By Paul Dobbyn
ROMA’S parish priest Fr Jamie Collins has reason to believe in the power of prayer for rain.
“The last time I organised a Day of Prayer for Rain was in 2009 when I was parish priest in St George,” he said.
“A big storm came up through the afternoon that damaged the town clock and took the roof off part of a motel.
“Then followed the three years of floods.”
Roma’s dire situation has led Fr Collins to pull out every stop to pray for drought-breaking rain.
Some good rain was received in early March, lifting the spirits of many farmers but much more was needed, he said.
A well-attended prayer service for rain was held on Ash Wednesday at All Saints’ Church.
Various parishioners continued to come to the church and pray for half-hour sessions throughout the day.
That night many joined in the Annual Combined Churches Ash Wednesday Liturgy which included prayers for rain at Roma’s Anglican church with the Anglican, Uniting Church and Lutheran communities.
Fr Collins said the situation was getting increasingly worse.
“The local St Vincent de Paul Society are distributing food and other items to families suffering as a result of the drought,” he said.
“Roma had very bad flooding when I arrived in Roma but has now gone into a long dry spell.
“The region seemed to be reaching the depths of despair I witnessed during my six years at St George, especially around 2009.”
Toowoomba Bishop Robert McGuckin in a recent letter asked each of the diocese’s parishes to hold an hour of Adoration each Friday afternoon during Lent.
Fr Collins said All Saints’ had added the Stations of the Cross as well as prayers for rain to their observances.
“We continue our prayers for further beneficial falls of rain to continue to occur in the near future,” he said.
