BY D. AILEEN DODD

 Six nights a week, the Rev. Francisco Santana spreads a white cotton cloth over a wooden dining room table in the home of Lazaro Gonzalez. He reaches into his kit for a crucifix, a chalice and a statue of Our Lady of Charity as the family gathers for a private Mass.

 For 20 minutes, they light candles and thank God for the miracle that brought 6-year-old rafter Elian Gonzalez safely to them in November. They pray that the Gonzalezes in Miami and Cuba will one day be reunited in forgiveness, after the ongoing custody fight.

 ''I tell Elian how God is like a daddy and we are brothers and sisters. It is so beautiful to see him praying. He joins his hands like a little angel and says 'Amen,' '' said Santana, a priest at Shrine of Our Lady of Charity in Miami. ''For me, as a priest, it is a mystic experience to see the devotion of the family. You can see tears in their eyes.''

 Santana celebrates the Masses at about 9 each night Monday through Saturday, just before Elian goes to bed. At the direction of Miami Archbishop John C. Favalora, prayers by priests in parishes and at the Gonzalez home in Little Havana are focused ''on a just and merciful solution.''

 ''We are not praying for Elian to stay here or to go back,'' Santana said. ''Every day we pray for Elian's mother in heaven and ask God to touch his father Juan Miguel's heart and ask that his love as a father will prevail over any other political pressures.''

 The family takes Holy Communion and makes confession. Elian watches. He has not had his first Communion yet, Santana said.

 The Gonzalez family's search for spiritual guidance has not just touched the crowds outside their home, it has also forged new ties between Catholic priests and Evangelical pastors, traditional rivals in Miami for converts to their churches.

 Setting aside their differences, six Catholic priests and six Evangelical pastors -- numbered like the 12 apostles of Jesus -- take turns leading prayer services in front of the Gonzalez home each night from 5:30 to 11:30 p.m.

 Each Friday, the day Christ was believed to have been crucified, they lead the prayers together.

 Their kinship is yet another miracle attributed to the religious-mythological aura surrounding Elian, who survived a perilous journey at sea. Before he came to South Florida, fellowship between some Cuban Evangelical and Cuban Catholic clergy mostly consisted of hellos at meetings.

 Competition between the two faiths is stiff. More than 1.3 million Catholics live in Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties. But only about 800,000 are registered at the area's 111 parishes. The rest have no home church. South Florida Catholic churches have lost many Hispanics to the tambourine-thumping, foot-tapping, bear-hugging fervor of small charismatic churches.

 Since the Elian custody battle began, however, the rivalry has been quieted. For the moment.

 ''We have a common ground, a common interest and a common purpose,'' said the Rev. Manuel Salabarria, a retired Presbyterian pastor and radio show host who is growing close to Santana. ''We laugh and chat together. We are becoming good friends.''

 And when it comes time to share the spotlight -- and pulpit -- on Friday, Catholics and Evangelical pastors are sensitive to each other's beliefs.

 Said the Rev. Martin Anorga, ''We read the Bible, make prayer and exalt the people to be calm and keep the faith.''

 ''There is incredible fraternity and sincerity. Each one of us is willing to sacrifice,'' Santana added. ''For us, our devotion to our blessed mother Virgin Mary is very important, but when we have a service in common we avoid mentioning the things that divide us, like the devotion to Mary, and we center ourselves in our faith in the Lord Jesus.''

 This week, the clergy are asking interfaith pastors across the region to remember Elian and his family in Cuba and Miami in their prayers.

 On Saturday, two Masses for Elian were celebrated at Our Lady of Charity. Masses for the boy are also held during the week. On Sunday, Elian was on the prayer list at San Isidro Catholic Church in Pompano Beach and Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Hialeah, among others.

 ''Lazaro Gonzalez was telling me the other day he used to have a hot temper,'' Santana said. ''Since this whole ordeal began he says he is so much at peace. He is like a different person.''

 The great-uncle issued a statement asking for the community to be at peace over the weekend.

 ''It seems like somehow the best of everybody is coming out,'' Santana said.