Jonah prayer ministers join Catholic Charities, SVDP at Disaster Assistance Center
As she walked the concourse of Chaifetz Arena, Natasha Harris paused in front of several tables staffed by Catholic Charities and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
Volunteers and staff from both organizations were on hand at a recent Disaster Assistance Center set up by the city of St. Louis to connect tornado-affected residents with relief resources. They were among several dozen organizations and agencies on hand over several weeks in June to offer information on navigating insurance claims, applying for FEMA aid and connecting them with mental health care, legal assistance and more.
Harris was in her backyard securing several items when the EF-3 tornado ripped through her neighborhood in the Kingsway East neighborhood of north St. Louis on May 16. She had just reached her front porch when the strong winds knocked her down, leaving her with minor injuries.
While her home had some roof and other damage, Harris said she’s more concerned for her neighbors who were hit even worse. “My main concern is the elders in the neighborhood,” she said. “Some people may not have that money to get U-Haul trucks to get their stuff out or the money to store it.”
St. Vincent de Paul volunteers shared some resources with Harris and then invited her to pray together. Volunteers also offered her a small strip of white fabric to write down her prayer intentions, to be placed on a makeshift prayer wall set up behind the tables.
In a small alcove behind the prayer wall, several Jonah prayer ministers were on hand to privately pray with individuals for their intentions. The effort was coordinated by the archdiocesan Catholic Renewal Center.
“Everyone here is coming for a need, and it’s material goods, it’s emotional, but it’s also spiritual well-being,” said Ann Eilermann, a Jonah prayer minister from St. Gerard Majella Parish in Kirkwood. “That is a significant component to the healing that is needed here. We want to be here to provide that and remind them that the Lord is with them. He’s been with them, and He will continue to be with them.”
Eilermann and Kathie Hammell were among several dozen Jonah prayer ministers who signed up for shifts to pray with visitors at the Disaster Assistance Center. Both said that part of the healing process after a natural disaster includes listening to people tell their story and then praying through it.
Eilermann and Hammell met a woman who told them that while she prayed often, the tornado prompted her to think about going to church. It’s not uncommon for someone who has gone through a life-changing event to consider what happened within the context of faith, the two said.
“She was already going through so many other things that, just having a sense of order and routine, it doesn’t seem like that’s been the norm,” said Hammell, a member of St. Joseph Parish in Cottleville. “And so looking for that order, you know, we have a God of order. So it makes sense that this would be a way in which He would manifest himself.”
Eilermann said there’s zero judgement on a person’s practice of faith, but it’s about helping others to see that something good can come from a bad situation. “It’s just absolute love and ministry to an encounter with Him,” she said. “And it’s trusting in a prayer of hope. You know that something so good, so much better is going to come from all of this. We just want to be a part of His revelation.”
