New director of prayer office knows God works in her life

Cathy Ann Lavender sees God's hand in every move she's taken in her life. Now that she has been appointed director of the Office of Prayer and Worship for the Albany Diocese, she will have a chance to help others see Him at work in their lives.

In her new position, she will serve as a resource for parishes concerning liturgical and sacramental practice.

Ms. Lavender has served as a director of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, and as a pastoral associate in charge of formation, training, coordination and supervision of all liturgical ministries of a parish in the Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky. She also served as a member of the Diocesan Worship Commission for the Lexington Diocese.

Most recently, she has served as associate director for catechesis for persons with developmental disabilities for the Albany diocesan Office of Religious Education.

As she begins her new role, The Evangelist spoke with Ms. Lavender about prayer.

Q. What type of prayer do you enjoy?

A. I enjoy two types of prayer. Liturgical prayer -- I enjoy coming together with the community and using all of my senses. I also like quiet, contemplative prayer. I like to go off by myself. The best place for me to pray is with nature in the woods. Both of these are very important in my life. I don't think we can have one without the other. Liturgical communal prayer can't replace private prayer or vice versa.

A. I pray like I breathe; it's very regular in my life. I pray the Liturgy of the Hours in the morning and sometimes in the evening.

I have to make days of reflection regularly. I used to do a semiannual retreat. I also pray through my music. It's a big part of my prayer life.

Having a spiritual director or companion has been important in my prayer life. Their job is to listen; not to give advice but to help me hear the Holy Spirit in my life.

A. My whole life. I don't know that I could pick out one. Every step I've taken since I left my career as a school teacher, God's hand has been in my life -- right up to being appointed director of Prayer and Worship for the Diocese of Albany.

A. First I'd ask questions and listen to find out what they did and did not know about prayer. I think people do know how to pray, but they don't have the words to articulate it. I'd help them hear the Holy Spirit.

A. The first book I'd suggest is the Bible. Sit down with one of the Gospels. Get a glass of lemonade or a cup of tea and sit in the recliner and read one of the Gospels from cover to cover, as if you were reading a book from the library. I'd suggest Matthew, Mark or Luke initially. The Psalms from the Bible are wonderful for prayer.

A. I've been involved in prayer and worship since college, where I was a minister of music. This was the early '70s. I don't remember not being interested in it. While at St. Meinrad Seminary in Indiana, which is a Benedictine seminary, liturgy was a very important part of what we did. The focus of my study was pastoral ministry and liturgy.

A. Hopefully, we will continue moving toward full and active participation of everyone in the assembly in our Sunday Eucharist.

A. In many ways, we have lost a lot of our sense of reverence. I and many others would like to see us retrieve this sense of reverence within the context of our world as it is today.

(06-19-97)