Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Does every woman in a Magdala Grove pray for the same person or does each woman choose a different person to pray for?
All seven women in a Magdala Grove pray for the same person! This provides a beautiful chain of unbroken intercession for that particular priest, deacon, religious brother or sister, seminarian, or lay leader, surrounding them with 24/7 prayer support.
Q. Can a Magdala Grove choose to pray for more than one person, or for a group of people?
The desire to pray for multiple people is so tender. And we all know there are many priests and leaders in need of intercession! A Magdala Grove, however, is planted for one specific person for a few specific reasons. First, so that particular person may be covered with unbroken intercession throughout their ministry. There is always someone praying for them, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Second, and perhaps more significant, is the unique spiritual phenomenon that often occurs for the women in a Magdala Grove when they pray for a specific person. As the women start praying weekly for that particular priest or leader, very often they begin to find common threads or themes woven throughout their prayer day. They may encounter a similar struggle, joy, situation, insight, or some other pattern that occurs each week on their prayer day. This is often more pronounced and easier to notice if that woman is part of more than one Magdala Grove, so she can compare and contrast her prayer days for each individual priest or leader. These little insights help her know how to pray, and offer a sweet reminder of the way we are all connected and united to each other within the Body of Christ.
Q. Is there a commitment for how long a Magdala Grove needs to last?
I ask each Magdala Grove and its members to commit to at least one year of prayer and sacrifice for the priest, deacon, religious brother or sister, seminarian, or ministry leader they are praying for. At the end of one year, the Grove can decide if they would like to continue as is, make changes to the Grove, or end the Grove entirely. Some Groves exist indefinitely, while others pray for a specific intention or time period. Completely up to you and your Grove.
Q. Why is a Grove made up of seven women?
While I could certainly invent a more profound explanation, the reason a Grove is made up of seven women is simply because there are seven days in a week! Gathering seven women to each take one day of the week just seemed to be the easiest and most efficient way to make sure that particular leader is covered in prayer all day, every day.
Q. Can I add more than seven women to a Grove?
Sure! I’ll never say no to more women praying. Currently there’s not an option on the registration form to add more than seven women to a Grove, but you can always add additional names and e-mail addresses in the form comments. That said, if your Grove starts to grow large enough where you have close to seven additional members praying, it’s simpler (at least for us on the logistics end) for you to register a second or third Grove for that same leader. That helps us keep everything straight and streamlined! However, that doesn’t limit how you stay connected with each other on your end. You can operate as separate Groves, mix n’ match, or exist as one big ol’ Magdala Grove!
Q. I have seven women who are not part of the same parish or don’t all live in the same place. Can they still be part of a Grove?
Yes, absolutely! One of the greatest perks of Magdala Grove is its ability to thrive remotely. Although all Grove members commit to pray for the same person, they don’t need to to be part of the same parish or even the same city as the leader or the other Grove members. Regardless of where they live, Grove members are united in their prayer!
Q. How do I change or add Grove members after I've registered?
Someday I’ll get an official change form published, but for now the easiest way to make changes or additions to your Grove is by e-mailing us! MagdalaGrove@gmail.com
Q. Can I pray for others besides a priest?
Not only can you, but I also highly recommend it! Although our priests and deacons absolutely need our intercession, at this point in salvation history, the Church also relies a great deal on the labor of lay leaders, both in paid and volunteer positions at parish and diocesan levels. Being in ministerial work while also (often) being a husband/wife or father/mother poses unique challenges and invites spiritual resistance. If you have a DRE, catechetical leader, liturgical minister, business manager, parish secretary, principal, catechist, support staff, or someone else who labors lovingly for your parish, school, or diocese, prayerfully consider planting a Grove for them, too!
Q. What about men? Can they plant or be part of a Magdala Grove, too?
I've received messages from many men inquiring about whether they can also plant a Magdala Grove. And though you'll never hear me tell someone they can't pray and sacrifice on behalf of another, I am also convinced that a Magdala Grove should only be made up of women, largely because of its ability to nurture the feminine gift of receptivity.
Receptivity sounds beautiful on paper (or screen), but I’ll be honest with you, that virtue has not come easily for me. I’m a woman who is as choleric as they come, I’ve got ten thousand ideas and side projects brewing on any given day, and (for better or for worse), my default is usually doing, doing, and more doing. I struggle a great deal to receive. That’s not to say all women are as insanely ambitious (they are not, and thank heavens for that!), nor to say that many men are not also equally ambitious (plenty of them are). But I think the reason that Magdala Grove resonates with so many women (and perhaps why the Lord gave me the idea in the first place) is because so many of us women would quite prefer to be doing more, and yet often find ourselves in places where we can't. Places where we're asked for the opposite. Places where the way forward is not to hold our breath and try harder, but to exhale and surrender to the "contraction" of the moment (if you've ever been in labor, this will make more sense!)
​
Without getting too theological, the sin of Adam was the refusal to protect his wife and the Garden he had been entrusted with, thus his remedy is usually an invitation to step out in courage, even when he is afraid. Eve’s sin was grasping something she desired instead of waiting for the Lord to give it to her, thus her remedy is usually an invitation to surrender, even when she is afraid. Both failed in trust, but in different ways. Thus the remedy is distinct. In His great compassion for our wounded nature, the Lord invites us to participate in redeeming what fell. And for us as women, that invitation often feels like getting to do less. And darn it, that's really hard sometimes. But it is frequently our path to sanctity.
Certainly, men will also experience hidden seasons and struggles, and I'm grateful for those who have created communities and initiatives for their brothers!There are saints like Josemaria Escriva who devoted his life to finding holiness in the ordinary and invited others to do the same. There’s a male complement to the Seven Sisters apostolate that’s called Fasting Brothers, and it invites seven men to each take one day of the week to fast for a particular priest. Movements like Exodus 90 call men to deeper gift of self by stripping away the comforts that often keep them bound. And I know there are also many faithful men out there who are inviting their brothers into the vocation of masculinity in a way that is most fitting, creative, and redemptive for our time in salvation history (and certainly, in a way that I can’t do since I’m a lady…)!
If you are a man and you feel drawn to Magdala Grove, I’d encourage you to invite the Holy Spirit to direct you in your next steps, and perhaps find some other men to join you in fraternity as you do so. May you be blessed as we journey alongside each other, together and yet on different paths. One of the most beautiful things in the world is a man who is unafraid to lay his life down for the sake of another. Thank you for the gift of your masculinity!
Q. I have a question that hasn't been answered here. What should I do?
Send your question via e-mail to MagdalaGrove@gmail.com. I'll do my best to get back to you within a week or so!
