In truth, prayer is an inherently communal act, rather than an isolated act on the part of an individual. The Apostle Paul reminds us, “we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes” (Rom 8:26). In essence, any true prayer that we offer as individuals is but a single expression of the one great prayer of the Spirit, in which we all participate! Authentic prayer is given to us more than it is offered by us. This is why the open, receptive posture of contemplative practice is so important: it allows us to serve as a conduit for the “inexpressible groaning” of the Spirit, which is finding utterance in the community of God’s children throughout the world.

Because prayer is ultimately a communal act, growth in the practice and discipline of prayer must also be viewed as a communal pursuit, rather than as a matter of cultivating a select few individuals. The MMOC Contemplative Core Team takes this call to communal growth seriously, “assum[ing] the responsibility of oversight and guidance for deepening and expanding the individual as well as communal contemplative experience within the parish community” (MMOC Contemplative Core Team Statement of Purpose).