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Lord, hear our prayer: Prayer, Social Support, and Well‐Being in a C atholic Convent
Author(s) -
Corwin Anna I.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of linguistic anthropology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.463
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1548-1395
pISSN - 1055-1360
DOI - 10.1111/jola.12047
Subject(s) - prayer , context (archaeology) , socialization , function (biology) , social function , psychology , social psychology , theology , religious studies , sociology , humanities , art , history , philosophy , archaeology , evolutionary biology , biology
This article examines intercessory prayer, specifically, petitions to the divine as they are performed in M ass and in prayer groups at a C atholic convent in the midwestern U nited S tates. It demonstrates that these petitions function on multiple levels. Petitions are designed primarily as a form of communication with the divine, intended to elicit divine aid. In addition to functioning as requests to the divine, the petitions function on a number of socio‐communicative levels: first, as an index of the presence of the divine; second, as a means for individuals to communicate social support to copresent participants; and third, as a mode of peer socialization. Finally, these multiple functions of prayer provide spiritual and social support that may contribute, in the context of the convent, to the inhabitant nuns’ documented success in achieving physical and mental well‐being throughout their lives.