The Daisy Movement (Adopt a Priest Program)

The Daisy

Movement

(Adopt A Priest Program)

Divisions

1. Foundation Page approved by
2. The Goals the foundress Mrs. Louise Ward
3. Every Priest a Daisy on 2005 November 8
4. What Is a Daisy?
5. How Do We Name a Daisy? Español
6. Symbolism
7. Serious Commitment Français
8. How Do We Pray?
9. Spirituality of the Daisy Movement Italiano
10. Meetings, Events
11. Preliminary Condition Nederlands
12. Persons in Charge on the Diocesan Level
13. Organizing a Daisy on the Local Level Português
14. Growth, Expansion
15. Two Daughter Movements
16. Religious Pluralism
17. Other Movements
18. Approval, Information

● 1. Foundation

The Daisy Movement was founded on August 1, 1981 by Mrs. Louise Ward (born Brazeau in 1942) at Aylmer, Quebec, Canada, in the Diocese of Gatineau Hull. She felt inspired to launch it that Sunday during the Eucharist in her parish church St. Mark's.

The purpose is to pray for priests, to offer one day a week for a particular priest and so to support him in his priestly ministry and spiritual life.

From the very beginning (about 1983?) the movement has been placed under the protection of Mary, Mother of the Church.

"What is expected from priests in their ministry is increasingly demanding; and the challenges of the new evangelization are numerous and complex. It is, therefore, good for priests to know that there are people committed to pray for them as a support to their ministry" (Msgr. François Lapierre, Bishop of Saint-Hyacinthe, letter dated September 14, 2001).

Our bishops [in Quebec, Canada] consider the Daisy Movement among the ten (10) most important ones we have. "This movement is a grace for our Church" (Msgr. Gilles Cazabon, Bishop of Saint-Jérôme; magazine Les Marguerites, December 1999, pages 12-13). The priests who benefit of it see it as an essential service.

● 2. The Purposes

The people who commit themselves are not all leaders. They have not all received from God the gift of expounding profound thoughts before a large audience or of being in charge of a large enterprise. But we all can be "the yeast in the flour" (Matthew 13:33; Luke 13:20-21) through prayer and daily offerings. Or, to quote Mother Teresa of Calcutta, "We cannot all do great things, but we can all do little things with great love." And so we pray:

for the spiritual support of a chosen priest, bishop, or the pope in his ministry and spiritual life
for unity, harmony, and good relations between priests and their bishop or religious superior as well as of priests among themselves
for fraternal collaboration of the faithful with their pastors and thus compensate for the criticism and religious indifference for priestly and religious vocations.
"Vocations are a gift from God to ask for unremittingly"(Pope John Paul II, Letter to priests for Holy Thursday 2004, n. 5).

● 3. Every Priest a Daisy

Every priest of the diocese his Daisy. One Daisy per priest and bishop. That is our ideal and dream. Yet there are priests who have several Daisies (up to 19 Daisies!). So much the better for that priest: "He must need it more." But first of all, every priest should have at least one Daisy. Every priest, without exception, ought to be adopted for life by lay people, deacons or religious. That is what the Daisy Movement aims at in every diocese.

● 4. What is a Daisy?

A "Daisy" is a team of prayer partners, a group of seven persons praying for an 8^th, their adopted priest. Around the "heart" (the priest), is a corolla of seven "petals" or prayer partners who have "adopted" a particular priest. So the priest can correctly say: "I have a Daisy (7 persons) praying for me." Likewise, the seven persons can say to their priest: "We are your Daisy." But without the priest there is no Daisy; it comprises, therefore, eight persons. Most often we mean the seven prayer partners: 7 persons, 7 petals of the flower, 7 days of the week. A "Daisy" does not represent the days of the week.

Every "petal" offers one specific day of the week for a well determined priest. For instance, Louise prays every Monday for Father James MacIntosh. Mary does the same on every Tuesday. On Wednesday, it is Julian's turn; etc. ONE particular priest -- ONE day per week on which a petal commits himself to pray for him -- ONE Daisy. Thus, the petals become a "paten" in the flesh offered to God the Father for his representatives on earth.

The Daisy offers to the priest to whom it has been presented a gift of great spiritual richness: a spiritual family. They are "the salt of the earth" and "the light of the world" (Matthew 5:13-14). Together, in the name of the Church, they bear their priests, who are the representatives of Jesus. Priest and petals united form a spiritual solidarity. The petals around the priest are like Mary and Joseph near Jesus in Nazareth. Like each of them, the members of a Daisy have a special vocation received from God which is not given to everybody.

The priest has a sublime mission. So contributing to the vocation and holiness of a single priest is snatching souls from hell and collaborating efficiently to the salvation of an entire population. "Making a priest means saving a thousand souls" (Msgr. de Ségur, quoted by Msgr. Antoine Leblanc, OFM, Les Anges du Sacerdoce).

The Daisy Movement is "a surprise of the Holy Spirit" (Msgr. Raymond St-Gelais, Bishop of Nicolet, May 9, 1998 at Drummondville) because the Daisy members need only to let this Person-of-Love carry them and act under his guidance (magazine Les Marguerites, July 1998, pages 2 and 7).

"Daisies appear tiny flames but their prayers can set the whole Church ablaze."

"We are signs of hope in our Church…" The Daisy Movement "allows to personalize our prayers" (Msgr. Clément Fecteau, Bishop of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière, Quebec, homily, May 28, 1998). He invited the faithful of the diocese to open their horizon wider so as to include all the priests in the world (Gaétan Godbout, Communication Service, in: Intercommunication, the information bulletin of the diocese of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière, 26 June 1998, Vol. 26, no. 10, pages 150-151; reproduced in the magazine Les Marguerites, July 1998, page 19).

● 5. How Do We Name a Daisy?

A Daisy is named after the priest for whom the members of the Daisiy pray.

● 6. Symbolism

Mrs. Louise Ward, the foundress, chose the daisy to symbolise the prayer commitment. For this seven-petaled flower symbolises quite well the characteristics of a praying heart:

the gift of self,
simplicity (see "Dialogue", a poem in French by Nicole Larivière, in the magazine Les Marguerites, July 1998, pages 22-23), and,
unity.

The flower's structure is also quite visible. This plant is engaged in the ground of the Church and nourished by the life of the Holy Spirit.

The seven petals of the flower represent the seven prayer partners who have committed themselves to offer one of the seven days of the week for the priest whom the group has adopted.

The Daisy represents for us the earthly Church joined to the heavenly Church. Through the stem, the sap nourishes the heart, the petals, that are attached to it, and the leaves. Through prayer -- the golden chain which never breaks -- the human heart is united to God's heart in the offering that a petal makes of his or her day. And so grace is streaming toward the flower's heart representing the priest, who is associated to the work of Jesus.

The sap (grace) also nourishes the first six (6) petals representing the lay people, men and women who commit themselves in faith, as well as the seventh petal representing religious life so important in the Church.

Grace also reaches the leaves, images of the saints, who, by their intercession, keep us in the presence of God.

Finally, the little daisy reminds us that we are all united to God through prayer.

● 7. A Serious Commitment

You do not commit yourself to a straw fire in the Daisy Movement but engage yourself to a life-long commitment. That means that you accept to pray for "your priest" as long as you live and as long as God lets the adopted priest live on earth. It is a serious commitment which you do not take up lightly.

It is recommended that the priest also prays for the seven (7) petals of his Daisy in thanksgiving.

● 8. How Do We Pray?

Pope John Paul II invites the faithful to "shine in the world before anything else through the art of prayer" (March 8, 2004, zenit.org, ZF040308, quoting Tertio Millennio Ineunte)..

Each "petal" prays in his or her own way, as is most convenient for each one. The Daisy Movement does not propose any special formulas.

Every person is unique. Every tree leaf is unique. Every snow flake is unique. Every drop of water is unique. Every grain of sand is unique. Thus, every person prays in a proper and unique way. God does not create photocopies. Diversity shows the Father's glory.

In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we find some beautiful texts on prayer; here follow a few of them.

The faithful believe in (the mystery of the faith), they celebrate it, and they live from it in a vital and personal relationship with the living and true God. This relationship is prayer. (# 2558, page 519, Canadian edition)

It is right and good to pray so that the coming of the kingdom of justice and peace may influence the march of history, but it is just as important to bring the help of prayer into humble everyday situations; all forms of prayer can be the leaven to which the Lord compares the kingdom. (Cf. Lk 13:20-21) (# 2660, page 539)

What Pope John Paul II says of the Eucharist, the summit of prayer, we can apply to all prayer: "The Eucharistic Sacrifice, while always offered in a particular community, is never a celebration of that community alone. (…) If follows that a truly Eucharistic community cannot be closed in upon itself, as though it were somehow self-sufficient; rather it must persevere in harmony with every other Catholic community. The ecclesial communion of the Eucharistic assembly is a communion with its own Bishop and with the Roman Pontiff. (Encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia, April 17, 2003, n. 39). http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/special_features/encyclicals/docu ments/hf_jp-ii_enc_20030417_ecclesia_eucharistia_en.html

You can find more texts in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and in How To Pray and in Prayers for Priests you can find 100 and more prayers if you need inspiration. (However, adapt these prayers to your own adopted priest.) In Linda Schubert's Miracle Hour you will find a very simple way to pray. (www.linda@linda-schubert.com). Finally, there are also other means to helpl your priest and there are a number of Testimonies from or concerning priests.

● 9. Spirituality of the Daisy Movement.

Daisies form a spiritual Movement which, through prayer, marks the close tie between lay people and priests, who are all united in Christ’s Priesthood throught their baptism. Thus we read in Eucharistic Prayer D for Assemblies:

"God, Father filled with tenderness, (….)
strengthen the bonds of unity between lay people and priests,
between the priests and our Bishop N.,
between the bishops and our Pope N."

"Because there is one bread,
we, who are many [lay people and priests]
are one body,[the Mystical Body of Christ,]
for we all share in the one loaf and in the one cup" (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:17 and the Communion Antiphone of the 27^th Sunday of Ordinary Time, cycle B).

The petals adopt a priest first of all in reply to Jesus’ call: "Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest" (Matthew 9:28; Luke 10:2). They will put Jesus’ teaching into practice: "When you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you" (Matthew 6:6). The petals also reply to Paul’s invitation: "Pray also for me, so that I may be granted the right words when I speak, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel" (Ephesians 6:19; Acts 4:29.31). Paul prays like this some ten times in his letters.

To continue this topic, click here: Spirituality.

● 10. Meetings, Events

It is important that the Daisies meet to pray together at least once a year. Many dioceses in Canada have, in practice, an annual meeting in May-June or September-October. (See the calendar of Events.)

● 11. Preliminary Condition

Before implanting the Daisy Movement into a diocese you have the obligation to verify first whether the Bishop authorizes you to do so. You must obtain the written approval from the Bishop. Otherwise, you are not allowed to do so.

You can consult a list of Diocesan Coordinators (Animators) and read some sample approvals granted by Bishops.

● 12. Persons in Charge on the Diocesan Level

The person(s) in charge on the diocesan level (Coordinator, Animator) must fulfill the following functions:

to obtain the Bishop’s authorization to impant the Daisy Movement throughout his diocese; this approval must be in writing
to form a committee or team to help. him (her). You can also divide the diocese in zones, each with its own coordinator or animator and team
to find in every parish an organisor who will create a Daisy for the parish priest, etc.
to collect, keep and update all the record forms of the Daisies created in the diocese
to send an anniversary card (of birth or ordination) to the adopted priests (see Images)
to organize every year a meeting for all the Daisies (concelebration of the priests with the bishop and the Daisies)
to communicate with the organisors of the Daisies, either by letter, by phone call or by e-mail
to prepare a successor when he (she) is no longer capable of fulfilling his (her) duties as diocesan coordinator

"It does not matter who is the coordinator: his (her) success will depend on the support and encouragement of his (her) team. It is a service that has many happy moments" (Jeannette Vanasse, Saint-Hyacinthe, Canada, Letter dated February 7, 2005).

"A diocesan coordinator looks after the animation of the movement. She takes care of registrations, tries to keep the flame lit through various initiatives like renewal days but mainly through the annual meeting of the Daisies at the Eucharist" (Monique Vachon, Drummondville, Canada, e-mail dated April 27, 2005).

It is good to exchange with other diocesan coordinators. The movement can be announced on the diocesan Web site (or to have this done); here is an example. There is a diocesan kit available.

There are differences from one diocese to another according to circumstances, needs, culture and leadership (bishop and lay people), thus allowing certain initiatives and "local colour".

● 13. Organizing a Daisy on the Local Level

The person who organizes a Daisy must fulfill the following functions:

to create the Daisy, that is, to find six (6) other persons who, with him (her), will make up the Daisy
to make contact with the adopted priest
to make contact with the diocesan coordinator of the movement. To create an isolated Daisy the bishop’s approval is not required – and most likely there is no diocesan coordinator -- but it is good to check out if the movement has been established in the diocese
to send a copy of the registration record of the created Daisy to the diocesan coordinator for its official registration, another copy to the adopted priest, and one to each of the petals (see the model)
to notify the diocesan coordinator of any changes concerning the Daisy, such as addresses, telephone numbers, death of a petal or the priest, name of the replacing petal, etc.
to stimulate the petals’ commitment to their priest’s mission
to maintain the unity of the Daisy’s members
to send a feast day card on some special occasions such as anniversaries of birth and ordination, main liturgical feasts, e.g., Holy Thursday, Pentecost, Christmas (see Images)
to communicate to the adopted priest and the other petals any special activities, because the organizer alone receives an invitation of them
to ask for help, if needed
to ensure that the Daisy remains complete, and therefore replace a member by another when death or incapacity occurs
to prepare a successor when he (she) is no longer capable of fulfilling his (her) duties

"[A petal] has committed himself (herself) to offer each week a day of prayer at the intentions of the priest whom we have adopted, together with the six other petals who form our Daisy. As the organizer I maintain contact with the other petals to stimulate their commitment to pray for our priest, without forgetting to underline his anniversaries" (Jeannette Vanasse, Saint-Hyacinthe, Canada).

● 14. Growth, Expansion

After some 20 years, the Daisy Movement has spread in some 15 dioceses in Quebec and two of its neighbouring provinces, Ontario and New Brunswick (magazine Les Marguerites, November 2000, pages 1 and 14, and December 2000, page 8). As we can see from the recorded registrations, several missionary priests in foreign countries have also their Daisy. However, it is presently difficult to know if the movement was implanted in those countries.

● 15. Two Daughter Movements

Two other movements have come forth from the Daisy Movement (Adopt A Priest Program) and are similar to it:

The Trillium Movement (Adopt A Deacon Program) started on December 26, 1991, at the feast of Saint Stephen, deacon, in Cornwall, Ontario. Suggested by Saint Columban’s parish priest, Father Gary Ostler, it was proposed by Mrs. Elaine (Theresa) McCorriston
Lebrun and Mrs. Madeleine Lalonde-Landry, at a business meeting of the Steering Committee of the Joy of the Lord prayer group which accepted it unanimously.

The Double Clover Movement (Adopt a Pastoral Worker Program), conceived in May 2003 by yours truly but awaiting application.

● 16. Religious Pluralism

Religious pluralism is more and more frequently a bench mark of modern society. So are mixed marriages where one partner is a Roman Catholic and the other is not, being Anglican, Protestant, Orthodox or Jewish, etc. If both practice their different faiths, can they both belong to a Daisy? Can mixed marriage partners pray one day for the Catholic priest and the next day for the Protestant pastor or the Jewish rabbi?

Can a Protestant congregation located next to a Catholic parish pray exclusively for its own pastors? In this way we can add question to question. What are the right solutions? Where do we find them?

As Roman Catholics, members of the Daisy Movement, we cannot stop other Christian denominations or other religions from copying the Daisy Movement, to find inspiration in it, to use it while changing some parts of it. For instance, when members of the Anglican communion or of the United Church of Canada wish to imitate the Daisy Movement, we cannot stop them from doing so. Yet the question remains: can they observe all the principles of the movement’s spirituality? Will they believe in Mary, Mother of the Church?

The best answer is probably to examine each situation seperately and try to solve it. It will be wise to consult experts such as at:

Canadian Centre for Ecumenism
(Centre canadien d’oecuménisme)
2065, Sherbrooke Street West
Montreal, Quebec H3H 1G6 Canada,
Phone (514) 937-9176,
Fax : (514) 937-4986,
E-mail: ccocce@oecumenisme.ca,
Web sites www.oecumenisme.ca and www.ecumenism.net/.

Prairie Centre for Ecumenism
250-B Second Avenue South
Saskatoon SK, S7N 1K9
Canada
Phone: (+306) 653-1633
Fax: (+306) 653-1821
E-mail: pce@ecumenism.net
Web site: www.ecumenism.net

The Ecumenical Institute
3444 Congress Parkway
Chicago, IL 60624
USA
Phone: (312) 722-3444

Graymoor Ecumenical and Interreligious Institute
475 Riverside Drive, Suite 1960
New York City, NY 10115-1999
USA
Phone: (+212) 870-2330
Fax: (+212) 870-2001
e-mail: lmnygeii@aol.com
Web site : www.graymoorinstitute.org

Association Interchurch Families
Interchurch House 35-41
Lower Marsh
London SE1 7RL
United Kingdom
Phone: (+44-171) 620 4444
Direct Line: (+44-171) 523 2152
Fax: (+44-171) 928 0010
E-mail: aife@msn.com

Centre for Faith and Culture
Westminster College
Oxford OX2 9AT
United Kingdom
Phone: (+44-1865) 252 322 (Director)
Fax: (+44-1865) 251 847 (College)
E-mail: s.caldecott@ox-west.ac.uk
Web site: www.ox-west.ac.uk/cfc/

International Ecumenical Fellowship
42 Crutched Friars
London EC3 2AL
United Kingdom

You can consult a list of ecumenical centres, institutes and organizations world-wide (113 printed pages on November 11, 2005) at www.prounione.urbe.it/home_en.html of the Centro Pro Unione for Christian Unity and Ecumenicial Research (directed by the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement), Rome, Italy.

You can find another list of "Ecumenical Contacts" (links) (3 printed pages) at the Web site of the World Council of Churches (Geneva, Switzerland) at: www.wcc-coe.org.

● 17. Other Movements

There is more than one way in which we can pray for priests. For instance, we can pray for ALL priests in the whole world, as do:

the "Marian Life" Movement

the "Apostolic Encounter" Movement

the magazine "My Day for Priests" (Sisters of Saint Joan of Arc, Sillery, Quebec), published twice a year in February and September

in the USA some parishes adopt a priest and pray for him during a Holy Hour by using a booklet called Chalice of Strength, Prayers For Priests, Crusade of Prayer and Reparation. (5" x 7"), 75 cents plus postage. Order from Crusade For Priests -- Missions Office OA -- 13800 Gratiot Avenue -- Detroit, MI 48205 – Phone: (313) 527-1739;

the "Novena for Priests", Pentecost, June 8, 2003 (www.novenaforpriests.com), launched in 2003 in the diocese of Peoria, Illinois, USA is, oriented towards the renewal of the priesthood which, on account of sexual scandals, has a great need of healing in the USA

the "Priests Sunday" (October 26, 2003 (www.priestsunday.org) which insists on the respect for priests at www.vocation.com and e-Magazine ShoreLines@shorelines.org, that intend to offer 100,000 hours of adoration for vocations to Pope John Paul II on Christmas 2003.

The last three are American and use a Web site. Two of these three were created in 2003 and acted as a blitz, as a one-time intensive action. The Daisy Movement, on the other hand, acts in a lasting, permanent way, like a soft shower rather than a tornado.

All seven focus on priests in a global, universal and therefore vaguer way. The Daisy Movement is more precise and personal: the petals pray for a PARTICULAR priest whose name they know and whom they have adopted.

Do these different ways of praying for priests exclude each other? Can we do both at the same time? According to the principles of the Daisy Movement it is clear that a person cannot belong to more than seven (7) Daisies and thus is limited to pray for a maximum of seven (7) priests, one priest for every day of the week. On the other hand, every single prayer passes through Jesus, the universal High Priest who presents all our prayers to his Father. Yet it is not the same thing to pray for all priests world-wide or to pray for one precise priest whose name I say and who knows that I offer my day for him on such or such a day of the week.

A priest presiding Eucharist celebrates for a precise intention received from the faithful. Yet at the same time he prays:
"Lord, remember your Church throughout the world; make us grow in love," etc. (Eucharistic Prayer II).

At a funeral, priest and people pray for the deceased person. Yet at the same time, we enlarge our horizon:
"Remember our brothers and sisters who have gone to their rest in the hope of rising again; Bring them and all the departed into the light of your presence" (Eucharistic Prayer II).

These two excerpts from Eucharistic Prayer II clearly show that a particular intention and an universal one are united. After all, Jesus excludes nobody. And the priest prays in Jesus’ name.

And here is another distinction. As one of the seven (7) petals of a Daisy (team of seven prayer partners) I can only pray for seven (7) individual priests, on the seven (7) days of the week. I can call it my bouquet of Daisies. If I wish to pray for more priests I can add a bouquet of roses (14 priests), and a bouquet of tulips (21 priests), and a bouquet of lilas (28 priests), and so on. I use the language of the Daisy Movement but do not follow its spirit. It is something different.

● 18. Approval, Information

The contents of this page have been approved by the foundress of the Daisy Movement, Mrs. Louise Ward on November 8, 2005.

"I have well read the document. I find it very good and I accept its contents. You have done a very good job. Thank you." (e-mail from Mrs. Louise Ward, dated November 8, 2005)

For further information, please contact:
Web site: www.paxetbonum.net/daisy.html
E-mail: info@paxetbonum.net
Francis de Ruijte, ofm
95 Sainte-Anne Road
Sorel, Quebec J3P 1J6
Canada
Telephone: (450) 742-7299
Fax: (450) 743-7666

This text may be considered as the basic document or charter of the Daisy Movement.
Translation made from the original in French by the author and finished on 2006 January 9.

Permission is hereby granted to copy, print, distribute, translate and put this document on other Web sites. A reference to www.paxetbonum.net/daisy.html is appreciated with thanks.

Document created: 2003 June 22
Latest update: 2006-01-13