PRAYER BACKGROUND AND FACTS AND FIGURES

Prayer Background

The Role of Prayer at FSPA

As the name Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration suggests, prayer is at the core of all our congregation's ministries.

Whether through perpetual adoration (our practice of around-the-clock prayer), communal and individual prayer, or the practice of praying with and for the people of God, we believe that relating with God helps us see the miracles in the ordinary and leads to service.

Indeed, prayer provides the foundation and direction for all our ministries - ranging from church service to justice advocacy to spiritual direction. In all we do we seek to cultivate spirituality and bring peace into today's world.

Forms of Prayer

Perpetual Adoration

Our practice of perpetual adoration stems from our thirst for a strong relationship with God. Since August 1, 1878, continuously day and night, at least two people have prayed before the Blessed Sacrament, bringing to awareness God's presence in our lives and keeping vigil for our community, the city of La Crosse, the church, and the world.

Prayers for Others

Though we pray for the whole world, some people find comfort in knowing they and their loved ones are remembered specifically.

We invite you to call us with names of those you wish to be included in our prayers.

Contemplative Prayer

Daily contemplative prayer offers each of us an opportunity for personal, quiet reflection. During this time, we reflect on the mystery of God, the miracle of life in all its forms and the meaning of the Scriptures. This practice helps us see God and miracles in the everyday, ordinary events of life and understand what life offers us and what we can offer in return. It helps us deepen our personal relationship with God and all creation and to manifest our love in ministry to others.

 

Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration Facts and Figures

• FSPA's perpetual adoration is the nation's longest, uninterrupted prayer.
  
• More than 2,100 people, including sisters and their lay prayer partners, have participated in the congregation's perpetual adoration since its inception on August 1, 1878.
  
• Together, the sisters and their prayer partners have logged 2,172,000 hours of nonstop prayer.
  
• Construction on FSPA's Perpetual Adoration chapel began in 1903. The chapel was dedicated August 2, 1906.
  
• The sisters have received prayer requests from as far away as Iraq and for everything from healing loved ones and rekindling relationships to passing exams and finding new jobs.
  
• Not even fire was able to interrupt FSPA's prayer. In 1923, sisters in the chapel continued praying as a fire destroyed nearly all of the original convent - stopping just short of the chapels where they prayed.
  
• Prayer shifts typically last 30 minutes in the daytime and one hour at night. During a January 1968 flu epidemic, however, some sisters prayed as long eight hours each day, covering for those who were bedridden and ensuring the adoration continued without interruption.
  
• During each shift, sisters and prayer partners make certain to pray for the FSPA community, the Church, the city of La Crosse and its inhabitants, and the world.
  
• FSPA was founded in 1849.