Elementary:
We begin in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In this Easter season loving God, teach us:
To see you in all people.
To see you in all things.
To see you in the sunrise.
To see you at the sunset.
To see you in the good days.
And to see you in the night.
To wake fresh and excited
To explore your amazing light!
Amen
In this month of Mary, we remember Jesus light came into the world through his mother Mary. Let us ask our Mother Mary to help us see her son's light all around us:
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Mary, the Mother of Christ … Pray for us.
High Schools:
We begin in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In this Easter season loving God, teach us to:
Count our blessings
instead of our crosses;
Count our gains
instead of our losses.
Count our joys
instead of our woes;
Count our friends
instead of our foes.
Count our smiles
instead of our tears;
Count our courage
instead of our fears.
Count our full years
instead of our lean;
Count our kind deeds
instead of our mean.
Count our health
instead of our wealth;
Love our neighbours
as much as ourselves.
In this month of Mary, let us once again pray the special prayer of devotion to her:
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Mary, the Mother of Christ … Pray for us.
World Catholic Education Day Thursday, May 10, 2018
Be Joyful in Hope: In Our School Community
Liturgy of the Word
CALL TO PRAYER
Leader: Today we gather to celebrate World Catholic Education Day. We give thanks to God
each day for so many things, and today especially, we give thanks for the privilege of
attending Catholic schools.
Throughout Catholic Education Week, we have been exploring the theme Be Joyful in Hope. We have been reflecting on what it means to be hope-filled people, and how we bring the hope that lives within each of us to our families, school, and community. We continue with this theme today, as we take a few moments away from our schoolwork in order to spend time together praising and thanking God for the gift of Catholic Education.
Optional: Please join us as we sing our opening song: _________.
OPENING PRAYER
Leader: Let us begin, as we always do, with the sign of our faith.
All: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Leader: Let us pray:
Jesus, our brother and our teacher, fill us with strength and boldness as we proclaim your love and promises in all we do here at _____________ School. Inspire us, and our friends in Catholic schools all over the world, to go out and make disciples by teaching others about the hope that lives in our hearts. And enable us to give that same hope to others through your work in each of us.
We ask this through you, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.
All: Amen.
READING (Romans 15:13-14, 33)
Reader: A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans.
May God, the source of hope, fill you with all joy and peace in faith, so that your hope will continue to grow by the power of the Holy Spirit. My friends, I myself feel sure that you are full of goodness, that you are filled with knowledge, and that you are able to teach one another. May God, our source of peace, be with all of you.
The Word of the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM (Psalm 33)
Reader: Our response is: May your love be upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope
in you.
All: May your love be upon us O Lord, as we place our hope in you.
All you who are righteous, shout joyfully to the Lord!
Praise him, all you that obey him.
Give thanks to the Lord with harps,
sing to him a new song! R.
The words of the Lord are true,
and all of his works are to be trusted.
The Lord loves what is righteous and just;
his faithful love fills the earth. R.
We put our hope in the Lord;
he is our protector and our help.
We are glad because of him;
we trust in his holy name. R.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION: (use one that is familiar to your school community)
GOSPEL (Matthew 28:16-20)
Leader: A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew
All: Glory to you, Lord.
After Jesus had risen from the dead, the eleven disciples went to the hill in Galilee where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshipped him, even though some of them doubted. Jesus drew near and said to them, "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember that I will be with you always, to the end of the age."
The Gospel of the Lord.
All: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
REFLECTION
Why does our school exist? Many people would say that our school is here to give students a place to learn to read and write, and to learn about math, science, art, or music. People who say those things would be right. But there is more!
Jesus is the reason for our school! In today's Gospel, Jesus gives us a job to do: he asks us to make disciples, and teach to others what he has taught us. And every day our Catholic schools respond with a resounding "Yes!"
Why do we do this? Because we know that Jesus loves us! We place all of our hope in his goodness because we know that he hears our prayers, he forgives us, he heals us, and he has promised us that he will always be with us. Hope lives deep within us, and we are called to share that hope with others every day.
How do we do that in our school? We gather every day in His name. We share our faith in Him with each other, and with those all around us. We listen to Jesus' words and follow His example. We are here to learn how to be His hands and His feet. And we are here to learn how to be joyful messengers of hope to others.
Today, we rejoice in God's love and give thanks for the gift of Catholic education. We understand that Jesus has given us an important job to do, and we place our hope and expectation in his promise to send the Holy Spirit to us, knowing that we will blessed with courage, wisdom, love, and joy in all that we do. As we mark World Catholic Education Day, let us celebrate the gift of schools where we can joyfully answer Jesus' call to go out and make disciples of the whole world.
PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL
Leader: We know that our God is a loving God, so we can always bring our cares and concerns
to him. Today we offer special prayers for all of our needs:
Reader 3: Our response is "Lord, hear our prayer."
Àll: Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for our Church: for Pope Benedict, Bishop ___________, and for all Church leaders. Help them as they follow the examples of your disciples and bring the Good News to the whole world. We pray to the Lord. R.
Reader 4: We pray for our world: may leaders of cities and nations throughout the world work
together for peace and justice. We pray to the Lord. R.
Reader 5: We pray for our community: May all who need help, healing, understanding, and love
find all that they need in the hearts and hands of those around them. We pray to the Lord. R.
Reader 6: We pray for our teachers and staff members, and all who serve in Catholic schools:
bless their work as they help us to grow in love and knowledge of your Son, Jesus. R.
Reader 7: We pray for our families and those who care for us: Fill them with your love and
happiness. We pray to the Lord. R.
Reader 8: We pray for ourselves: help us to bring joyful hope to others by the way we speak
and act, and by doing what you ask of us. We pray to the Lord. R.
THE LORD'S PRAYER
Leader: We are called by the Spirit to be one family and one body in God's name, so we pray
together in the words that Jesus taught us:
All: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Amen.
CLOSING PRAYER
Leader: God of goodness and life, you have blessed us in many ways. We thank you for the gift of Catholic education, and we ask you to be with each of us as we share the good news of your love and promises with the whole world. May your presence in our school inspire each of us to be messengers of hope. Give us the courage and generosity to respond to your call to go and teach others about you, and help us to be disciples who go out and make disciples. We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
All: Amen.
Leader: And may God bless us, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
All: Amen.
Leader: Please join us as we sing our closing song: ____________________
