No priest left behind

By Rob Herbst
The Catholic Week
MOBILE – Several priests in the Archdiocese of Mobile now have a holy hour prayed for them every day, thanks to the Seven Sisters Apostolate.
Brought to the archdiocese in 2021, the Seven Sisters Apostolate consists of a group of seven women from a respective parish who each take one day a week to pray a holy hour for their respective pastor or parochial vicar. 
The Apostolate is now officially registered at six parishes throughout the archdiocese, with women lifting priests up in prayer at the Cathedral, Corpus Christi and St. Ignatius Parishes in Mobile, Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Student Center at the University of South Alabama, St. Philip Neri Parish in Belle Fontaine and Our Lady of the Gulf Parish in Gulf Shores.
“If you strengthen the priest, you strengthen the parish and you strengthen the community,” said Susan Comeaux, who brought the Apostolate to the Archdiocese of Mobile and is anchoress (leader) of the Apostolate at Cathedral Parish.
The Apostolate was founded by Janette Howe in 2011 in St. Paul, Minn. According to Comeaux, Howe began to pray for her parish priest because he was supportive of her son in seminary.
One day in prayer “she heard in her heart ‘Seven Sisters,’” Comeaux said. “She was going to pray the Seven Sorrows, but again, she heard Seven Sisters. She realized she was being called to bring six other women, each one taking one day of the week, one hour of that day to pray for that one priest.”
The Apostolate has since expanded to 28 countries, with more than 4,000 groups.
“I prayed about it (in the summer of 2021) and I knew the Holy Spirit was calling me to do this. I felt that on my heart,” she said. “I started approaching women (at Cathedral Parish) and by October I (had enough commitments). That’s when I approached (Cathedral Rector Msgr. William Skoneki) and said ‘we will be praying a Holy Hour for you.’”
When it was the appropriate time, members recited a commitment prayer and Msgr. Skoneki blessed the group. He then had a parishioner praying for him each day. 
“It is quite humbling to know people pray for me every day. I certainly need it,” Msgr. Skoneki said. “When I see members of the Seven Sisters Apostolate praying at the Cathedral, it is a source of encouragement for me and my priesthood and a reminder for me to pray for others in turn.
While only one woman is needed each day, the Cathedral group consists of nine women for the week.
“We had a couple extras who didn’t want to be subs, so we doubled up. He’s got a couple days where he’s probably feeling super-charged,” Comeaux joked.
Msgr. Skoneki added: “Everyone needs prayer, but priests need it as much or more as anybody. So many people ask me to pray for them, and I am happy to do so. But part of how I can keep others in prayer is knowing that some people are doing the same for me.”
After being established at the Cathedral, Comeaux worked with friends to get it established at other parishes throughout the archdiocese.
Each woman’s Holy Hour is to be prayed either in adoration or before the tabernacle. It does not need to prayed within the confines of the parish church.
Because Comeaux frequently travels, “I have prayed for Fr. Bill in so many states.”
Each woman’s Holy Hour is also unique and dependent on the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The only constant is those praying are asked to pray for the priest’s deepening devotion to the Blessed Mother, Comeaux said.
Because the Apostolate prays for one priest, parishes blessed to have two priests are to have two Apostolates.
If a priest is reassigned, his successor becomes the recipient of the Apostolate’s prayers and it is hoped a new group will be established at the priest’s new parish. 
One of the Seven Sisters Apostolate’s mottos is “No priest left behind.”
“Our priests have given their lives for us. They nourish us with the Body and Blood of Christ. They anoint us, they give us the sacraments,” she said. “They are also human beings just like we are. They need our support. If we allow them to fail, then we’re all going to fail.”
— For more information, visit sevensistersapostolate.org or email Susan Comeaux at [email protected]