THELEAVEN.ORG | VOL. 46, NO. 4 | AUGUST 23, 2024
LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER
Martha Jean O’Toole was delighted with the mini-makeover the youth from the Prayer and Action program gave her Lawrence home — everything from cleaning the windows to repainting her deck. The program is a ministry of the archdiocesan social justice office and puts teams of high school students into action for their community, while forming them in the faith. By Odelia Colvin Special to The Leaven
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AWRENCE — It had been a long time since 94-yearold Martha Jean O’Toole had cleaned her porch and windows. “My husband’s been gone for about 12 years, and I haven’t been able to do that outside work,” O’Toole said. Then, something in the bulletin of her home parish, St. John the Evangelist in Lawrence, caught her attention. It contained an advertisement for Prayer and Action. She decided to contact them and before she knew it, her porch and windows were clean. Prayer and Action is a ministry of the archdiocese’s office of social justice. It functions as a mission trip for high school students, allowing them to provide service for their communities and to pray together. “They had painted my deck,” O’Toole said, “and so they powerwashed the front of my house, and the porch. They got that all fixed up. And then, they washed those windows.
‘ACTION’ PACKED Prayer and Action gives youth the chance to give back to the community
“The guys were outside washing the screens and the outside windows, and the girls were doing the inside. It was beautiful. They were wonderful kids.” Hundreds of teens participate in the Prayer and Action program every summer. This year, Prayer
and Action was hosted by Corpus Christi Church in Lawrence. “It is amazing to watch the youth grow in their faith and have an experience that they’ve never had before,” Allan Towle said. Towle was a supervisor with the Prayer and Action group that was
MY WINDOWS DOWNSTAIRS ARE JUST LOOKING BEAUTIFUL. BEAUTIFUL. I THINK MY HOUSE MUST BE LIGHTER NOW THAN IT’S EVER BEEN. MARTHA JEAN O’TOOLE MEMBER OF ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST PARISH, LAWRENCE paired with O’Toole. He had previously been involved with the group for two years. “They get to see and experience giving of themselves to people who need it,” Towle said. “And they get to see the gratitude of the individuals who they serve, which is absolutely amazing for young people to see and to feel that experience. “You get more back when you give, just because you know you’ve >> See “IT” on page 10