MARGARET BOYLAN
CONSERVATIVE COLUMNIST
Two seniors take their Capstone project to a new level by building up the prayer community at Franciscan University of Steubenville.
Rebecca Pimentel, senior psychology and theology major, and Kathleen Dougherty, senior business management major, are both part of the Center for Leadership, and have decided as a senior Capstone project to establish “Prayer Warriors,” where students and faculty can sign up to receive the name of someone to pray for that month. Students receive the name of a faculty member, and faculty members receive the name of a student.
“It was just this idea that came to me,” said Pimentel, “I had been praying about having a Capstone project that made a difference … and that would be helpful to the University community.”
Pimentel said, “I know personally I don’t pray enough for the faculty on our campus, and they’re the ones who keep our campus passionately Catholic, and I just thought it would really build up the community of prayer, even more than there is already, if we had specific prayer partners.”
Dougherty agreed, “It’s really important that we should be praying for each other. We do, in general, pray for the University, but we won’t specifically have students and faculty praying for each other.”
Dougherty said an email was just sent out to all students on campus, as well as an announcement in the faculty bulletin, encouraging everyone to sign up.
So far, a handful of faculty has signed up, and around 150 students, said Dougherty.
Dougherty said each month the students and faculty will receive a different name of someone for whom to pray.
Both Dougherty and Pimentel said they have been happy with the responses so far.
“We’ve set our goal for the semester, and we’ve almost reached that,” said Dougherty. “We didn’t want to just put everyone on a list, because we want people to make the choice to participate in it, (and) for it to be meaningful and intentional.”
Dougherty and Pimentel have worked on the project through the Center for Leadership, and have been approved by the Chapel Office, with the hope that the project will continue to grow after they have both graduated.
“It’s so easy and so low key,” said Dougherty. “I don’t see why we couldn’t have everybody doing it. With any type of event, it’s just about getting the word out, and getting people to see it enough times.”
Pimentel added, “I’d like to encourage anyone to sign up who hasn’t already signed up, because I really think this is going to be great for the campus.”