When Sister Gabriela of the Incarnation, a Carmelite sister in Flemington, read some time ago of people in England arrested for praying silently near abortion clinics, she thought how ridiculous it was to think that prison bars could hold back prayers. “They were just standing there, praying!” she said. But she recognized what these silent witnesses had accomplished: they had called attention for those who might enter the clinic to the fact that they were not alone, that they were accompanied by the prayers of many.
From that realization came “Contemplatives for Life,” an effort begun in late 2024 to make known to pregnant women that they and the children they carry under their hearts are held in prayer every day by an “informal alliance of contemplative nuns who choose to reach out to our sisters,” and “to share with them our love and assurance that we are with them in prayer,” as described on the community’s website, seekingthefaceofgod.org.
“This is for the people who don’t know we’re here,” Sister Gabriela explained. “People suffer from isolation – especially young people, even with modern communication. This is a way we can reach out, besides our website and answering letters, to people struggling with problems who most need our prayers.”
The program provides a statement poster expressing support for expectant mothers, a version of that in a letter to individual mothers, and a card with a personal message. It reads: “Contemplative Nuns hold you and your unborn child in prayer! Dear Friend, you are precious in God’s eyes, and we enfold you in our love! May you discover your value and dignity. May God guide you to the resources that you want for yourself and your child.”
Joan Fasanello, executive director at Life Choices, Inc. in Phillipsburg, a resource center for expectant and new mothers, has relied on the prayers of the contemplative sisters for years. “More than 25 years ago, I wrote to the Carmelite monastery asking prayers for Life Choices,” Fasanello said. “The sisters responded that they were praying for us. I wrote again after 25 years with the same request, and got a response from the Mother Superior that they had been praying for us every day. It was moving to know that we had not been forgotten. All along, when we saw the Lord’s guiding hand, it was probably the sisters’ prayers at work!”
Knowing that they are uniquely being held in prayer helps to give women facing a challenging pregnancy the courage they need. “When they find out there is help,” Fasanello said, “they are still scared, but there are these prayers that can help them find the courage they need. When we hold people in prayer, we are not trying to persuade or dissuade them, but instead, just to support them. The kindness and joy make them feel welcome. It has an amazing effect.”
The Contemplatives for Life effort has drawn the attention and support of Church leaders. Bishop James F. Checchio wrote to the sisters, saying: “Please be assured of my prayers and my blessing for the Contemplatives for Life initiative. May your community’s prayers release the power of God into the lives of women and families that are in need.”
Father Daniel Chowning, provincial of the Washington Province of Discalced Carmelites, expressed similar hopes for the initiative. “Contemplative prayer, contemplative love, penetrates and radiates beyond walls and frontiers,” he wrote.
Sisters of Life, a religious community established by then Archbishop of New York Cardinal John O’Connor and dedicated to the protection and enhancement of the sacredness of life, plans to share the materials with those they serve in their missions across the country. The Diocese of Metuchen Office of Human Life and Dignity will also use the materials in support of expectant mothers in its work.
It wasn’t long after Contemplatives for Life began that the Carmelite sisters in Flemington realized they could expand their outreach to other groups who would be lifted up by the knowledge that they would be held in prayer. “Mothers and fathers who have lost children, couples who are trying to conceive,” are among other groups for whom the sisters have created dedicated prayer cards.
“Our hope is that we will be able to help someone,” Sister Gabriela concluded, convinced of the power of prayer. “We are often asked to pray, but rarely hear about the results. We’re not used to hoping for feedback. That’s part of living in faith.”
All of the Contemplatives for Life materials are available at no cost, although donations are welcome to cover printing and mailing costs. They can be obtained by emailing Contemplatives for Life at [email protected]