At St. Mary’s we remember in prayer those who are ill in various ways. We have our Parish Prayer Line, the members of which continuously pray for those who have requested prayer. We also have our Prayer Shawl Ministry, whose participants pray for those who will receive the shawls they knit or crochet as they are making them. We remember the sick too in the Prayers of the Faithful at Mass and in the Parish Bulletin. In this regard, we are unsure just how long to keep those who have requested prayers on this list. To avoid indefinitely including the names of those requesting prayers in the Bulletin or at Mass, we make the following proposal. Upon request, we will include the name of the person requesting prayers in the Bulletin and in the Prayers of the Faithful for four consecutive weeks, after which those persons’ names will no longer be included unless an extension is requested. This does not mean we will no longer pray for these persons (they will continue to be remembered through our prayer line), but it will allow for a greater rotation of people prayed for in this very public way. We also hope to avoid any misunderstanding about a person’s condition if their name is suddenly missing from the list, as this will occur consistently with everyone. A person may request to resume inclusion in these prayers if their condition worsens, or be removed before the four-week cycle is complete if they have experienced improvement in their health. By way of reminder, if you are requesting prayers for someone else, please be sure they have given you permission to have them remembered in prayer publicly. Some people are very private about their health situations, and we wish to be respectful of that. Thank you for your understanding and for your continued prayers for those who are seriously ill.