Thousands Of South Louisianians Praying In Face Of Massive Gulf Oil Spill

June 9, 2010

Author: Bruce Nolan

Source: The Times-Picayune

http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/06/thousands_of_south_louisianian.html

Twice a day, precisely at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., alarms ring on dozens of cell phones, alerting those participating in the Rev. Jim Woodard's week-old Internet prayer initiative to spend one minute praying for relief from the BP Gulf oil spill.

A candlelight vigil across from Jackson Square last week mourned the loss of life in the Gulf since the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded April 20.

In Meraux, Cesar Lopez rises each morning at 4:30 a.m. and says the rosary, as he does every day, remembering especially to pray for relief for families stricken economically by the spill.

And in Violet, a coalition of Christian pastors has begun laying plans to pray with out-of-work fishers at least three mornings a week in Shell Beach, Delacroix and Hopedale as the men gather before dawn to learn whether BP will put them to work that day.