Our Sorrowful Mother’s Ministry was begun by two ordinary women, Debbie Pryor and Vanessa Keck, evolving from an idea that emerged on a return trip from a conference in Chicago in 1997. We had gone for a spiritual recharge but came away sorely disappointed. The weekend's main theme seemed to be about money... and then... money. This lack of spiritual gratification led us to answer a call from the Holy Spirit to host our own conference in our rural community of 6000 people. To make this even more unseemly, the entire county we live in is only 4% Catholic with one priest... and we had no funding.

The conference was initiated as an evangelization tool for our parish family, but between the community at large and our parish, there was little support for such an endeavor. Through all of the difficulties, of which there was no shortage, we forged ahead and held our conference. We placed our trust and our bills squarely on God's shoulders and counted on the registration sales to get us through. God came through and off we went. Since that time, we have hosted many retreats every year and we are now having our 11th Annual conference (2008). In addition to these events, we have also hosted pilgrimages to Europe and the Middle East twice a year for the past five years.

The support that we did have at the very beginning and as the ministry grew and developed, was from our parish priest, Fr. Stephen Sotiroff. He enabled us to step out in this ministry by supporting our efforts and offering us spiritual help and encouragement. Without his "spark" of faith and encouragement at the birth of this ministry, we would not be where we are today. We owe him our heartfelt thanks. We operated through the parish until a few years ago, when we were advised to become our own not for profit ministry and became a 501(c)3 organization.

The people that have come to Vandalia to our events have been nothing less than phenomenal. We have had Karl Keating, Fr. Joseph Fessio, Rosalind Moss, Fr. Pablo Straub, Fr. John Corapi, Fr. Mitch Pacwa and many others. Fr. Joseph Fessio expressed to us that our conference was one of the best he had ever been to because it was not just a "dog and pony act." Coming from Fr. Fessio, we took this as another confirmation that we were on the right track. Since meeting Rosalind Moss when she came to one of our first conferences, she now accompanies us twice per year on pilgrimages that we sponsor. She is a great friend and spiritual supporter. She recently went with us on a pilgrimage to Israel and having the Jewish perspective was very enlightening and made the experience more complete.

Karl Keating, the founder and president of Catholic Answers, came here in 1999. We became quick friends and he returned later, always supporting and advising us. Karl is a loyal and very dear friend to us and to the ministry. The second time Karl came for a conference he knew we were in financial straits to make ends meet regarding the expenses for the conference. He would not take a stipend, he got up and led a talk to the congregation gathered for the conference, lauding our ministry and prompting people to help with the expenses and then he gave us a $500 donation to get the ball rolling. This was all done with absolutely no cue from us; he did this all of his own volition. He is a great gift and his kindness and friendship is a great source of comfort and blessing for us.

The music ministry for all of our conferences and some of our retreats has always included Annie Karto. Annie has been with us from the very beginning and still is. She has the voice of an angel, as people are wont to say about her on a regular basis. Annie is a very special and dear friend who is a part of our family. Annie produced her CD, You are a Priest Forever, and two of the priests she dedicated this song to, Fr. Steve and Fr. Rookey, are on the cover.

A couple of years previous to our first conference, we discovered Fr. Rookey, or rather God sent us to him. Through divine circumstances we began attending his healing services held once per month in St. Louis and were then given the great gift of attending to him each month over the course of several years when he came to St. Louis. We would take him to hospitals, people's homes, nursing homes or wherever there was a request for him to come to anoint and pray over a sick person in mind, soul or body. We would take him to the healing service and take him back to the airport to return to Chicago. Having had this privilege has been such a blessing to us.

Through Fr. Rookey, our faith has been enriched and he has supported us in our ministry. Fr. Rookey has been an integral part of our lives. Through his ministry we have been so moved by his love, compassion & sanctity that it has forever impacted our lives.

Fr. Philip Scott, the founder of the order, Family of Jesus, Healer, has also been with us from almost the beginning. He and his entire community came to one of our conferences a few years ago. Fr. Philip is a special blessing and helps us fight the spiritual warfare that is always coming at us.

The Apostles of the Interior Life, a group of consecrated women from Italy have also been with us since the year 2000. They are based on college campuses to evangelize the students. We are very blessed to have their love, friendship, spiritual direction and encouragement at every turn of our work. They come to our events and provide spiritual direction to the congregation and sometimes lend their musical talents also.

The Apostles introduced us to Msgr. Stuart Swetland, another vital component in our ministry. We are blessed to know Msgr. Swetland in many ways. He is uncompromising in his faith and moral fiber. He is the master of ceremonies for our conferences and also speaks at the conference and occasionally at other retreats. He is the chaplain for our pilgrimages, which makes these pilgrimages different from others like them because he can relate so many things about the area or the holy place we are visiting from his vast store of knowledge. We always comment that we don't ever need a tour guide wherever we go because we have Monsignor. He is our cherished friend, spiritual mentor and a constant source of support for us. We are thankful to God for the opportunity to know and love him.

The Fathers of Mercy have also played a big role in our ministry. Our dear friend, Fr. Bill Casey, CPM, has supported us for many years as a spiritual advisor and has provided the ability for us to have confessions available throughout the weekend at our conferences. Through the kindness and generosity of Fr. Bill, Fr. Christopher Crotty, CPM, one of the Fathers of Mercy, came to give a retreat here to help Fr. Pablo Straub. We were under severe spiritual attack at the time and he was invaluable in helping to conquer this evil. We thank Fr. Bill for allowing us this support during this difficult time. He quickly became part of our ministry in a very special way.

Fr. Chris has been instrumental in leading us in a new direction that actually brings us back to the very beginning when this all began with Fr. Rookey. Fr. Chris has expanded our vision and opened our minds and hearts to what the Holy Spirit and the Blessed Mother intend for this ministry. We are being led to be a healing and deliverance ministry, which has brought us full circle to Fr. Rookey, whose ministry is just that.

Each year we have built on the year before seeking spiritual direction about how and when to go forward. Not only has the ministry grown, but we could not help but grow and develop and be changed through all of these experiences. We realize more and more how powerfully God is working in this ministry that He has called us to. To actually look at it and see what has evolved is northing short of a miracle.

In 2004, through a series of miracles (see the News Page for the miraculous story about the House of Bethany) we obtained a Victorian house across the street from our church that is used for a retreat house for priests and religious to come and stay during our events or to use as a refuge whenever needed.

We were given this very special ministry as we were given this very special friendship. Our friendship is the cornerstone of this ministry. We (Debbie & Vanessa) have no ordinary run-of-the-mill friendship. This is a friendship sent from and formed by Jesus and His mother. We cannot be prideful that we have such a unique friendship in the Lord, because it was not our doing. Our friendship is evenly yoked, which is absolutely necessary to do this kind of ministry. The blessed Mother is truly our Mother and she has brought us together as sure as she was a mother to Jesus.

We have been transformed by the intimate joys, pains and suffering of other's lives. We are always being told that we have changed lives, but our lives have changed because of the participation we have had in the people that have come here.

We are so thankful, blessed and grateful for this work and we cannot imagine doing anything else, unless God calls us elsewhere. We live by Divine Providence and the love of our Sorrowful Mother and her Son. Special thanks and love to our benefactors and supporters who have stayed with us through many trials and encouraged us day by day with prayers and friendship. We also want to say a special thank you to our only volunteer from our parish, Mariann Timmermann. Mariann has been with us from the very first event to the present day. She is invaluable to our ministry and has been such a loyal supporter. We are so blessed to have all of these holy priests and friends to guide, support and encourage us.

Fr. Delix Michel, our pastor since July of 2005, trusts in our work and speaks at our annual conferences and participates when possible in our retreats. Fr. Michel is a very holy and insightful priest who is dedicated to his priesthood and serving God and His people. We are thankful for his support, encouragement, kindness and his willingness to help us.

We have also been given a very special spiritual advisor in Sue Young. Sue lives in Louisville, KY, and directs a Marian Center there and leads a prayer group. Sue is a vital part of our ministry as she helps us battle through whatever is being thrown at us. We are very grateful for her help and support.

Our most recent miracle has been the donation of a chapel in the basement of the House of Bethany. The entire chapel, including a bathroom has been very generously donated by some very special friends and supporters of our ministry. This is of such great importance because now our House of Bethany for priests and religious will actually "be built on the Blessed Sacrament."

One of the real miracles associated with our ministry, of which there are many, is the fact that we have operated through Divine Providence from the very start and still do to this day. We have some of the most faithful supporters and friends in our ministry that one could ask for. Whenever we feel like we don't know what we are going to do to get a bill paid or take care of some repair, one of them steps up and offers their selfless assistance.

We marvel at what God has done. This ministry is a constant source of wonder for us and we do not know what is in store, but with God at the helm we can be sure we are going to be in for an interesting ride.






"Would you not feel happy if you could spend large sums of money in corporal works of mercy? But know, that he who labors for the salvation of souls does far more; the zeal of souls is of far greater merit before God...than the working of miracles." —St. John Chrysostom