Holding the world in prayer: Intercession in monastic life
In a quiet corner of Acadiana, the monks of Mother of the Redeemer Monastery in Plaisance follow a rhythm older than the United States itself. Their days revolve around the Psalms, the Eucharist, and the quiet lifting of names and needs before God. Intercessory prayer shapes the monks themselves and every person who turns to them for prayerful support.
For Australian Catholics, praying-for-others is far from foreign. Parishes from Parramatta to Perth already pray by name for the sick, the grieving, and the wider Church. Yet there is something distinctive about the monastic form of intercession: it is steady, public, and woven into the very structure of the day. Understanding that form can deepen the prayer life of any believer, far from the Louisiana bayou.
What intercessory prayer actually means
Intercessory prayer is the act of standing in the gap for someone else. It is more than a quick "Lord, bless so-and-so" muttered before sleep; it is a deliberate, sustained holding of another person before God. The word comes from the Latin intercedere, to come between, and that image captures the heart of the practice. The intercessor offers voice, attention, and sometimes suffering as a channel of grace, without replacing God or reducing the other to a project.
In a monastery, this ministry is taken seriously because it belongs to the very identity of the monk. The Rule of St Benedict devotes an entire chapter to the prayer of the brethren, and the Olivetan tradition that Mother of the Redeemer follows builds on that foundation. Intercession is the day's work, joined to the chanting of the Psalms and the celebration of the Mass.
Many Australians recognise this instinctively. In parishes across Sydney and Melbourne, prayer intention books fill the front pews, and communities like the St Vincent de Paul Society (known locally as Vinnies) build their visiting on the belief that prayer accompanies action. The monastery gives that instinct a permanent home in the Divine Office.
Biblical roots and patristic witness
Scripture is full of intercessors. Abraham pleads for Sodom. Moses stands in the breach after the golden calf. The psalmists cry out on behalf of a wayward people. In the New Testament, Paul constantly asks the churches to pray for him and prays in return for them, even naming individuals like Epaphras, who "always struggles in his prayers" for the Colossians. Christ himself, on the cross, prays for those crucifying him.
The Church Fathers carried this forward. St Augustine taught that no one can enter the holy place without an intercessor, because prayer itself is a kind of mutual bearing. St John Chrysostom reminded the faithful that praying for others is a treasury laid up in heaven. The Second Vatican Council, in Lumen Gentium, placed intercession among the principal duties of bishops, and by extension of every consecrated person who shares their pastoral care.
That ancient consensus matters for modern believers. Whether someone is part of an Aboriginal Catholic community in remote Western Australia or a tertiary chaplaincy in Brisbane, the call to pray for others is part of the deposit of the Church, shared across continents and centuries.
Why a monastery becomes a school of intercession
A monastery is, at its core, a house of prayer. The monks of Plaisance do not run parishes, schools, or hospitals in the ordinary sense. Their chief service is the Opus Dei, the work of God: the daily round of praise that lifts the needs of the world into the liturgy of heaven. Because they do this day after day, their intercession develops a particular attentiveness.
Names entrusted to the community are remembered in the psalter. A mother grieving a wayward son, a farmer facing drought, a student struggling with doubt, a bishop preparing for a synod: all are named. The monks do not promise that every prayer will be answered in the way the petitioner hopes, but they do promise that the prayers will be offered, faithfully and without interruption.
For Australians considering a deeper relationship with a monastic community, this reliability is a gift. Parishes can be transient, with priests moving every few years, but a monastery offers stability. Prayers offered today will still be on the lips of the brethren next week, next month, and next year. That steadiness mirrors the patient, grounded faith Australians often call fair dinkum: genuine and built for the long haul.
The shape of daily prayer for others
The daily horarium at an Olivetan house follows a recognisable pattern. Each of the canonical hours carries its own tone and its own kind of intercessory lift. Hour by hour, prayer and petition meet in the following shape:
| Hour | Time | Tone | Intercessory focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matins | Night | Watchful | Those in darkness, the dying |
| Lauds | Dawn | Hopeful | Family, daily intentions |
| Terce | Mid-morning | Active | Workers, the local Church |
| Sext | Midday | Steadfast | The sick, those in crisis |
| None | Mid-afternoon | Quiet | Forgotten or isolated persons |
| Vespers | Evening | Grateful | The departed, benefactors |
| Compline | Night | Restful | Peace and rest through the night |
Within this rhythm, intercession has its own texture. Some petitions are spoken aloud. Others are held silently during the psalmody. Still others are remembered at the memento of the Mass. The variety keeps the prayer from becoming mechanical. A monk may pray for the same person for twenty years without ever hearing of their resolution, yet still find fresh words, fresh longing, and fresh trust.
Many Catholics already keep a small prayer list, perhaps in a phone note or bedside book. Adding a structure, even a modest one, can transform that list from a checklist into a genuine spiritual discipline. Praying at the same hour each day, perhaps after the evening news, gives the intercessions a home in the body as well as the mind.
Intercession and the Australian Catholic experience
Australian Catholic life has its own accents. The Plenary Council held in 2021 and 2022 asked the Church down under to become more missionary, more prayerful, and more attentive to the voices of its people, especially those from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Intercessory prayer sits naturally at the heart of that renewal, because renewal begins with listening and lifting others up before God.
Australian expressions also colour how prayer is spoken about. People often say they will "have a word for you" or "put in a good word," echoing the very language of intercession. In Adelaide, Brisbane, and beyond, Catholic schools begin the day with prayer intentions named aloud, and parish bulletins print lists of the sick and the recently departed. These are local, vernacular forms of the same monastic instinct.
Australia's other Benedictine houses, such as the abbey at Jamberoo in New South Wales, also welcome prayer requests and remind Catholics that the monastic charism is present in their own backyards. Mother of the Redeemer in Louisiana is a sister house in this broader communion, united by the same Rule and the same call to bear one another's burdens in prayer. Australians keen to follow the rhythms of the Louisiana brethren can keep up with retreat dates, vocation stories, and prayer updates on the community news page.
Joining the monastery as an oblate or benefactor
For those drawn to deepen this bond, two paths are open. The first is the oblate path, a formal association in which a layperson shares in the prayer and work of the monks as far as their state allows. Oblates commit to a rule of life adapted to their circumstances, attend retreats when possible, and receive the prayers of the community in a structured way.
The second path is that of benefactor. Those who support the monastery financially, especially during the planned chapel expansion, share in the work of intercession in a different sense. Their generosity keeps the doors open, the bells ringing, and the prayers rising. The community keeps such benefactors in its daily mementos, joining their intentions to those of the sick, the poor, and the departed.
Details about both paths are kept current on the monastery's home site, where contact details and the prayer request form are readily available for Australian visitors and supporters.
How to bring intercessory prayer into your own week
A few simple habits can anchor intercession in daily life without adding burden.
- Keep a small prayer book beside the kettle or in the car, and write each name as it is asked for.
- Choose a fixed hour, even five minutes after the arvo smoko, and offer that slot for the list.
- Pray the Lord's Prayer slowly, inserting a name into each clause: "give him this day his daily bread."
- End the week with a short review, giving thanks for prayers answered and adding new intentions.
For those seeking a richer rhythm:
- Attend weekday Mass once a week and offer it specifically for someone on the list.
- Read a short passage of Scripture, perhaps a psalm, before praying the names.
- Make a monthly retreat, even a half-day silent visit, to refresh the heart of prayer.
- Ask the monks of Mother of the Redeemer to add a name to their psalter.
In every case, the work of intercession is a quiet vocation. It asks for steadiness rather than eloquence, presence rather than performance, and trust that God hears what is lifted up in the secret place. Whether on a farm in the Wheatbelt, in a flat in Surry Hills, or in a parish hall in Hobart, the call is the same: to hold the world, and one another, in prayer. Send a name to the monks, plan a retreat, or become an oblate, and let your prayer be joined to theirs.