St. Mary of Vernon Catholic Church

With unemployment rates staggeringly high and continuing to rise, and in the face of forecasts that offer little hope of a positive change in the short term, perhaps our prayers and actions can help ease the anxieties of family and friends, co-workers and peers, and acquaintances who have lost their jobs, significant portions of their salaries and benefits, or their businesses in recent months.

I am confident that you already have included in your prayers those who are struggling to deal with the challenges of not being able to find work and those you know who are working in roles paying well below their giftedness and potential. I am also confident that our prayers do not go unheard and that where there is faith and prayer, there is hope. And – in addition to a new job or an improved sense of employment security – hope is something that many of our sisters and brothers could use a healthy helping of right now.

I invite you to join me in dedicating some time on the Fourth Friday of each month to prayer for our unemployed and under-employed sisters and brothers. At a minimum, please remember those who are out-of-work or experiencing more unease with their employment prospects in your thoughts or petitions; if you can, please set aside a few minutes for a more formal or structured prayer experience. And, on the chance that you might be in a position to provide some specific employment direction or counseling to those whom you know are in this unfortunate situation, setting aside some of your time on Fourth Fridays to share your expertise or gifts with those folks might just help them discover what they’re looking for!

If you’d like to register for more information and additional articles about The Fourth Friday Project, go to the myprayerbreak.com website. Special prayers focused on the topic of unemployment will be prepared and made available for Fourth Friday prayers.

Thanks for listening, and for your prayers for all who are looking for the work they deserve.

Peace!

Mark Zwolski