BY ERIKA ANDERSON

Staff Writer

ATLANTA--A red box in the shape of a heart with a praying hands sticker on it is visible in every classroom at St. Jude the Apostle School, a reminder of the constant prayerful presence of the Moms In Touch.

Moms In Touch, formally called Moms In Touch International, was formed as a division of the school spiritual life committee by Carol Cuviello in 1993.

“Our purpose is to lift up the school in prayer and to pray for the protection and salvation of the children, faculty and families,” Cuviello said. “We pray that the children will keep Christ first in their lives, that they would be free of temptation...We pray for all the things that would bring more harmony to the school.”

Each Wednesday at 1 p.m. a group of six to eight women meets at the school to offer up prayers for the good of the school. At the start of each meeting, the women read a prayer that begins, “However else we may fail our children, let us never fail to pray for them.”

In the room where the mothers pray, there is a round table with a crucifix placed upon it and a white candle that is lit to represent the light of Christ. In addition, each mother has a candle in the shape of a heart.

“The candles remind me of Christ and his disciples and the way they prayed with each other,” said Linda Mascarenhas, current chair of Moms in Touch.

Mascarenhas, the mother of a sixth-grade St. Jude student, describes the Wednesday prayer meetings as a “very spiritual experience.”

“The power of prayer is so real there and you really see it working, not only in praying for others and being prayer warriors, but you really feel refreshed and unburdened when you walk out of there,” she said. “You just feel the holiness of God’s presence. God wants us to be there to share each other’s burdens and to help each other out.”

Each meeting begins with praise for God and who he is. The group then moves into prayers of forgiveness.

“I am amazed by how open these women are to being vulnerable. It puts a bond between us like I’ve never seen before,” Cuviello said. “It opens up the women to know what someone else is struggling with. Maybe it’s something you can help her with or pray for her.”

The group then prays in thanksgiving for the many blessings that God has given them, especially the ability to pray openly at school, unlike many of the Moms in Touch International groups that were formed because of the banning of vocal prayer at public schools.

“It’s wonderful that we have the opportunity to do this. It reinforces why we are there (in a Catholic school), not only for the education, but for the spiritual aspect as well,” Mascarenhas said. “It’s very significant that our children are able to pray everyday.”

The group then moves into petitions, praying generally and specifically for the students, asking for pure and holy children, free from temptation. In addition to uplifting the entire community, they pray for one particular class each week, letting the class know that they are being specially remembered by the Moms in Touch.

“I think it encourages them that someone is interceding for them each week,” Mascarenhas said. “The children see so many prayers answered that they really see the power of prayer.”

The mothers also use this time to offer up the petitions that have been placed in the heart boxes. Cuviello, the mother of three St. Jude students, said students ask for prayers for almost everything, ranging from their pets to their parents.

Cuviello also mentioned that prayer requests have comforted her family, especially in times of concern for her daughter, Anna, a preschooler at St. Jude’s who suffers from epilepsy.

“There are a couple of girls who pray for her every single week...It always makes me cry. It’s a neat feeling to know that there are people that are so unselfish,” she said. “People have prayed so hard for my daughter and her seizure situation and it has definitely helped. And I also think that they feel like they are a part of her healing.”

When the heart boxes are placed back in each classroom, Mascarenhas puts a Scripture card inside that students and teachers can read and share with each other.

“Hopefully it helps them to know that we’re thinking about them and that we’re praying for them,” Mascarenhas said. “I also hope that they learn to find encouragement and comfort through the Word.”

Principal Barbara Poole said the Moms in Touch are a special part of the St. Jude family.

“Whether you are a grownup or a child, life isn’t always easy and sometimes you face pain or frustration. Prayer is sometimes the only response for those difficult times,” she said. “It is comforting to know that your needs are included in the prayers of others. The prayers of the Moms in Touch group really do support our whole community.”

The group ends each session with a “Catholic touch,” Cuviello said, praying the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be. Cuviello also said that the group does not mind that the children may never fully appreciate their efforts.

“It may be years later when a child will come up to you and thank you for your prayers or they might never do that,” she said. “But even if they don’t, we know we’re making a difference.”