Grief-stricken and hurting find healing as small groups meet to pray and offer hope

WICKLIFFE, Ohio (Catholic Universe-Bulletin) - Mary Skufca has seen for herself how prayer can change lives.

For the last six years, Skufca, a member of St. Pius X Parish, Bedford, has led several small Christian communities as part of the Shepherd Groups Inner Healing Ministry. Started in 2002, Shepherd Groups are part of Catholic Renewal Ministries, the charismatic prayer movement in the Cleveland Diocese.

A typical Shepherd Group meets once or twice a month. The groups are small, limited to five or six people plus a leader. They gather at members' homes or parishes. They pray, read the Bible, share their feelings and life experiences, listen with compassion and support each other.

Skufca said many people come to the program to find healing from depression, sadness, confusion and anger. She said through the ministry, hurting people learn to open their hearts and surrender their emotional pain to Jesus so they can be led to freedom and healing under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

"I believe the Lord puts it on the heart of the people who are supposed to be there," she said. "The best way to describe it is the Lord breaks strongholds. People come with all types of hurts."

Non-judgmental love

Skufca said she, too, has been helped by the ministry.

A survivor of childhood trauma, she was introverted, shy, confused and struggling with severe depression. She said being part of a small Christian community where she could share her pain and receive prayerful support has been life-changing. She began to see herself as loving and beautiful not broken, used or tarnished. She began to feel more connected to God and to others.

"People were compassionate, no judgment," she said. "I found nothing but love in that group. What it did, it just healed me."

Today, she's helping others have the same opportunity to heal through Shepherd Groups. She is part of a circle of women who have been meeting for three years. She also leads some of the other 12 groups around the diocese.

"I'm excited about this ministry because I know firsthand what it's capable of doing," she said.

The healing often spreads beyond the Shepherd Groups into their families, parishes and communities.

Bonds of prayer and intercession

Nancy Docrill, a member of St. Peter Parish, North Ridgeville, heads the healing ministry for Catholic Renewal Ministries, which includes healing Masses at parishes and other missions and events. Docrill said she has met many people over the years who have been helped by Shepherd Groups.

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"They build a really solid bond," Docrill said. "You have that small Christian community who prays for you and intercedes for you. They raise each other up. I think it's one of the best ministries we have in the diocese for healing."

Skufca said an important component of the Shepherd Groups is the Bible study curriculum that was developed out of the Renewal Ministries at the Detroit Archdiocese. She emphasized that people who join the groups are encouraged to seek professional counseling or spiritual direction to help them cope with specific issues they may be experiencing in their lives such as abuse, addiction or mental illness. Because of the issues that can arise for people as they participate in the program, confidentiality and privacy is key.

"You have to have that circle of safety," Skufca said. "You have to have that safe place."

Transformational healing

Docrill said the ministry has the potential to touch many lives because everyone suffers hurts that can affect how they relate to others.

"We believe the lies--I must not be worth anything," she said. "The healing that takes place is phenomenal. They have a community of people who love them into that wholeness of life."

She said helping people heal emotionally benefits the Church and the community because healthy people are more inclined to get involved and work for change.

"It brings the person into a whole new way of life where they can see themselves as the person God created them to be," she said. "Once you go through this, you see yourself in a whole new light."

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This story was made available to Catholic Online by permission of the Catholic Universe Bulletin (www.catholicuniversebulletin.org), official newspaper of the Diocese of Cleveland, Ohio.