Prayers for Meetings

“Deserving special respect and praise in the church are the laity, single or married, who, permanently or for a time, put their person and their professional competence at the service of institutions and their activities... Pastors are to welcome these lay persons with joy and gratitude.” Vatican Council II Decree on the Lay Apostolate Paragraph 22

Background

The power of prayer is well known to Christians. Prayer is an integral part of the "Called to BE Church" process. It is our fervent communication with God through the Holy Spirit. Ephesians offers us a good place to begin:

God of the journey,

We have come here trusting in you, believing that you dwell within us, counting on you to be our companion as we move through our lives.

Remind us often that you are with us…Keep us mindful of your presence…Be our strength; grant us guidance as we continue on our journey…sometimes choosing a new path…help us often to remember that truly your power working in us can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine.

Amen.

As we embark on ‘Called to be Church,” we only get beyond those issues that divide us when we agree that when meetings are conducted in prayer, the impossible becomes the ordinary.

In “The Mission of the Contemporary Parish,” Bishop Hubbard reminds us about the need to be a prayerful and Gospel People when he said:

“If the Jesus dimension is not the central thread interwoven throughout all of the parish's life and activities, and his Gospel values are not the ultimate norm and criterion by which its decisions are made and against which its results are evaluated, then the parish is little different in scope and purpose than that of a neighborhood association or fraternal organization. And its activities, successful as they may be from a humanitarian or fiscal perspective, will fail to impart the life-giving power, strength and inner peace that Jesus alone can give and for which people today are desperately hungry and thirsty.”

To succeed, “Called to BE Church” needs to be grounded in prayer and focused on Jesus and his mission and ministry.

Suggested Prayers

The following prayers may be useful at parishes and could supplement the prayers developed for the “Called to BE Church” meetings. Please share any other prayers you may recommend in an MS Word document to WarrenEd@Verizon.net. Include copy right © information if needed.

Prayer in Time of Change - The official prayer of “Called to BE Church.” Consider using this prayer during weekend liturgy, pastoral council meetings and other meetings.

Called to BE Church - Our official song “Called to BE Church” written by Steve Wildermutha, parishioner of Saint John Vianney Parish will début October 28th at the 2006 Parish Convening. Consider using this music frequently during liturgy.

Suggested Petitions for the Prayer of the Faithful - Every week, a petition related to “Called to BE Church” should be used. This link provides samples for many weeks.

The Thomas Merton Prayer

The Father Mother God Prayer by Maya Angelou.

I Believe - An inspiring prayer by Sr. Joyce Rupp www.joycerupp.com related to the logo for Called to BE Church. Excerpted from Fresh Bread by Joyce Rupp, © 1985. Used with permission from the publisher, Ave Maria Press, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, www.avemariapress.com

O Mary, Star of Evangelization - A beautiful Marian Prayer for evangelization.