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Gayle Johnson massages the hand of a client at Sister Rosalind Gefre Schools and Clinics of Massage in Sauk Rapids, Minn., in 2007. Clients, upon arriving at the clinic, are given the option of checking "yes" for prayer on their health history forms so it can be part of their visit.

(CNS photo/Sue Schulzetenberg, St. Cloud Visitor)

SAUK RAPIDS, Minn. (CNS) -- Jennie Lewis calmly walked up to her next client, who lay covered in white sheets upon a raised table. Lewis asked the client if it was OK to pray with her. The client consented and the massage therapist began her prayer.

"Lord Jesus, I thank you for sending her in today. Father, I ask that you bless her with this massage," she said. "I ask you to help her to relax. Let your spirit come on to bring her peace. May she feel refreshed and rejuvenated. In the name of Jesus. Amen."

Lewis is a massage therapist at the Sister Rosalind Gefre Schools and Clinics of Massage in Sauk Rapids. Clients upon arriving at the clinic are given the option of checking "yes" on their health history forms to request prayer.

For Sister Rosalind, a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet who founded the school, massage and following Jesus' example go hand in hand -- literally.

"When Jesus healed people, he touched them," she said.

Since beginning her ministry of massage 34 years ago at the YMCA in Fargo, N.D., Sister Rosalind has incorporated prayer into healing. "Prayer heals," she said.

She said she has seen many people become healed of their illnesses through massage, and she includes herself. She had chronic chest pain and received a massage, but not because of the chest pain. Rather, it was because her mother, who was terminally ill, asked to see a massage therapist for her pain. That's when Sister Rosalind was introduced to the healing power of massage.

Her ministry continued to expand. There are now five Sister Rosalind Gefre Schools in Minnesota and North Dakota. "I never intended to start any schools," she said. "I believe this ministry was not started by me -- God was behind it."

Guiding the schools is a common mission: "to promote the healing of the body, mind and spirit through touch, following Jesus' example." The schools' emblem depicts a rainbow and a dove: The rainbow signifies that "God has been faithful" and the dove symbolizes the Holy Spirit, who is the guide behind the ministry, Sister Rosalind told the St. Cloud Visitor, newspaper of the St. Cloud Diocese.

Throughout her work as a massage therapist, Sister Rosalind has made it a practice to pray with the clients, as requested. On some days, seven or eight clients request prayer, and on other days no one does, she said.

She is occasionally surprised by the people who request prayer. For example, Sister Rosalind, who gave massages to fans at St. Paul Saints baseball games for 15 years, recalled "a big, tough man" who, when asked if he wanted prayer, replied, "Oh yeah! I want it!"

She also finds it notable that many people to whom she gave massages have remarked about the power of prayer. "I hear that a lot -- 'You prayed with me and I feel better,'" she said.

Prayer is incorporated into every class at her schools. For example, at the school in Sauk Rapids, students pray before every class. Students also take 12 hours of a spirituality class in which they talk about where they are spiritually, present a paper about spirituality, learn to pray aloud and with each other, and reflect on how they have changed.

Sister Rosalind said that most of the students are Christian, and their beliefs tend to become incorporated into their work.

"You can't separate that," she said.

Of course, not everyone who attends the school is Christian, and people of all faiths are accepted into the school. Clients also need not be Christian, and can readily decline prayer by not checking the box on their form.

Lewis noted that only about 10 percent check "yes" for prayer on their health forms, but she thinks that is because they don't understand what it means. When she verbally asks them if they would like her to say a prayer for them, about 90 percent say yes.

"Clients are appreciative of the prayer," she said. "That someone takes the time to pray for them touches them," she said.