Healing Heart of Jesus Ministry

Ministry Mission

The mission of the Healing Heart of Jesus ministry is to lead all God’s children to the Heart of Jesus, especially those struggling with anxiety, depression, and emotional wounds.

The ministry provides prayer, reflections, and resources, including the ability to sign up for a daily perpetual Surrender Novena email.

We pray the words of St. Margaret Mary always ring true for you:

“I need nothing but God, and to lose myself in the Heart of Jesus.”

-St. Margaret Mary

Then and Now

The Healing Heart of Jesus ministry began in 2017 when Laura felt called to start sharing the prayers coming to her heart as she adored Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. The ministry began with a simple blog sharing reflections on the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Over time, Laura felt called to share more of her own story and struggles with anxiety, depression, and emotional wounds. This ministry now provides prayers, reflections, and resources, such as prayer cards, greeting cards, books, and a perpetual daily Surrender Novena email.

Previously this ministry’s behind-the-scenes “angel investor” and chief prayer warrior, John is now taking a more active role and is using his creative and media production skills to produce our podcast of prayers, reflections, and discussions focused on the healing power of prayer, Jesus, Mary, and the saints.

Ministry Servants: John and Laura Durant

How They Met

John and Laura met in 2006, just two weeks before John converted to Catholicism.

It was clear from the start that John and Laura were meant to meet. In February of 2006, Laura had brushed off an invitation from a friend from church who proposed to set her up on a blind date with a great guy to go kayaking. She knew this great guy because her husband was his RCIA sponsor. Laura declined. She had just had a reversion to the Catholic faith and wanted to focus on her relationship with God. 

In March, Laura met a fun guy at a County and Western bar. They discovered while there that they knew the same group of people and even went to the same parish. A week later, after Laura found out this guy knew the friend who had tried to set Laura up on a blind date back in February. When this guy told Laura who his RCIA sponsor was (Laura’s friend’s husband), Laura asked him, “Do you like kayaking?” He said, “Absolutely!”

It turns out the guy she was invited to go on a blind date with and the guy she met out with friends was one and the same, her beloved John.

A year and a half later, Laura and John were married on September 15, 2007, the Feast Day of Our Lady of Sorrows.

John and Laura live in Leander, Texas, with their bulldog Winston. They are the proud Godparents of their three Godsons and blessed to be the aunt and uncle to their niece and four nephews. They are parishioners of St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church in Cedar Park, Texas.

About John

John William Durant was born in San Antonio, Texas, and grew up in Edmond, Oklahoma. He was raised in the Methodist church but was exposed to the Catholic faith through close friends. He was also drawn to St. Michael the Archangel during his time in the United States Marine Corps. He converted to Catholicism in 2005, taking St. Michael as his confirmation name.

One of John’s most prominent gifts of the Holy Spirit is craftmanship. He has used this gift in many ways, including bringing glory to God through his Byzantine-style artwork of Jesus, Mary, and the saints. While he’s taken a step back from this ministry, you can still find his artwork here.

John is also talented in media production and speaking. He is now using these talents for this ministry by producing creative assets and the Healing Heart of Jesus podcast. John is currently in Diaconate Formation in the Diocese of Austin. God willing, he will be ordained in 2025.

About Laura

Laura Marie Durant grew up in Central Texas and is a cradle Catholic. Laura experienced anxiety and depression beginning at an early age, and as with many people who experience anxiety and depression, she has also experienced her share of emotional wounds.

In her desire to help others, she hoped to be a therapist one day. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master’s degree in Professional Counseling from Texas State University-San Marcos. God had other plans, though.

Through some twists and turns, her graduate program focus switched from Counseling to Administration, which also happens to be one of her gifts of the Holy Spirit. However, as with any gift or talent, it does not bear fruit if not used for God’s glory. Due to her woundedness, the administrative jobs she took did not bring peace and joy but instead anxiety and stress. And while she received praise and respect from her employers and co-workers, her relationships with family and friends were not what God had intended for her.

So God, in His great mercy, led her to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Slowly but surely, God drew her closer to His Heart through holy and wise spiritual directors and friends. She began formation in the Discalced Order of Secular Carmelites in 2011. Carmelite spiritually is what led Laura to Mary. And it was Mary that led Laura to a deeper relationship with Jesus. So it is only fitting that Laura’s Carmelite name is “of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”

Laura has found inner healing and peace through silent prayer, Eucharistic Adoration, and resting in the Heart of Jesus. Through meditating on the life and Passion of Christ, Laura has found the path to spiritual and emotional healing – living within and loving with the Heart of Jesus.

In 2017, Laura responded to a call from God to leave her job and focus on her family. Leaving her job was extremely difficult for Laura because she found her identity in her work. But God is never outdone in generosity.

Growing up, all Laura ever wanted to do was to one day help people who struggled with the same struggles she has. Shortly after Laura left her job, she felt a call to begin sharing the prayers and reflections that God was putting on her heart. This was when the Healing Heart of Jesus ministry came into being – a ministry that focuses on hope and healing for everyone who struggles with anxiety, depression, and emotional wounds. Laura is immensely grateful that God continues to fulfill her desire to help others in the most unexpected and beautiful ways.

How can I support this ministry?

Thank you for wishing to support this ministry!

We send out hundreds of free prayer cards and support products each year and your financial contribution will help us cover the cost of printing, postage, and mailing out these prayer cards and support products. It will also help with other various costs associated with this ministry, such resources need to send out our daily surrender novena/prayer email and produce our podcast. We thank you for your generosity! You can contribute in the following ways:

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*Fine Print: Healing Heart of Jesus is not a registered 501c3 non-profit organization, so your financial contribution to this ministry is not tax-deductible, and we cannot provide a tax-deductible receipt.

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Mail a check/money order made out to “Healing Heart of Jesus” to:
Healing Heart of Jesus
PO Box 1007
Leander, Texas 78646Fine print: Please note that this ministry is not a registered 501c3 non-profit organization, and so your financial contribution to this ministry is not tax-deductible and we cannot provide a tax-deductible receipt. We thank you for your generosity!

Gift of Prayer

We are incredibly grateful to the many people who have and continue to pray for this ministry. We know the importance and power of prayer, and we are immensely thankful for all the people who support this ministry in this way.

When we pray and fast for others, we not only gift the give of our prayers, but we receive in return as well. That is the beauty of prayer. Each moment, if lived in the presence of God and love for him and our neighbor, is a prayer.

This is how we pray for you. In our daily moments, as we work on this ministry and spend time with Jesus in prayer. We are always keeping you in our hearts and asking Mary to bring your hearts and intentions to Jesus to provide healing, hope, and peace. We ask for your continued prayers, and may you receive the blessings we have received from God through your prayers in abundance.

Is Healing Heart of Jesus a non-profit?

Healing Heart of Jesus is not a registered 501c3 non-profit organization. Any financial contribution to this ministry is not tax-deductible, and we cannot provide a tax-deductible receipt.

Turning this ministry into a non-profit is something we have prayed about but do not feel called to do now. Practically, we do know it would take a lot of time and effort to create a new organization and file for 501c3 status.

We believe at this time God would instead have us focus on writing, creating, producing resources, and spreading His love in the way He is currently calling us to do. However, this is an area of continual discernment for us, and if God calls to reorganize this ministry at any point, we know He’ll provide the means to do so. We do want to note that while this ministry is organized as a for-profit business, each year, we generally break even. Any small profit made is put back into running this ministry. Even though Laura runs this ministry full-time, we do not receive any personal income from this ministry.

Why does your ministry offer all resources for free with an option to offer a financial contribution?

When this ministry first began providing physical prayer cards and books in 2018, we charged a set price for each product.

During Advent of 2019, Laura felt a call to pull back from active involvement in the ministry. After this period of rest, she discerned she was to continue with the website and daily emails but to refrain from social media – personally and with the ministry. During her hiatus, she realized being on social media created a great deal of agitation in her heart, whether engaging with others or just scrolling. Even though social media is a great marketing tool, the benefits did not outweigh the cost. So, she left social media behind, trusting God would bring the people He felt needed this ministry in His way.

In January 2020, a friend shared with Laura the Surrender Novena. It became life-changing for her. In March, she changed her daily prayer email to a daily perpetual Surrender Novena email. Right about that time, the initial COVID shutdown occurred.

In the summer of 2020, Laura felt a call to begin sharing the Surrender Novena in a printed card – for free. She made this card available upon request and an option for people to request one to be sent to a friend or loved one on their behalf. This “call to share freely” eventually expanded to all the resources available through this ministry. John and Laura do not want cost to be a factor for people who want or need them. They trust the Lord will provide in His perfect way and time.

What do financial contributions cover?

By the grace of God, this ministry continues to grow. And of course, with that growth, costs increase to not only pay for the physical products and general business costs but also the expenses need to pay for online services and resources, such as website, email program provider, and podcast.

A breakdown of costs this ministry incurs includes:

·      Printing physical products, such as cards and books, notecards, ministry cards, materials to laminate cards, etc.

·      Postage, shipping, and packaging materials, such as mailers, shipping tape, labels, envelopes, and shipping service fee

·      Website fees (domain, hosting, eCommerce fees, and credit card processing fees)

·      Email program subscription fee. Regular email is free but sending daily emails to a growing number of people requires subscription fees. Because as we send out daily emails and the number of subscribers grows each day, the cost increases.

·      Video/audio and design software and production, media assets, and ministry partners (designer, copyeditor).

·      Our personal touch. There may be areas we could cut corners and use resources that cost less, and we could also reduce the amount of time spent on preparing and shipping the prayer cards and resources we mail out. However, that would take away from the mission and purpose of this ministry. Here’s why:

Most websites that discuss anxiety, depression, and emotional wounds mirror the difficulty of those topics in the visuals (imagery, colors, etc.) on their website and resources. From the beginning, we felt Jesus ask us to do something different. We knew the topics He was calling Laura to write prayers and reflections about were difficult, but that didn’t mean the visuals on our website had to mirror those feelings those topics evoked. Instead, we felt called for our visuals to reflect peace, beauty, love, a sense of calm, and purity. This purpose is to offset painful and negative feelings that can arise when dealing with these difficult topics. When people visit this ministry’s website and use our resources (either physical or online), we desire that they provide an experience of settling into a safe space, a place of refuge. We take the time to write handwritten notes along with resources we send out and use stamps, envelopes, and packaging to perpetuate the experience we hope others have when they visit our ministry site. And the audio recordings on the podcast are produced in such a way that we hope listeners feel a sense of peace and rest as they listen and pray with us.

Many people are hurting in this world, suffering from anxiety, fear, sadness, loneliness, and feelings of abandonment and rejection. We believe, hope, and pray that this personal touch we strive to provide to those who visit and receive resources from our ministry will allow them to experience how God sees them – a unique, special, chosen, beautiful, and cherished child of God.  So, while we do our best to create our resources through free or inexpensive means and do most of the work ourselves, occasionally, the “personal touch” we feel called to provide costs a little more. Please know we only want to ensure the people who receive our resources are given the experience we feel we are called to provide – the experience of resting in the Heart of Jesus.