Are you looking to experience the love of God to be healed and to heal others through the power of the Holy Spirit? Do you want to be inspired as a Catholic to use your God-given authority daily? Then, parishioner Maureen Costello has started a ministry for you. “The mission of ‘Lord of the Harvest Healing Ministry’ (LOHHM) is to encourage people to deepen their relationship with Jesus so that they can experience the love of God and the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit in their everyday lives,” says Maureen. “LOHHM is dedicated to helping people with all aspects of spiritual, emotional, physical, and mental healing.”
Maureen remembers, “The idea behind LOHHM started on a Sunday morning this past January at the 11:45 Mass when, during his sermon, Monsignor Clay asked the congregation whether we wanted to be seekers, just learning and reading books about God or actual apostles and disciples doing the work of Jesus on earth?” She says, “I felt the Holy Spirit powerfully urging me to leave my comfort zone and work for God like an apostle. After Mass, I approached Monsignor Clay and asked him if I could start a healing ministry at St. Francis to focus on helping people through the words of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. I explained a few of my experiences of seeing miraculous events and healings in myself and others through the Lord. Monsignor Clay immediately gave his approval.”
Ideas for the ministry curriculum then came over the months as the Holy Spirit guided and inspired her with a name for the ministry and a plan. When Father Chris Koehn became the pastor this past summer, she submitted her ministry plan, and he also gave his blessing.
“Since this is a new ministry,” says Maureen, “the focus at first will be on strengthening the faith of parishioners and offering real hope to anyone who shows up. But the ministry is called Lord of the Harvest Healing Ministry for a specific reason.” She points to Luke 10:9, which reads, “Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ Jesus sends people out to spread His word. Jesus tells us there is a great harvest of people in need of Him, but few people want to do that work. She emphasizes, “But even if someone shows up only for help for themselves and their loved ones, that’s fine too. Many people are suffering too much right now to even think of going out to help others. Our focus is on helping and strengthening those people. Then, perhaps someday, they may be called to go out and help others.”
Maureen says that Jesus drew her in eleven years ago and completely overwhelmed her with his love. After that, she experienced a powerful calling and a new sense of awe and devotion. After that, she felt so much love for the Lord from reading ‘The Word’ and studying all Jesus had taught. “I took a ‘Life in the Spirit’ Catholic Charismatic Seminar and joined a prayer group at St. Michael the Archangel parish. I started studying everything I could about healing through the love of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, and I began to love going to Mass instead of going out of obligation.” I longed to form a healing ministry at St. Francis but was uncertain how to proceed. So immediately, that morning in January at the 11:45 Mass, I knew it was now the time to act.”
The ministry starts this month! The first six weeks of this ministry will be in a seminar format devoted to teaching, testimonies, and training people to team up as the apostles and disciples did. “In some ways,” Maureen says, “it will be like a bible study in that we will focus on ‘The Word.’ However, we will also strongly encourage each other not just to read but to act on the words of Jesus. So, there will be teaching and encouragement to team up the same way Jesus encouraged the 12 apostles and the 72 disciples mentioned in Luke’s gospel. He sent them all out two by two, which he did for a reason. He does not expect us to walk alone on our journey with Him. He wants us to form friendships to inspire and keep each other accountable and on track.”
The seminar will incorporate a few aspects from the Catholic Charismatic Movement (CCM) and many things Maureen affirms that the Lord has taught her over the years. She says, “My prayer is that people will find community and form deep friendships as they act on and walk out together the words of Jesus. In addition, we will testify to what the Lord is doing in our lives and the lives of our loved ones, friends, and others we help.” She says she is praying that we all can see faith for miracles at St. Francis and hopes there will be testimonies from the LOHHM participants on all they have learned. So essentially, the ministry is all about teaching, testimony, and teaming up to support each other. “We will pray and sing, eat snacks, and have fun, too,” she emphasizes!
“We are incredibly blessed in the Catholic faith in all God has given us through the sacraments,” Maureen adds. Participants will meditate on the precious gifts Jesus instituted when he gave us Baptism and Confirmation and through the sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Communion. The sacraments and the celebration of the Mass are healing on all levels, and there will be a focus on and discussion of them and their impact on the lives of Catholics. However, Maureen stresses that all are welcome. You do not need to be a St. Francis parishioner or a Catholic to participate, but adults must accompany their children. The ministry starts this month and is one evening a week for six weeks. To learn more, please contact sentout72@gmail.com for upcoming notifications, start date, time, and location.
