Liturgy of the Word Year of the Parish, 2016-2017 Call to Prayer Good day, and welcome. Pope Francis has said of the Church: Let the Church always be a place of mercy and hope, where everyone is loved, welcomed and forgiven. This year in our school board we turn our focus to the Year of the Parish, the second in our three-year pastoral plan of Together with One Voice: Harmonizing our faith through Family, Parish and School. This year we celebrate our parish families, and work to nurture the relationships and connections between our parishes and our school communities. In this spirit of celebration and thanksgiving, let us begin in prayer. Please stand. Opening Song: (Please see Song Suggestions for Year of the Parish) Opening Prayer We say together: Loving God, We pray together as a church, that we would be inspired by Your Word To bring forth your Kingdom into this world With love and humility. In this year of the Parish, Help us to create a home for you in our hearts, And to welcome you with kindness and compassion as we encounter you in one another. Bind us together as brothers and sisters in your love. We pray through Christ, our Lord.
Reading: Colossians 3:12-17 As God s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Reflection: The Apostle s Creed From our families, where the seed of faith is planted, we join our larger faith community to celebrate that same faith in our parishes. Each Sunday, we profess our faith through the Apostle s Creed. Aside from the Our Father, It is probably one of our oldest prayers. This prayer was forged out of shared experience, hard discussions, deep reflection and prayer in the first few centuries after Christ. We continue proclaim these truths over 1000 years later. Every week, we join with all of our brothers and sisters, not only here but across the world. We remember, We celebrate, We reinforce our faith, by praying the Apostle s Creed. Video: The Creed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ynetwwu1re
The Apostle s Creed And now, let us profess our faith: I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell; on the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Prayers of the Faithful (Universal Prayer) Response: Loving God, bless your Church. 1. For Pope Francis, and leaders in our Church, especially our parish priests, that the joy of the gospel would continue to encourage and uphold them, we pray to the Lord. 2. For teachers, administrators, and all who serve our students at TCDSB, that they would deepen their call to live out their gospel in all aspects of their lives, we pray to the Lord.
3. For the continued strengthening of the relationships between our families, schools and parishes in the Toronto Catholic District School Board, we pray to the Lord. 4. For the many gifts God has bestowed upon all of us, that we would use these gifts to carry out the mission of the Church, we pray to the Lord. 5. For those who feel marginalized and forgotten in our families, in our schools, and in our parishes, that the spirit of forgiveness, understanding, and welcome would prevail, we pray to the Lord. 6. For vocations to the priesthood and religious life, we pray to the Lord. 7. For those who are sick in our school and parish communities, and all who care for them; and for those who have passed on, and all who mourn their loss, we pray to the Lord. Let us pray in the way that Jesus taught us: Our Father. TCDSB Prayer for Harmonizing our Faith Through Family, Parish and School We say together: Almighty and Ever loving God, We give you thanks for the blessings of our Families, where the seed of faith is planted; for the Body of Christ, the Church, where faith is celebrated; and for our Schools, where faith is nurtured. Lord, we believe that Catholic Education is at its best when Families, Parishes and Schools play, pray and work together
to spread the Good News to all. Help us to imitate the unity of the Trinity as we continue to grow in our faith and love towards you, and to one another. Through the guidance of the Holy Family, the model of all Christian families, and the intercession of all the Saints, may our Families, Parishes and Schools remain places where the Gospel is shared with joy, courage and love. We pray through Christ our Lord. May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life. +In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Let us offer one another the sign of peace.