‘God has called us together’
HUNTERSVILLE — Six men, all parishioners of St. Mark Church but of very different personalities and backgrounds, have come together to start a Holy Spirit-inspired public prayer group.
Several of the men met on a trip to the Holy Land in 2016. All are pursuing a deeper life in Christ in their daily lives and in their responsibilities as husbands, fathers, grandfathers and members of their faith community. All are feeling drawn to pray for the country, for families and for people struggling during these uncertain times.
For the past four months, they have been meeting each week at the church for prayer, Mass and to discuss how to proceed with their mission – “to be fed by God and to call ourselves, our Church and our country back to God.”
Return to God ministry member Paul Anatrella explains, “We all believe the Lord is calling us to this ministry, that God has called us together. We are being called by the Holy Spirit and now is the time. We want to give our fiat… All of us are tired of the moral demise of our country and the moral issues our Church is dealing with.”
John Nickl recalls an initial video conference call he and a few others had in July. “We talked about what was going on in the Church and in the country.” Soon afterwards, a few other men were invited to join their group of prayer warriors seeking to grow closer to Christ and witness to their faith. “And from that point on, all six of us have had the fire to go out into the world to do something for the Church and the country,” he says.
“We have to be open to the Holy Spirit,” adds Dave Stoughton. “There are many opportunities we face, and we have to be open to it. We need to see the face of Jesus in whoever we see in the public square. We have to remember that we are looking at the face of Jesus.
“We want to be peaceful and in the spirit. That is why we have prayer ministry to strengthen us.”
Charlie Magro insists the group’s peaceful prayer presence will prevail even in the face of any opposition they may encounter. “The people who are angry or confused, we know are wounded friends, our wounded brothers and sisters.”
Mannie Obregon says the effort is part of learning more about his faith. “I have been trying to get nearer to God. I have been learning a lot… It is creating a spark for me to learn and grow.”
“I am growing spiritually and emotionally and I am being sharpened,” echoes Cesar Marston. “We are building up each other and the Body of Christ. That’s our goal. My goal as a Catholic man is to lead people back to Christ, through prayer, and to bring more of them to heaven.”
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter
Return to God prayer events
The men of Return to God ministry are consulting with local officials to understand and adhere to guidelines for public prayer events. They have already held two public prayer events this fall. They plan to pray at 1 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 21, at Veterans Park in Huntersville. All are welcome. Questions? Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..