From job transitions to facing tragedy and loss, prayer remains a constant in the Christian life. For many in Northern Colorado, it serves as a source of peace, strength, and guidance in uncertain times.
Erika Richard, director of campus ministry at St. John XXIII Parish in Fort Collins, and the Hollister family, parishioners at St. Scholastica Parish in Erie, have seen how prayer can be a powerful means of surrendering to God's will and experiencing his blessings in unexpected ways.
Trusting in God's Plan
“Every job the Lord has brought me to, every move across the country, he has shown that he is leading, providing and that he has a plan for my life,” Richard shared. “He has prepared my heart in prayer for what he was doing, and it allowed me to respond to his invitations, even when they seemed unlikely at the time.”
One such moment of divine guidance occurred when Richard felt called to leave her position at St. Mary’s at Texas A&M and relocate to Colorado. Despite feeling a strong pull to move, she was uncertain about how that transition would happen.
“Every time I visited, I felt more convinced that I would live here, and every time I left, I had no prospects as to how that would happen,” she recalled.
Through trusting God's plan and staying rooted in prayer, Richard eventually found the opportunity to move to Colorado and step into her current role — an answer to prayer that underscored the power of surrendering to God's will.
Unexpected Blessings
Kara Hollister’s story is similarly filled with unexpected turns, all guided by prayer. After losing what she believed was a dream job with a nonprofit helping human trafficking victims, Kara began praying for clarity and direction.
“I started praying for three main requests, almost constantly – my new position would allow me to work around my son’s school schedule, I wouldn’t need to take a significant pay cut, and that I would enjoy my work,” Kara said.
In an unexpected twist, she found herself becoming a school bus driver.
“I love my job,” Kara said. “My son and I have the exact same schedule, including snow days and summers, and my contribution to income was increased.”
She reflected on the experience, saying, “What I know with certainty is that I can trust God in and through any and all of life’s changes — no matter how daunting, confusing or disappointing they appear.”
The Healing Power of Prayer
Both Richard and the Hollister family have experienced prayer’s healing power during difficult seasons of their lives. For Richard, it has been a means of emotional healing, surrender and growth in faith.
“Whether it was allowing my heart to heal or surrender more fully to his providence, or allowing me to see that what I wanted wasn’t what was best for me, he is always moving to allow for us to be in greater communion with him,” Richard said. “There have been times that the Lord, in not giving me what I wanted or asked for, has been able to do something even better and to allow the grace for my heart to receive it in a way that I wouldn’t have been able to if I would have had it my way.”
Similarly, the Hollister family has relied on prayer to navigate personal loss and challenges. Nine-year-old Peter Hollister shared how prayer helped him cope with the departure of friends and the loss of loved ones.
“When friends from school moved away, and I lost loved ones, prayer was there to help me,” Peter said. “Through prayer, God helped me remember that those people still love me and still know who I am. God gave me hope to always remember prayer is more than enough.”
A Year of Hope
For Joseph Hollister, the profound sense of hope that flows from prayer makes Pope Francis’ declaration of 2025 as the Jubilee Year of Hope all the more meaningful. In fact, he recalled a series of blessings from God in the previous few years that have led to a crescendo of hope in his own life.
“I love that the Jubilee Year is about hope,” Joseph said. “The past few years, God has graced me with an abundance of hope. Through his blessing, hope has overflowed in my life, my marriage and my family. Hope is what gives strength to those who are weary and gives purpose to those who feel hopeless. Hope is God's way of showing even more grace to us.”
For Richard, the Hollisters and countless others, prayer remains a powerful and transformative practice in times of uncertainty — offering guidance, peace and hope when it is most needed. Through prayer, they continue to trust in God's plan, knowing that his grace will carry them through whatever challenges lie ahead.
