School Sisters of Notre Dame Associates
Living out the works of mercy in their everyday life

Prayer Sacks

Associates and sisters – Ohio and West Virginia

Sisters and associates in Coolville, Ohio, assemble prayer sacks for the Catholic youth in the area.
Sitting L to R: Sister Lauretta Rose Koscielniak, Mary Vessel, Sister Joan Marie Van Beek, Joan Fontaine and Wayne Fontaine.
Standing L to R: Anna Dawkins, Cecelia Helmick and Tim Carmean. Photo by Cindy Molinari

In July, 2015, Associate Cecelia Helmick brought a unique idea to our monthly associate gathering in Coolville, Ohio. She told us about “The Father’s Love Letter”, which is a compilation of about 50 Scripture quotes that are put together as a “love letter” from God. These love letters take the form of prayer sacks.

The Coolville associates caught Cecelia’s enthusiasm and worked on the prayer sacks: printing, cutting the letter into 50 quotes, folding the quotes and putting them into brown lunch bags. On one side, we included information about the letters, and on the other, information about the School Sisters of Notre Dame.

We presented these prayer sacks to various groups. At Parkersburg Catholic High School in West Virginia, Cecelia and Sister Joan Marie Van Beek distributed the sacks. The group was met with almost 180 students who were eager to see which Scripture quote they would pull out next, aware that each had a special message for them. The teacher who accompanied us in these presentations also described the prayer sacks as a personal blessing.

We met with the confirmation class and youth group at St. Ambrose Catholic Church in Belpre, Ohio, who received the prayer sacks as well. We also shared the prayer sacks with other youth leaders in the area.

We will continue to share these prayer sacks with groups and individuals in our community.

If you would like to view the letter or watch a video, visit http://www.fathersloveletter.com/.