The power of prayer is something we see every day in our work at Mary’s Meals

I look upon the month of May as a special time to celebrate my devotion to Our Lady and to give thanks for her continued guidance and protection for the vital work of Mary’s Meals.

It is a privilege to be involved with Mary’s Meals, a school feeding charity which is reaching more than 2.4 million hungry children every school day in 18 of the world’s poorest countries.

Our promise of a daily meal encourages children into the classroom where they can gain an education and hope of a brighter future.

In May, I always think back to my early memories of special of flowers adorning the statue of Our Lady at my local church and singing the hymn “Bring Flowers of the Rarest” at school during May devotionals.

It is perhaps apt that I have this association as I often think of each gift to Mary’s Meals as a seed that is planted and is growing into something wonderful.

With our Pray In May campaign, we are inviting people to pray that the work of Mary’s Meals continues to flourish and grow, and that more children throughout the world will see their lives transformed by receiving a daily meal in a place of education.

Many of our volunteers and colleagues working in our programme countries, particularly in the most dangerous and fragile of situations, express what a wonderful thing it is to know that people across the whole Mary’s Meals global family are praying for them – that they are not forgotten and that they are being thought of.

I take much comfort myself from being part of a daily prayer group where people from all walks of life across Mary’s Meals come together online for a few minutes of prayer. It’s a moment of quiet in our busy schedules where we can take time to pause, reflect, and bring our prayers to God.

These are often intentions that fellow colleagues and supporters have asked us to pray for – maybe for a loved one suffering from ill health or a colleague recently bereaved. But there’s also the joyful prayers of thanksgiving such as an expansion to our feeding programmes or celebrating a generous gift received.

I always think of this time as being like a warm hug from the whole of my Mary’s Meals family.

Since our humble beginnings, Mary’s Meals has been built on a foundation of prayer and our supporters can help our work through the power of prayer.

That is why, during May, we are asking people to keep those suffering from the extreme effects of poverty – in places such as South Sudan, Ethiopia and Yemen – in their prayers.

In South Sudan, we are feeding more than 70,000 children with a bowl of maize and beans every school day. We are one of a few organisations delivering desperately needed food to schools in this conflict-torn country.

Learning across the country has been drastically hindered by years of violence and upheaval, with survival often taking priority over learning, which is why the need for our meals is so great.

The power of prayer is something we see every day in our work at Mary’s Meals and is reinforced by some words I recently saw from a Sister who works with one of our partner organisations in South Sudan.

In a message to us, she asked that we pray for lasting peace for South Sudan, saying: “We strongly believe that it was by God’s grace that we encountered Mary’s Meals.

“In South Sudan each day is filled with a new challenge, and we cannot overcome these challenges on a daily basis by our talents and skills, but only by the prayers of many people who are directly or indirectly supporting us.

“South Sudan is a very disturbed, war torn, and conflict-filled region. My strong belief is that our blessed mother is continuously interceding for us. Now we ask you to pray for us to have a lasting peace in South Sudan.”

This month, people can join our Pray In May campaign by praying the Rosary for the charity or encouraging their church to host a Holy Hour or asking their parish groups to organise a time of prayer for Mary’s Meals.

We have produced a series of downloadable resources to support these activities, which are available on our website.

We are also offering beautiful First Holy Communion gift cards that will feed a hungry child for a year for just £19.15.

Today, an incredible 2,429,182 children will eat our life-changing meals, made only possible thanks to our wonderful supporters – please let this work of ours continue and grow in the name of Our Lady.

Fran Lawson is the supporter engagement officer for Mary’s Meals.

For more information on how to become a church representative volunteer, or how you and your parish can join Mary’s Meals to Pray in May, please visit marysmeals.org.uk or email Fran on fran.lawson@marysmeals.org.