Ordinary moments transformed into a spiritual offering for those laboring in the Lord’s vineyard
It began with a name, and a lovely one at that: Magdala Grove. The name evokes a space that is at once serene, lush and mysterious. When Jacqueline Van Hemert first heard it in her heart while standing atop the High Bridge in Eau Claire, its meaning remained unclear. However, it carried a subtitle: “An apostle to the apostles.”
“I didn’t understand what it meant at the time; I just knew the name. It stemmed from my love for Mary Magdalene, who was the first person to share the Good News with the disciples after Jesus’ resurrection,” Jacqueline reflects. “A woman gets to proclaim the Good News.” While her understanding of the name “Magdala Grove” was not yet fully formed, the central theme now was clear: bringing the Good News to those laboring in the Lord’s vineyard.
As Jacqueline sought to discern Magdala Grove’s mission, her life circumstances also changed. She had recently become a stay-at-home mom, stepping away from parish ministry to focus on her home and two children. Just as she was discerning the direction of the apostolate, her pastor approached her with a request.
He asked if she would start a Seven Sisters Apostolate for him. For those unfamiliar with Seven Sisters, a group of seven women each takes a day of the week to offer a Holy Hour exclusively for the intentions of a particular priest or bishop.
“I remember agonizing over it. I wanted to say yes, and I kept trying to talk myself into saying yes because it was such a beautiful, holy thing. I thought, how could I possibly say no to praying for my priest every week? What a horrible woman of faith would I be if I declined? But I’ve learned in my life so far that if I don’t feel joy and peace about a decision, it’s not healthy for me to say yes,” Jacqueline shares.
A Decision and a New Path
The reality was that she already kept a personal Holy Hour that she couldn’t part with, and one of the Seven Sisters’ core requirements is that this hour be dedicated to the priest and the priest alone. Committing to an additional Holy Hour, however, was something that she couldn’t take on in good conscience. She and her husband, Michael, a fellow convert to Catholicism and parish ministry veteran, ascribe to the principle that one should never neglect their primary vocation for the sake of a secondary one. As much as she wanted to support her pastor with prayer, she realized that her primary vocation as a wife and mother would be negatively affected by adopting another Holy Hour.
As part of her conversion to the Faith, which occurred a couple months before her marriage, she grappled with the Church’s teaching on openness to life. Years later, when she felt the call to stay home and give herself fully to her family as a wife and mother, she took the call to heart.
“I was exhausted from not being able to give myself fully to any one thing. I felt like I was dropping the ball at work, dropping the ball at home and dropping the ball in taking care of myself. I wasn’t fully present anywhere in my life.”
She ultimately decided to decline the Seven Sisters’ request, but she continued to contemplate if there was another way to support her pastor in prayer without leaving the house or neglecting her daily duties.
“I kept wondering, what if we applied the same principle as the Seven Sisters? Each woman could dedicate one day of her week to pray for him, while offering up whatever the day looked like at home,” Jacqueline explains. “If she wanted to pray in a specific way, she could, but if the day doesn’t allow for it, it would still be a prayer … just in a different form.”
The First Grove Is Planted
Jacqueline began implementing the concept in her life and watched how it transformed her day. And yet, the idea remained private, tucked away in an internal (and, it turns out, actual) drawer for quite some time. Providentially, a friend’s gentle, but persistent encouragement, at just the right moment was what she needed to bring Magdala Grove to life.
Heather Halberg, a then-fellow parishioner of St. Mary’s in Altoona, knew that their pastor, Father Derek Sakowski, needed prayer. He had recently been called to start the Rebuild My Church initiative for diocesan priests. Heather also was privy to, and deeply supportive of, Jacqueline’s idea for Magdala Grove. In her mind, the two seemed like a perfect fit.
Heather explains, “A Rebuild My Church Initiative, combined with a prayer apostolate for priests and church leaders, seemed like a great match to me.” However, Jacqueline was unsure if the timing was right and felt hesitant. “I had a vision that Magdala Grove would be carried like dandelion seeds across the diocese.” With love, care and a deep understanding of Jacqueline’s hesitations, Heather was able to offer the encouragement she needed to bring Magdala Grove to life.
An Invitation to Surrender
Finally, with that nudge, she allowed her dream of an apostolate to come to light and began reaching out to women she knew. She asked each, “Would you be willing to dedicate one day a week and offer it up in prayer for a priest? Receive whatever the day brings. Don’t try to engineer or control the prayer’s focus or day’s events. Instead, enter the day in a spirit of prayer and receptivity, and see what the Lord does and asks you to do.”
Much to her surprise, women responded enthusiastically. Whether they were in the throes of raising a young family or offering up the mundane details of their workday, the chance to dedicate their time to a special purpose, praying on another’s behalf was a welcome task.
For most women, particularly during the season of motherhood, maintaining a robust daily prayer life feels like an unattainable goal. But becoming a part of the Magdala Grove prayer group allowed each woman to see the hidden struggles in ordinary days be transformed into living prayer. The umpteenth diaper change or chaotic grocery run stopped being an obstacle and became an avenue. The words of St. Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians gained new relevance: “Pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Women who may feel that their dreams have been put on hold due to the busyness of their lives or struggle to appreciate all the grace the present moment holds, can relate to the image of a seed being buried. Rather than resenting the death-to-self required, there is a purposeful surrender and recognition that their sacrifices are paving the way for great graces and blessings in the lives of those they support. A plant can only ever grow when a seed is buried under layers of soil, seemingly forgotten until the plant bursts forth at the right moment.
As Jacqueline reflects on this apostolate, she frequently recalls the image of dandelions. She notes that they are the first flowers to pop up in the spring, and their purpose is to aerate the soil and prepare it for new things to grow. When the dandelions die, it signals that the ground is ready for new life. This reminds her of Christ’s words, “Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” (Jn 12:24)
Dandelions and Laughter
“When women started responding positively [to Magdala Grove], I asked my husband Michael, ‘Why are they so grateful?’ I dug into that question and realized that it teaches you how to pray during seasons when you feel like you are failing,” Jacqueline explains. “You learn to embrace, rather than fight, the challenges of this particular season, and in doing so, it ultimately bears fruit.”
She laughs, comparing it to the movie Monsters, Inc. “In the movie,” Jacqueline explains, “the company was collecting children’s screams to power the factory—until they discovered that laughter was even more powerful. That’s what this feels like. So many women are overwhelmed by everything on their plates, and this offers a way to ‘bottle up’ that energy and redirect it where it’s needed most.” With no shortage of priests, deacons and lay ministries in the Church who need prayer—and no shortage of sacrifices a wife and mother can offer up—Magdala Grove beautifully unites the two into a life-giving ministry that never has to leave the walls of the home.
Jacqueline does not claim to be the first to engage in this form of intercessory prayer. People like St. Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei, recognized the dignity of the layperson’s work and its ability to sanctify through the everyday. But she saw, as more “groves” emerged across the diocese, how profoundly this practice benefited the women involved and the connections it fostered between them and the individuals for whom they prayed. The best testimony comes from the experience of the women involved in this apostolate. In the words of several members of different groves:
“I offer a few of my days for different priests, and what never ceases to amaze me is that I can tell which day belongs to each priest based on what unfolds that day. One priest always gets a day full of above-normal sacrifices, another gets a day steeped in giving love and a third receives a day that is almost always joy-filled. It clearly reminds me of the different needs of each of their hearts. What a gift to be able to offer this to them!” – Natalie Elskamp (One of the Magdala Grove members praying for Monsignor Richard Gilles, Father Daniel Sedlacek and Bishop Gerard Battersby.)
“There is a beauty and solidarity that I have found with the women in shared groves and on shared days. There is a spiritual unity within the body of Christ that allows me to spiritually bear the burdens of the priests and church leaders for whom I intercede. Each day and each individual I pray for is unique. Some days, I sense that the person I am praying for needs relief from anxiety, lust or impatience. Every prayer day is specific to the individual person and their situation.” – Heather Halberg (part of Magdala Groves praying for Father Derek Sakowski, Michael Van Hemert, Father Levi Schmitt and Jacqueline Van Hemert)
“It has been edifying for me to witness our Magdala Grove grow together to support our priest and friend, Father Sedlacek. He is so very generous with his time and efforts in bringing Christ to those in his parish and life. Parishes flourish when priests flourish. I’m thankful for the opportunity to support the Church by offering my, as St. Teresa of Calcutta said, ‘small acts done with great love.’” – Krista Klinkner (part of Magdala Groves praying for Father Daniel Sedlacek and Bishop Gerard Battersby)
“I love being part of a Grove and a community of women who are at a similar stage in life, where we offer up our daily challenges for a priest in our deanery. On days that are loud, monotonous, messy or don’t go as planned, being able to offer those experiences for a greater purpose makes it simpler to surrender to what the day brings, rather than to what I wish it did.” – Audrey Boerner (member of the Magdala Grove praying for Father Levi Schmitt)
This undeniable link between the women who offer up their days as a sacrifice and those receiving the graces attests to the power of this intercession and what it means to be baptized into the invisible body of Christ.
For All the Workers in the Vineyard
The Seven Sisters Apostolate focuses on helping priests and bishops further conform to Christ. However, Jacqueline strongly believed that Magdala Grove should support not only the ordained, but anyone serving the Church, whether man or woman. Having worked on the frontlines of parish ministry, she knew firsthand of the burnout, frustration and general sense of being overwhelmed that often accompany these roles.
“Anyone who has worked in parish ministry knows firsthand the spiritual resistance, logistics and realities involved. It is crucial for those servants to be protected in their spiritual battles as well,” says Jacqueline.
So, how does a grove begin, you may wonder? The Holy Spirit leads the charge.
“Usually the person who ‘plants’ a grove knows exactly who they are praying for,” she explains. “It stems from a great affection for that person—it is as if I want to offer them my personal sacrifices. A grove shouldn’t be something a parish leader or priest begins on their own; rather a grove is planted for them as a gift by others.”
The women offering their days in prayer are not required to share their effort with the priest or leader being prayed for. For the women who choose not to share their effort, the gift of their daily life, offered in prayer, remains unseen. Others, meanwhile, correspond with the person for whom they pray.
Slowly, but surely, the apostolate has taken root and grown. It first gained wider exposure during a diocesan event where Jacqueline and Heather shared packets of seeds “from the garden of Magdala” along with a website providing further information. Initially, there was little response. However, since then, Jacqueline has received feedback from an increasing number of women who have found great joy in forming and offering their days through a grove.
A Harvest of Grace
“Magdala Groves sprout organically—they take root and grow where they may,” Jacqueline muses. “Our hope is that every priest, deacon and full-time parish minister will be upheld in prayer by a dedicated grove of those who love and support them. I don’t have a strategic plan to make that happen—but the Holy Spirit might.”
Like its origins, the Magdala Grove Apostolate is guided by the ever-creative Holy Spirit and reliant on His inspiration. The seeds of prayer already sown will surely continue to bear fruit—bringing grace to those for whom these prayers are offered and strengthening these vibrant communities of women united in prayer and purpose. Magdala Grove stands as a testament to the power of intercessory prayer and the beautiful ways God calls us to support one another on the journey of faith.
To join or plant your own Magdala Grove, click here.
Story by Alexis Wislinsky
Published in the Summer 2025 issue of Catholic Life Magazine