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Submitted by Andrea Gailus and members of the Healing Prayer Ministry


The history of offering healing prayer at the Cathedral goes back about 25 years to the days when Margery Kellett and a clergy person offered the confidential support of prayers to anyone who wanted to receive prayer after the 12pm Eucharist on Thursdays. 


When the Thursday prayer practice had taken hold, members of the congregation wanted to create an expanded ministry of prayer. They proposed that during the 10:30am Sunday service confidential prayers would be offered by team members to anyone who came forward. This practice became a regular part of the Sunday service until it too had to stop in March 2020 with Covid-19 safety protocols.


There are currently 25 team members from the congregation on the roster who offered prayers-  in pairs- during the Sunday Eucharist, along with anointing of oil for those who wanted it. New members are nominated by current members or clergy, and the Dean gives assent. There are guidelines shared with new members and they pray with a mentor the first few times they are paired for prayers. Joining the Healing Prayer ministry is a journey of discernment for everyone involved. 


Since April 2020, Healing Prayer team members have gathered, on-line, at 12pm on Thursdays to offer prayers.  The Rev. Helen Dunn put together a short liturgy to guide the prayer team’s on-line gathering. Anyone who has a special intention for which they need healing prayer can send their prayer request to the Prayer Link via the Cathedral parish office. Those prayer intentions are compiled and passed along to the Healing Prayer ministry to be included in the weekly on-line prayer gathering.  Each week we read the Psalm for the day and include a section from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report.


Since Helen left the Cathedral this work has been coordinated by Healing Prayer Ministry leader Andrea Gailus, with support from Anne Christian and Sondra Marshall. We share the work of gathering and updating the prayers each week, providing Zoom invitations - and tech support - to team members, and leading the liturgy offered Thursdays between 12pm and 12:45pm. We usually have between 8 and 12 people gathered on Zoom.


We are supported at this time by The Rev. Melanie Calabrigo and thank Melanie for her care at the first Healing Circle on Sept 12 and thank The Rev. Jeffrey Preiss for his care at the second Healing Circle on Sept. 19. 


There has been a suggestion that we consider offering a Healing Circle once a month until we can once again meet in the Cathedral alcove during Eucharist at the 10:30am Sunday service.