Dear Pastors, Deacons and Pastoral Coordinators,

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus promises, “If two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

As we move forward in our Pastoral Planning process, I’d like to establish a foundation of intercessory prayer. Accordingly, I am charging every parish to have an intercessory prayer team in place by October 1, 2021, the feast day of St. Therese of Lisieux, who is a prayer warrior for evangelization of the Church.

My hope is for these prayer teams to be an engine that stirs up spiritual hunger in the hearts of all people, preparing them to receive the Gospel when it is preached to them. The prayer of these teams is to be tireless in service of the mission of Jesus Christ in the archdiocese and in the parish.

Many in our highly secularized culture experience a spiritual oppression; constant intercessory prayer must implore the Lord to open the hearts of our people to him and to his gift of salvation. We must also remember St. Ignatius’ rule that says where the Holy Spirit is at work, the counter spirit is equally at work. So, we pray for the Holy Spirit to break any power that is not of God.



There are many powerful examples in Scripture of those who implored God for assistance, such as Abraham, Moses, Nehemiah and Daniel. Pope Francis teaches often about the importance of prayer; in Evangelii Gaudium, he exhorts us: “Let us call upon [the Holy Spirit] today, firmly rooted in prayer, for without prayer all our activity risks being fruitless and our message empty. Jesus wants evangelizers who proclaim the good news not only with words, but above all by a life transfigured by God’s presence.”

Your prayer team members must have a gift of prayer, demonstrated by their love for and regular reception of the sacraments. There is no recommended number of people for your team, nor is there a suggested devotion or spirituality. The goal is simply persistent and tireless prayer on behalf of our efforts to accomplish the mission of Christ and his Church. They must commit to regular communication to know of specific prayer intentions and to receive updates on answered prayers. They must demonstrate the maturity to maintain the confidential nature of such communication.

Please prayerfully consider the membership of your intercessory prayer team and bring them together for the purposes I have outlined above. As St. Paul tells us, “To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit” (1 Corinthians 12:7). Good leadership calls forth the gifts that are present within the community, and now is the time to call forth the gift of prayer. As always, I remain,

In the Heart of Christ,

Most Rev. Paul D. Etienne, DD, STL

Archbishop of Seattle