The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Locals gather to pray for help
Folks from throughout Lorain County gathered Sept. 5 behind St. Anthony of Padua church in Lorain to pray for a plethora of issues that affect the nation and local communities.
“We started meeting outside for rosary because the inside was closed up because of C OVID ,” said Mary H ilaire Tavenner, the organizer of the prayer event located at 1339 E. Erie Ave. “We’ve been out here and it’s really been impromptu. I never really know who’s coming or how many. I also have something printed out and a general direction for the session, but you really never know what we will be led to say, and how it will go.”
Tavenner said the change for the novel coronavirus has taken some adjusting.
“It was really an unknown for me,” she said. “I was not sure how many would want to come. But, we usually get around 20 to 30 people, and I have it so folks can just bring a lawn chair to sit or they can just stay in their car if they prefer. We were praying 12 rosaries from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for an end to abortion, and we had done over 3,000 rosaries over the past seven years. But, when COVID hit the inside was locked up every Saturday and Sunday. So, we’ve been meeting since February in this way and they come every month. So, all we do now is one rosary in the parking lot.”
Tavenner said the main topic was suicide.
“I’m going to be talking about Carl Hartman Jr. because he has been appearing to his sister, Kate Hartman Flores,” she said. “This is the miracle that makes me believe. He committed suicide in 1983 and he appeared to his sister in 2019. I spoke with her, I poked her brain a lot and I could find nothing but truth. This has happened to her about 10 times. So, we’ve added praying about suicides and the hope for the families. We also are praying about the police in our community and that they’ll be protected. It’s also prayer for the end of COVID. It’s really an hour of prayer about a lot of things that affect the community.”