Response: “Bless us, O God”

This blessing takes place on the First Sunday of Advent at the 10:00am Mass. Father Ron welcomes people at the beginning of the liturgy and then invites everyone into the lobby of the building. Father Ron will invite everyone to silence then he will sing the litany.

For the homeless, seeking shelter, we pray…
For the forgotten, believing in companionship, we pray…
For the mentally ill, longing to be understood, we pray…
For the abused, hoping for a safe environment, we pray…
For the angry, expressing trust in community, we pray…
For the hungry, knowing God satisfies, we pray…
For the suffering, struggling to find compassion, we pray …
For the dirty, searching for acceptance, we pray …

For the new born and catechumens, walking toward the waters of baptism, we pray…
For the hungry of heart, desiring Holy Eucharist, we pray…
For the restless, hearing God in Scripture, we pray…
For the weak, discovering the Holy Spirit in Confirmation, we pray…
For the ill, touching God’s strength in Anointing of the Sick, we pray…
For the sinful, believing in the power of reconciliation, we pray….
For the lost, finding their place at God’s table, we pray…
For the marginalized, resting in a new home of peace…
For those asking for marriage, believing in God’s covenant, we pray…
For the dead, entering the doors for the last time, we pray…

For all the staff, volunteers and parish community entering the doors in faith and service, we pray…
For people afraid to enter…
For those peering into our windows…
For those urinating on our doors….
For those selling drugs at our doors…
For those prostituting themselves…
For those we ignore…
For those we can not help or console…
For those who sleep at our doors…
For those entrusted to God alone…

And for all God’s people…
And for all God’s people…
And for all God’s people…

(After the litany is sung, the presider will sum up the prayer with the collect.)

Let us pray:

God of our longing and source of life,
In these Advent days,
We wait to be awakened to your presence among us.

Help us welcome the lost and faithful.
Give us courage to hear the voices of fear.
Welcome the hungry to your table.

Bless these doors of entrance to our community.
May these doors remind us of our journey to the gates of heaven.
May these doors teach us how to welcome the lost on earth.

Bless these doors and open your salvation to your people.
We ask blessings in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Amen

(The presider will then bless the doors with holy water. After that gesture of prayer Father Ron will invite everyone to go back into the chapel to begin the opening hymn. The presider goes to the back of the center aisle and processes as the usual start of Mass.)