Category: Bidding Prayers

The Transfigured Christ reveals to the disciples the Glory of God within each of us:  may we, the Church, reveal to the world the glory of God’s love by our courage to love, to care and to struggle for justice…

                         [reader]           LORD WE PRAY…
                         [response]     SHOW US YOUR GLORY!

The Glory of God is humanity fully alive:  for all whose dignity is obscured by poverty,  homelessness and famine;  for all whose dignity is denied by oppression, slavery and torture;  for all whose dignity is diminished by addiction and abuse; that God will bless with healing and hope the most rejected and marginalised of our city, especially those made utterly destitute by our unjust asylum laws and who are most at risk during COVID

                         [reader]           LORD WE PRAY…
                         [response]     SHOW US YOUR GLORY!

The disciples gazed upon Jesus’ glory and listened to the voice of Truth:  that the Truth of the evil of war and terror might be heeded and miracles of Peace be born in Syria and Yemen, Cameroon, Mali and Northern Nigeria; that the work of CAFOD throughout the world might bring more hope and opportunity for the poorest of the Earth 

                         [reader]           LORD WE PRAY…
                         [response]     SHOW US YOUR GLORY!

After the Glory passed,  they saw only Jesus:  may this Lent deepen our prayer,  encourage our faith,  expand our Love,  draw us into a more profound worship of and communion with the Mystery of God, leading us to deeper conversion to Jesus and His Creation

                         [reader]           LORD WE PRAY…
                         [response]     SHOW US YOUR GLORY!

As Abraham was willing to sacrifice that which he loved most,  may each of us answer God’s call to repentance and sacrifice this Lent, leave behind us all that hinders our growth in love, and commit ourselves afresh that God’s Kingdom might always come first

                         [reader]           LORD WE PRAY…
                         [response]     SHOW US YOUR GLORY!

They were covered with shadow:  may all who are overshadowed with pain and sickness find healing,  especially …
we pray eternal life for …
and for those whose anniversaries are at this time: …

                         [reader]           LORD WE PRAY…
                         [response]     SHOW US YOUR GLORY!

Mary,  Mother of the Poor and Queen of Peace, help all to listen to the voice of God crying for peace and justice throughout the world…

HAIL MARY…

Let us pray in silence for other needs

The Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness … With the leadership of our Shepherds Pope Francis and Bishop Declan may we and all Christians seek the wilderness of God’s silence this Lent and further the reform and renewal of the Church of God

               [reader]               LORD DRAW US TO YOURSELF…
               [response]         AND SPEAK TO OUR HEARTS

He was with the wild beasts … as Christians may we reverence all creation and learn to live in communion with our planet and all your creatures; may conflict and war be ended, and a miracle of peace be secured for the peoples of the Middle East, Yemen, Cameroon and Mali

               [reader]               LORD DRAW US TO YOURSELF…
               [response]         AND SPEAK TO OUR HEARTS

The angels looked after him … as a parish community during this Covid pandemic may our caring for each other grow deeper; may we grow as a healing community in the Inner City: we ask God’s blessing upon all who serve and are served, the excluded and vulnerable, through our Food Bank, the Wildgoose Café, Borderlands’, Unseen and One 25 – may we offer healing and hope to the most marginalised and rejected of our community

               [reader]               LORD DRAW US TO YOURSELF…
               [response]         AND SPEAK TO OUR HEARTS

Jesus says, Repent and believe the Good News … may each one of us make space during these days of Lent to confront our own inner demons, invite God’s light into our shadows, let God speak to our hearts and change us, so that we might change our world

               [reader]               LORD DRAW US TO YOURSELF…
               [response]         AND SPEAK TO OUR HEARTS

The Kingdom of God is close at hand … may the CAFOD Lenten Fast Day help us to live this Lent in communion and solidarity with the poorest of the earth,  bringing dignity and hope to those most desperate in their poverty – we pray that all who serve in our relief agencies may never use their power to exploit, but always to respect all to whom they go

               [reader]               LORD DRAW US TO YOURSELF…
               [response]         AND SPEAK TO OUR HEARTS

Jesus proclaimed the Good News from God … thanking God for the Good News of the Covid vaccines, we pray for all health care workers of our nation and all nations; may the sick and housebound of our parish family know Good News of healing and comfort,  especially …
for those who have died recently:  especially …, the victims of the Covid Pandemic and all killed in the conflicts scarring our world at this time
for all whose anniversaries are at this time: …

               [reader]               LORD DRAW US TO YOURSELF…
               [response]         AND SPEAK TO OUR HEARTS   

Mary, Bearer of humanity’s Hope, journey with us along pathways of repentance and peace this Lent…

                                               HAIL MARY…

Let us pray in the silence of God’s desert…

‘Proclaim a Fast’ – may God’s people journey the path of repentance these 40 days of Lent and so make room in our hearts for God’s tender love, for God’s challenging Word, for God’s Renewing Spirit and discover the true happiness of God-centred lives – may our world fast from the injustice and violence that leads to war and embrace the pathways of mercy

                                 LORD IN YOUR MERCY…
                                 HEAR OUR PRAYER …

‘Give alms’ – may our fasting be a sacred communion with the hungry, the poor and the oppressed of our world, so that our giving might be more than charity but restore justice, and live with courage the ‘Covenant with the Poor’

                                 LORD IN YOUR MERCY…
                                 HEAR OUR PRAYER …

‘Pray…’ – may this Lent during this Year of Lockdown and Covid restrictions be a committed time of profound prayer for us as individual Christians and as a community; may we seek with a renewed love the heart of God, and value the many opportunities for prayer and for Eucharist together in our parish life, or through the Internet

                                 LORD IN YOUR MERCY…
                                 HEAR OUR PRAYER …

‘Be reconciled to God’ – as we walk together the desert path of this Lent, may we open our hearts to God’s reconciling mercy and healing spirit; through forgiveness may we grow in deeper unity with God, with each other as a Parish in Communion for Mission, with the world in its need for peace, justice and reconciliation especially throughout the Middle East, central Africa and in Myanmar

                                 LORD IN YOUR MERCY…
                                 HEAR OUR PRAYER …

‘Now is the favourable time’ – may each of us hear the call to missionary discipleship and use this Lent to grow in Christ: may the Lord lead us to bring healing and renewal to the Earth and all its creatures, caring for our ‘common home’ before it is too late!  

                                 LORD IN YOUR MERCY…
                                 HEAR OUR PRAYER …

‘Ambassadors for Christ’ – may the Spirit of God help form in us a new heart and a new spirit in the weeks and months ahead…

                                 LORD IN YOUR MERCY…
                                 HEAR OUR PRAYER …

Mary, Mother of the Church and Mother of Mercy and the first and greatest disciple of Jesus, pray for us that this Lent may form Christ in us

HAIL MARY… 

We pray other needs in the ‘secret place’ of our own hearts…

‘Of course I want to!’ Jesus said: may the Church everywhere be a community of healing, compassion and inclusion, witnessing to the breadth and power of God’s love for the world
(Reader:)                           In a broken world…
(RESPONSE:)               LORD, MAKE US WHOLE…

The lepers ‘must live apart … in desert places … as the unclean’: we pray for all who are excluded from hope and opportunity, from justice and freedom, from peace and equality: we pray for the people of Yemen torn apart by war not of their making; for the ‘Dalets’ (the so-called ‘untouchables’) of India that their dignity and equality will be recognised; for the Ruhynga Muslims in their exile and all the people of Myanmar and of Hong Kong in their struggles for democracy 

(Reader:)                           In a broken world…
(RESPONSE:)               LORD, MAKE US WHOLE…

‘Whatever you do, do it for the glory of God’ says St Paul: that we might learn to glorify God in our work, in our homes, in our families and in our schools – may we bear witness before the world that there is nothing human that is alien to God

(Reader:)                           In a broken world…
(RESPONSE:)               LORD, MAKE US WHOLE…

‘I try to be helpful to all people that they might be saved’ … For all who research cures for the diseases that afflict humanity, especially Covid 19,  HIV/AIDS; that medical science might explore ethical means of research that do not abuse the integrity of human life; that those with incurable and destructive illnesses will resist the temptation to end their own lives, but find a new hope in the God who walks with them

(Reader:)                           In a broken world…
(RESPONSE:)               LORD, MAKE US WHOLE…

‘Jesus could not go openly into any town’ because he touched the leper … For the excluded of our own society: for prisoners. those with mental illness, those with addictions, the victims of prejudice and discrimination, for our sisters and brothers seeking safe sanctuary among us

(Reader:)                           In a broken world…
(RESPONSE:)               LORD, MAKE US WHOLE…

For our children who are being home schooled and for the families seeking to offer them the best education they can; for our teachers and school staff coping with Covid restrictions and providing classes over the internet

(Reader:)                           In a broken world…
(RESPONSE:)               LORD, MAKE US WHOLE…

‘Be healed’ Jesus says to all the broken and hurting of the world, especially those suffering from Covid or war induced famine: we pray for healing for the sick and dying, especially … ;
For all who have died recently, especially …  and all killed in the conflict in Yemen;
And for all whose anniversaries are at this time:

(Reader:)                           In a broken world…
(RESPONSE:)               LORD, MAKE US WHOLE…

Mary, Mother of the Church, Mother of Compassion pray with us, pray for us

                                                                                              HAIL MARY ….

We pray for all the excluded of our world in a moment of silence

We pray that the Church of God will everywhere seek to be the field hospital where the wounded and hurting know they will be welcomed, accepted and held in caring and healing
                             [Reader]                 Lord we pray ….
                             RESPONSE:         HEAL YOUR BROKEN WORLD

We pray for all who lead and govern the nations, that they will lead us to peace not war, give priority to healthcare for all, respect all human life especially the most frail and vulnerable, and no longer traumatise their people with terror and war

                             [Reader]                 Lord we pray ….
                             RESPONSE:         HEAL YOUR BROKEN WORLD

We cry out for all who are broken and excluded because of their struggle with mental illness; for those whose poverty and oppression deny them the healthcare, the compassion and understanding they need to recover wholeness and peace; we pray in particular for the 73 million refugees and displaced persons world-wide who suffer trauma of war, injustice and terrible disruption of their lives with little healthcare or psychological support

                             [Reader]                 Lord we pray ….
                             RESPONSE:         HEAL YOUR BROKEN WORLD

We pray for all affected by this global Covid pandemic: those struggling to survive this illness; health and care workers exhausted by the avalanche of sickness; families caring for the sick in their own homes; those afflicted with deep mental trauma and turmoil; we pray also for all whose treatment for life-threatening illnesses has been delayed because of Covid

                             [Reader]                 Lord we pray ….
                             RESPONSE:         HEAL YOUR BROKEN WORLD

We pray for the renewal of the healing ministry of the Church: that we will ‘bow before the suffering and vulnerable’, walk with the excluded and greet with acceptance society’s outcasts … for those who counsel the wounded, listen to the burdened, bring light to those trapped in darkness; for those who befriend the isolated and pray with the sick, for all who strive to make parishes communities of Christ’s healing Light

                             [Reader]                 Lord we pray ….
                             RESPONSE:         HEAL YOUR BROKEN WORLD

We pray for all whose lives are darkened by broken relationships and devastating griefs; for any who despair because of painful memories or incurable physical illness; for those trapped in mental disorder or unending darkness – may they rediscover their dignity as beloved children of the Father. 

                             [Reader]                 Lord we pray ….
                             RESPONSE:         HEAL YOUR BROKEN WORLD

For the sick in our hospitals, the dying in our hospices and the elderly in our care homes, for those suffering from Covid, and for … ;
for those who have died recently, especially …  and all who have died of Covid, preventable diseases and the wounds of war|
for all whose anniversaries are at this time, especially …

                             [Reader]                 Lord we pray ….
                             RESPONSE:         HEAL YOUR BROKEN WORLD

We ask Mary, Sister of Compassion and Mother of the Wounded, to pray with us for our world…

                                                                    HAIL MARY…

We pray for all health workers, researchers and carers in a moment of silence…

‘Jesus went to the synagogue and began to teach’ … For the work of Jewish-Christian Dialogue, for the healing of centuries of Christian prejudice against the Jewish People, for harmony and mutual understanding between the Peoples of the Covenants and among all who believe in the God of many names

                      [reader]                    Lord we pray …
                      [RESPONSE]        TEACH US HUMANITY

Jesus challenged the evil … For the healing of the wounds of the Jewish Holocaust, that our world might one day learn the lessons history’s too many genocides,  in Cambodia, Rwanda, Congo, the Darfur and the Balkans; that past tragedies will never be used to oppress other peoples, such as the Palestinians

                      [reader]                    Lord we pray …
                      [RESPONSE]        TEACH US HUMANITY

‘God will raise up prophets – you must listen to them!’ … For our war-torn world of today, that as terrorism is confronted, the injustices that lie at the root of terrorism will be challenged even more; that humanity might prevail and peace be secured for all the peoples of Israel and Palestine; we pray also for peace and the end of terror throughout the Middle East and in Mali, Cameroon and Nigeria

                      [reader]                    Lord we pray …
                      [RESPONSE]        TEACH US HUMANITY

‘Give your undivided attention to the Lord’ … That our own community will be filled with the courage of our Martyrs, St Maximilian Kolbe and St Edith Stein and the countless other heroes of humanity, as we seek to witness to the Love of Christ by serving reconciliation and dialogue between peoples of different faiths in our Inner City

                      [reader]                    Lord we pray …
                      [RESPONSE]        TEACH US HUMANITY

’Here is a teaching that is new and with authority behind it’ … Learning for the teaching of the Second Vatican Council and encouraged by St Edith Stein, St John XXIII  and Pope Francis may we work together with other world faiths to build the ‘Fellowship of All Believers’ in our inner city; and especially for the Jewish community that meets each Sabbath in the synagogue that lies in our parish

                      [reader]                    Lord we pray …
                      [RESPONSE]        TEACH US HUMANITY

For all exhausted by caring for the sick in our hospitals, the dying in our hospices and the elderly in our care homes, for those suffering from Covid, and for …
for those who have died recently, especially …  and all who have died of Covid
for all whose anniversaries are at this time, especially … and all those who perished in the Holocaust and in Genocides which we remember today 

                      [reader]                    Lord we pray …
                      [RESPONSE]        TEACH US HUMANITY

Mary, Faithful Daughter of Sion, pray with us for the peace of the world
                                                              Hail Mary…

Let us hold a moment of silence…remembering the victims both of the Holocaust and the Genocides since, especially Cambodia, Congo, Rwanda and the Balkans, in a minute’s silence…

‘Follow me…’ cries Jesus: may all God’s people of every tradition and denomination hear the call of Christ to leave behind the divisions and prejudices of past, and walk together in the Spirit of Christ the pathways of unity, mission and peace

               [reader]          LORD JESUS WE PRAY…
               [response]     MAKE US ONE IN YOUR LOVE…

‘I will make you fishers of men’, challenges Jesus: for all the pastors and leaders of God’s Church, especially Pope Francis, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury, the Patriarchs of Constantinople and Moscow, the President of the World Council of Churches: may they with courage challenge us to build the unity of Christ the more effectively to serve the peace of the world

               [reader]          LORD JESUS WE PRAY…
               [response]     MAKE US ONE IN YOUR LOVE…

In Damascus God said, ‘Saul, you are to be my witness my witness before all humankind’  … that God’s people will be converted to each other, become one in heart and mind so that we might become the Light of the World drawing all people to the conversion of peace and the strong tenderness of justice: we pray for peace among Jews, Moslems and Christians throughout the Middle East; for peace and freedom in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Central Africa

               [reader]          LORD JESUS WE PRAY…
               [response]     MAKE US ONE IN YOUR LOVE…

Because of the Prophet Jonah, the people of the City of Nineveh changed: we pray that the inauguration of a new president in the United States may the beginning of healing for that bitterly divided nation; that our parish will answer God’s challenge to bring healing and the Good News to the Inner City with all our fellow Christians in Ashley, Easton and Eastville: that we will work and pray with each other for renewed understanding and fresh opportunities for mission and service together

               [reader]          LORD JESUS WE PRAY…
               [response]     MAKE US ONE IN YOUR LOVE…

Jonah warned the People of Nineveh of the destruction they were bringing upon themselves … repenting of the horror of the Nazi Holocaust of the Jews and other Genocides, we pray also for our nation, too at ease with our armaments industry, our trading in weapons of death and the condemnation of our children to poverty, poor diet and the lack of opportunity

               [reader]          LORD JESUS WE PRAY…
               [response]     MAKE US ONE IN YOUR LOVE…

For the sick,  especially the housebound, isolated, addicted and depressed; we also pray for … ;
for those who have died recently: … and all victims of the Covid virus
for all whose anniversaries are at this time: in particular …

               [reader]          LORD JESUS WE PRAY…
               [response]     MAKE US ONE IN YOUR LOVE…

Mary, Mother of the Church, gather us in unity with all Christians…
                                           HAIL MARY…

Let us pray in silence for the peace of the world and the unity of the Church …

That Christians everywhere may answer the call of Christ to ‘Come and See’ how He lives in the Peace of God and with courage to become prophets of peace, challenging all peoples to a loyalty to the whole of humanity beyond every narrow nationalism

               [reader:]                               LORD WE PRAY…
               [response:]                         GIVE US YOUR PEACE!

That all those in political leadership may use their power to serve rather than to dominate, to safeguard each person’s dignity and conscience rather than manipulate and repress those who differ from them: we pray in particular for those peoples suffering because of extremist ideologies and the threat of terrorist attack around the world

               [reader:]                               LORD WE PRAY…
               [response:]                         GIVE US YOUR PEACE!

That the rich world might see how poor it is in humanity and justice; that the poor world may never lose sight of their dignity and their power to change injustice and save our earth; that all will recognise the link between poverty and conflict and that ‘the new word for peace is justice’

               [reader:]                               LORD WE PRAY…
               [response:]                         GIVE US YOUR PEACE!

That like Samuel the Prophet we will listen to the Lord as the Spirit challenges us to continue to fashion our parish in the service of peace and justice, a parish community of caring and compassion, a parish in the service of the freedom of the Kingdom

               [reader:]                               LORD WE PRAY…
               [response:]                         GIVE US YOUR PEACE!

For the young people of our Inner City, those who refuse to be caught up in the culture of drugs, violence and barbaric extremism and those who are trapped in these dark worlds: that they may all know their dignity, and use their energy and vision to build a better world for all

               [reader:]                               LORD WE PRAY…
               [response:]                         GIVE US YOUR PEACE!

For the peace of the sick, in particular all suffering from Covid 19 and those health-care workers suffering from physical and mental exhaustion – for …;

for the eternal peace of all who have died recently,  especially …, those who have died of Coronavirus and all killed by extremist terrorism and government repression around the world;
and for life without end for all whose anniversaries are at this time: …,

               [reader:]                               LORD WE PRAY…
               [response:]                         GIVE US YOUR PEACE!

Mary, Queen of Peace, pray with us for true peace throughout the Middle East and reconciliation in all theatres of conflict, especially in Africa

                                                                 HAIL MARY…

We pray in silence for all unknown needs …

‘You are my Son, the Beloved’ … that every Christian will know their dignity,  chosen to be a daughter or son of God;  that the Church will show to all the world its reverence for every human person,  and safeguard that divine dignity challenging all the powers that oppress…

               [reader]              WE ARE YOUR SONS AND DAUGHTERS…
               [response]         FILL US WITH YOUR SPIRIT…

‘Faithfully he brings true justice to the nations’… may God raise up many prophets of justice,  and servants of peace who will love our divided and violent world with God’s heart, mind and courage; and for a world needing to seek ways to build peace, especially throughout the Middle East, in Mali, Cameroon and Central Africa as they struggle with terror, violence and oppression …

               [reader]              WE ARE YOUR SONS AND DAUGHTERS…

‘I have called you to serve the cause of right’… that as today we re-commit ourselves to living our Baptism as a community of unity and mission, may God anoint all our community with gifts of the Spirit to empower our service of the Kingdom of God and the growth of the Church in our parish 

               [reader]              WE ARE YOUR SONS AND DAUGHTERS…

‘I have endowed him with my Spirit to be a light’… that our Parish Food Bank, the Churches Winter Night Shelter Project, the SVP, the Wild Goose Café, Borderlands and our work with refugees and asylum-seekers will bring healing and hope to the most vulnerable people of our city: we pray especially for all victims of our unjust and abusive Benefits and Asylum systems and all suffering financial hardship in this pandemic …

               [reader]              WE ARE YOUR SONS AND DAUGHTERS…

‘Jesus was baptised and the Spirit, liker a dove, descended on Him’ … as we each renew our baptismal commitment today may our lives witness to Christ’s sacrificial love and be a source of the water of life for those who are seeking deeper meaning to their lives; – we pray especially for Nadia George  baptised today and his family

               [reader]              WE ARE YOUR SONS AND DAUGHTERS…

‘Because God was with him,  Jesus cured all’… that the Spirit will renew the Healing Ministry throughout the Church; we pray for all suffering from Covid and those caring for them; and for …
may those who have died know that eternal life that baptism brings, especially … and all who have died of the Covid virus;
and for those whose anniversaries are at this time:  …

               [reader]              WE ARE YOUR SONS AND DAUGHTERS…

Mary,  bearer of the Spirit and mother of the Anointed One,  pray with us… 

                                                  HAIL MARY…

Let us wait upon the Spirit in silence…

Seekers after wisdom followed the Light of the Star … we pray that the Christian Church will always be a light of truth and mercy to guide all in today’s world who search for the wisdom to live their lives in love

                                                LORD WE PRAY…
             [response:]         GIVE US YOUR WISDOM

The Christ-Child attracted the seekers to His Light … may we place as our highest priority the proclamation of the Good News in the Power of the Spirit and so draw to Christ all who seek to build a better world: we pray especially for all in our parish family who will be journeying towards Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist in this coming year

                                                LORD WE PRAY…
             [response:]         GIVE US YOUR WISDOM

For a world scarred by war, conflict and violence, famine and oppression:  may world leaders not escalate conflicts but be guided by the wisdom of God and the cries of their peoples; may they not dominate and exploit, but rather serve justice and freedom for all … we pray especially for the peoples of the Holy Land, all the Middle East and Central Africa; we pray also that wisdom might prevail and nations will work together that decisive steps be taken to heal our planet in the threat of catastrophic climate change

                                                LORD WE PRAY…
             [response:]         GIVE US YOUR WISDOM

Like the wise men of old,  may we bring our gifts to serve our parish as we seek to grow as a community of mission and prayer during this New Year: with generosity may we bring the gold of our love, the frankincense of our prayer and the myrrh of our willingness to sacrifice for the King

                                                LORD WE PRAY…
             [response:]         GIVE US YOUR WISDOM

The Wise Men, strangers bringing gifts, represent the nations coming together in Christ …. may our nation change its attitude and policies about immigration and racism, about those who come seeking safe sanctuary among us; we pray also for the 73 million refugees world-wide, particularly all those who have been trafficked in the dangerous waters of the Mediterranean and the English Channel as they seek safety, freedom and peace

                                                LORD WE PRAY…
             [response:]         GIVE US YOUR WISDOM

That all who care for the sick may do so with the wisdom that heals and may experience renewed strength in their weariness as they care for the victims of Covid ; that our elderly will be respected for their wisdom and experience;
that the Light of Eternal love will forever shine upon all who have died recently, especially … and all victims of the poverty, poor health-care, terror and war;
and for all whose anniversaries are at this time …

                                                LORD WE PRAY…
             [response:]         GIVE US YOUR WISDOM

Mary, Morning Star and Seat of Wisdom, pray with us for for Wisdom as we seek to witness to the Light of Christ in today’s world

HAIL MARY… 

We pray for the deepest needs of our hearts in a moment of silence…