Father Prus on Personal Prayer, and, on Being Polish

Edward Prus is into his eighth decade of life.

This Catholic priest smiles widely while he tells a couple of dozen of participants, including Jewish, Christians, and Muslims, of how he prays.

From River Rouge, MI., Father Prus, a retired priest who spent years in Recife, Brazil, tells of how he grew up learning to pray formal prayers at his bedside, and, with his parents.

Walking daily through the streets of Ferndale, Ed recites the rosary prayers, while one resident, for example, wondered if he lost his dog.

"You never know," the pastor says.

Prus tells of how he grew up Polish, proud, and confident about God.  He speaks of being a pastor who never though he'd make it through the seminary that taught only in Latin.  "I made it; they didn't kick me out," he announced with pride.

"People want to be independent these days  but they long for connections which is what prayer is all about," he believes. "Prayer is communion with God."

How his prayer evolved over his rich and long life had rabbis, imams, and other clergy listening at the iconic Detroit Focus:HOPE, April 29th, that Fr. Cunningham founded in 1968 after the riot. 

These clergy, and their supporters aim to stand with Detroit, and, to follow the mandate of Jesus, to love your neighbor as your self.

They'll walk with thousands of others on Sunday, Oct. 13th when Focus:HOPE hosts it annual walk of four miles through Detroit streets.

They'll listen to Michigan Chronicle editor, Bankole Thompson, June 6th at 11:45 am at Focus:HOPE as they continue to find ways to assist the fledgling Detroit where most of them grew up.

They're standing together.

With each other.

With hope.

And, a bit of help from heaven and the late founders of Focus:HOPE, FatherWilliam Cunningham and Eleanor Josaitis.