because I learned so much,” said Samantha Ireland, a rising freshman at Hayden High School in Topeka, about her Prayer and Action experience.

“It was the best week of my life,” Ireland said.

As well as service, Prayer and Action also places an emphasis on cultivating spirituality in young people.

“They have this amazing opportunity to grow closer to Christ and grow closer to God and understand the Catholic faith better. That’s a wonderful thing,” Towle said.

The focus on deepening relationships with God is an essential part of Prayer and Action, according to supervisor Caitlin Schneider.

“The time spent in prayer and sacraments is also central to the week, and I think youth often walk away with a renewed knowledge of God’s love for them,” Schneider added. “I think all of our hearts were reinvigorated to follow Jesus as his disciples by carrying these new perspectives with us.”

Schneider had also been involved in Prayer and Action for several years and said she had first been encouraged to chaperone because of the overwhelmingly positive experience of previous participants.

The positivity has not been lost with time, as current participants of the program continue to have powerful experiences with it. Prayer and Action provides an opportunity for participants to grow in their faith and, eventually, share their faith with others.

“The Gospel means ‘good news,’” said Deacon Bill Scholl, the archdiocesan consultant for social justice and a chaperone for Prayer and Action. “When you live out Christ’s love for others it is impactful, and people want to share this news with others.”

To learn more about Prayer and Action, visit the website at: https://www.pandakc.org.