The title for this article telling of a healing service that is prayerful, full of hope and healing of mind, soul and body may seem odd, but I found myself seeing through the misty teary eyes of one seeing others in pain … as if through a darkened glass.

An atypical St. Joan Healing Prayer Service was held amid a clear summer-like Wednesday evening on October 3rd. I say atypical because it was that for me. I was the co-leader along with Mary Eve Thomas in helping to bring this service to anyone who felt the need for healing touch, prayer, meditation and song.

Being a retired Prayer Partner veteran of near 10 years and re-called to assist at this service, I figured that I would find nothing new, but I figured wrong. Instead, I was reminded what a privilege and honor it is to be a part of preparing and leading a service such as this for the spiritually enlightened people of St. Joan of Arc.

Mary Eve Thomas(right), using her artful eye and professional experience, created lovely ambiance to the area surrounding the altar by her use of varying sized and colored candles, fabric and flowers in such a way which resulted in more than one verbal remark about how difficult it was to keep ones eyes from the altar’s transformation. They spoke of how it helped to bring a special kind of peace to one’s heart, which was the object of Mary’s arrangement as well as the theme of this service.

The title she devised for this service was, “Heart, Wellspring Of The Soul”. As the people strode into the church singly or in groups of twos or more, it was obvious that there was a feeling of warmth and familiarity among them. Both Mary Eve and I found that we knew many of the faces that attended this service. Even so, we still offered the usual “let us stand and greet each other” which is standard fare here at St. Joan’s.

Steve Kremer, with his usual perfectly pitched baritone voice and accompanying mellow guitar – performed music that both lifted our spirits and tugged at our hearts. The final song, “This is Holy Ground” ended with new words to fit the occasion., “These are holy hearts.. God dwells in our hearts and so our hearts are holy”. A fitting sound with lyrics that summed up the whole healing service theme of how our hearts can not just beat to keep us alive, but can also show us how to live.

The service included not just familiar hymns with the lyrics on the screen to freshen our memories, but the service included scripture readings, a response prayer (Litany), a meditation experience, an amazing reflection by Mary Eve and prayers.

The service culminated in a simple ritual of healing. In this ritual, we invited those who wished to do so, to come forward to where we placed hands on their shoulders or grasped their hands while saying words such as, “May the Mighty Healing Presence of God Move Through you.” The ensuing responses varied from a simple “Amen”; “may you be healed as well”; to a simple “thank you”. Both Mary Eve and I felt a deep connection with every one of these lovely souls whose healing needs outweighed everything at that moment.

No one there expected to experience a miracle to happen such as you see on TV. No! All were there to open themselves to healing through a connection to each other and to God through prayer and meditation. From what I saw through misty eyes, the desire to be healed was strong and I felt such energy. I knew they had heard the words we had spoken throughout this service of how their hearts could be opened to aid in their healing. Now, it was up to them and their connection with God to be able to accept whatever the future would hold. It was "hope" that I became most aware of during these moments of touch, a deep and devouring hope!

After the service ended, many stayed for some refreshments brought by Julie Madden, SJA staff member who works with the Prayer Partners. She told us that there is nothing more healing than chocolate and a beverage, in this case, some red wine or apple cider and a huge bowl of dark chocolate Hershey Kisses"… both good for the heart", she said. I think she may be right if noticing the many smiles and lively conversations I was witnessing can tell us that!

The words that struck me most were these from Mary Eve’s reflection:

“Jesus says it is about healing your heart, setting it free, restoring glory. Somehow, in feeling our own pain and sorrow, we come to know that ours is a shared pain, and that the mystery and the beauty of life cannot be separated. This universal pain, too, is part of our connection with one another, and we cannot withhold our love and compassion…. much of spiritual life is self acceptance, maybe all of it.”

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JoAnn Potts is a retired teacher, music/English/choir director and 35 year member of St. Joan's. She enjoys volunteering to assist Anna Vagle with music tasks one day each week; singing in the choir; writing her memoirs, poetry and SJA web articles; keeping up with family and friends. JoAnn and Jim, husband and wife team of 54 years, are proud of their family of five children and nine grandchildren. Wanna see pictures?  JoAnn can be reached at joannpotts@gmail.com.

St. Joan’s offers healing prayer services in spring and in fall. Please join us. Most of us need healing for something, or, just come to pray for a loved one in need. Please know that at each healing service we pray for all of St. Joan’s parishioners as well as for our world.