Prayers of intercession directed through Caroline Chisholm

Prayer has been defined as the raising of the mind and the heart to God. How, then, can we rightly pray through Caroline Chisholm, an individual who lived and died in the 19th Century? She has no official standing in the Catholic Church as someone of heroic virtue, let alone as a proclaimed Saint, and the Church has not even started a formal investigation of that subject. A number of responses can be made to these objections.

(1) The special prayer for the 2008 bicentennial of Caroline Chisholm’s birth has been given an Imprimatur by the Catholic Archbishop of Canberra-Goulburn. This Latin word means “let it be printed”, indicating approval for the prayer’s dissemination and use by the Catholic faithful (and others, one might add). There is therefore nothing in the prayer that is contrary to Church teaching.

(2) The approved prayer expresses the hope that “the favors we ask through her intercession” will be granted, according to God’s “providential will”. That is to say, the approved prayer indicates we may ask Caroline Chisholm to intercede with Almighty God on our behalf in relation to the “favors” that are sought . . . for ourselves and/or for others. The favors sought must be for objectively good purposes and ends. These favors can be granted only by God, to whom the approved prayer is addressed, and who alone knows what would be providentially best – something which humans cannot know in this life.

(3) We may freely choose to direct our prayerful intercessions through Caroline Chisholm because doing so enables us to pray more often, more fervently and/or with more conviction (a) for the good purpose or end at hand, or (b) at a particular time in our lives, or (c) in the circumstances we or another are situated. In other words, owing to our personal needs and human frailties, we may pray better, at least with regard to the favors sought, by seeking her intercessory help.

Caroline Chisholm’s practical charity and social reforms were renowned during her active life in India, Australia and England. Her Christian witness had a crystal-like transparency and embraced those in need without reference to their country or creed.

• She could help now in reducing inter-racial conflict within communities and multicultural misunderstanding.
• Being the emigrant’s friend, she could certainly help refugees and people migrating from their native land.
• Much of Caroline Chisholm’s public activity focused on young females. Supporting and guiding girls and vulnerable young women was her interest then and would be now.
• During her lifetime, Caroline Chisholm acquired much experience and wisdom in promoting united families and happy homes, including extended and merged families such as aged parents, orphaned children and step children. That experience can confidently be called on today.
• A tireless worker for decades, Caroline Chisholm spent her last years as an invalid in bed. She and her husband had little retirement income and owned no property. She can thus fully appreciate similar present-day hardship and strain.
• The marriage of Caroline Chisholm and Archibald was very loving and fulfilled, and the lessons learned there are as relevant now as then.
• Six of their children lived to adulthood, three did not and two adult sons pre-deceased them. The joys and the sorrows of parenthood were theirs, and parents wanting to share these now could turn to Caroline Chisholm as an intercessor.
  
  
  Printed from www.mrschisholm.com