KOCHI: Like Biblical Elijah who prayed for rains in Israel, churchmen in the state too are banking on prayers for a full-blown monsoon , which has been evading the state this year. As the clouds keep away, several churches and prayer groups are coming together for this mission, sharing the angst of the common man in the times of adversity. Prayers for seasons have been part of liturgical services and churches have asked their congregations to bring nature to their daily prayers as the whole country is facing the effects of a deficient monsoon. Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, president of the Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council , has sent instruction to all dioceses in the state to offer prayers for a good monsoon. He has asked believers to pray for nature's bounty during the holy mass and also at homes. "The mode of prayer has not been specified. It is left to the priests and people to decide for themselves," says Fr Paul Thelakat, spokesperson of Syro-Malabar Church. Last month, a church in Mysore offered special prayers to invoke rains and prevent a draught. Though lack of rains has been mentioned in homilies before, this year the churches are taking the initiative to make the congregation aware of the severity of the situation. Parish priests are asking believers to practise self-restraint and carefully use resources. Churches want this drive people to face the issue with solidarity. Prayer groups too have joined the move . in many areas. Jacobite Church's parish prayer groups, which meet on Saturdays and Sundays, have made these prayers part of their programmes. "We have asked the congregation to include it in their family prayers. , as the absence of rains is a serious issue. There is nothing strange about it because prayers for seasons and nature is part of our belief," says Fr Varghese Kallappara, spokesperson of the Jacobite Syrian Church . Offering special prayers to please rain gods is common in Hinduism. Recently, prayers for rains were also held in masjids across the state. Like Biblical Elijah who prayed for rains for Israel, churchmen in the state too are banking on prayers for a full-blown monsoon which has been evading the state this year. As the clouds keep away, more and more churches and prayer groups are joining this mission for nature, sharing the angst of the common man in the times of adversity. Prayers for seasons have been part of liturgical services, and churches have asked their congregations to bring nature to their daily prayers as the whole country is facing the effects of a deficient monsoon. Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, president of the Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council, has sent instruction to all dioceses in Kerala to offer prayers for a good monsoon. He has asked believers to pray for nature's bounty during the holy mass in churches and also at homes. "The mode of prayer has not been specified, it is left to priests and people to decide for themselves," says Fr Paul Thelakat, spokesperson of Syro-Malabar church. Last month, a church in Mysore offered special prayers to invoke rains and prevent a draught. Though the lack of rains has been mentioned in homilies before, this year the churches are feeling the pinch more, and taking the initiative to make the congregation aware of the severity of the situation. Parish priests are asking believers to practise self-restraint and use resources carefully in this difficult time. More than praying for rains, churches want this drive to make people responsible and face the issue with solidarity. Prayer groups too have joined the move in many areas. Jacobite Church's parish prayer groups which meet on Saturdays and Sundays have made prayer for rains part of their programmes. "We have asked the congregation to include it in their family prayers too as the absence of rains is a serious issue. And there is nothing strange about it because prayers for seasons and nature is part of our belief," says Fr Varghese Kallappara, spokesperson of the Jacobite Syrian Church. Offering special prayers to please rain gods is common in Hindu religion. Recently, prayers for rains were also held in masjids across the state as the monsoon has been non-existent all these months.