Petitions/Prayer of the Faithful for May 1, 2016

Ellen McHugh has written the following petitions for next Sunday:

Prayer of the Faithful for May 1st, 2016

Sixth Sunday of Easter 

Celebrant: Our Risen Lord invites us not to be distressed or fearful.  With confident trust, then, we bring our needs to him. 

For the Church and for the whole human family: that God will pour out his Spirit so that hearts will strive for peace and reconciliation, justice and mercy and greater service toward those in need.  We pray to the Lord.

For those whose hearts are troubled and fearful.  For all those who are sick and all those who care for them. Bless the hands that tend to them, and grant them gifts of healing and comfort. We pray to the Lord.

For a spirit of concern for the future of our Earth; help us to live as responsible stewards protecting this gift of creation God has so graciously placed in our hands.  We pray to the Lord. 

For the children of our parish receiving their First Holy Communion—may they always find joy in Jesus’ love for them and encouraged by our example as we welcome them into our faith community.  We pray to the Lord.

For all of us at St. Mary.  Pour out your Spirit upon us; help us to love both friend and stranger, building a community transformed by peace and healed of all that is broken.  We pray to the Lord.

Let us pause now and silently offer to the Father our own particular intentions [allow for silence. . .].  We pray to the Lord.

Celebrant: Father, you have made your dwelling with us.  Hear our prayers through the Lord of Love, Christ Jesus, our hope and our peace, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.  Amen. 

Keep Your Eyes Open! It's Springtime!

No matter how busy I am, I try to make time to see and experience springtime. Spring lurches in to Northeast Ohio. Early on you move back and forth from winter to summer. But the days inexorably grow longer, the spring peepers start to sing their mating song, the trees begin turning red as buds swell, and wildflowers begin to bloom.

As Walt Whitman might proclaim: I'm the witness. I was there. I am there!

Here is a recent poem about the lurching nature of early spring:

Wake to Warmth, Light, and Song

Three days ago, snow covered the ground,

But today I hike in 70-degree sunshine—

What is it? Late late winter?

Early early spring?

The woods seem dormant still,

But fringing the wetlands I see pussy willow bloom,

And in the mud flats flags rise up six inches, cattails really,

And skunk cabbage in its strange purple swirl—

This swamp is a furnace of heat and life,

Even in the winter.

I notice swollen red maple buds in the wet woods

And hear more bird song than I’ve heard in months—

Cardinals, redwing blackbirds, mourning doves,

And all the invisible, to me, birds

Who, on treetops, sing like coloratura sopranos.

And then, near the marsh, I hear

For the first time in ten months

The joyful chorus of spring peepers.

We have survived the silence, the darkness,

The barrenness: we wake to warmth,

To light,

To song!

                        [Bob Coughlin / March 10, 2016]

One of the early signs of spring is the blooming of the serviceberry tree (which is called "sarvis" in Kentucky and the Appalachians). I have recently written a poem about this blooming:

Sarvis Time

The Serviceberry bloom on the hillsides

And the forest edges, the Herald of Spring &

Resurrection of a woods that still looks lifeless.

The signs of renewed life are present , but subtle:

Bloodroot unfolding, coltsfoot, looking like little suns,

Ramps greening up the forest floor.

In Kentucky this tree is called “Sarvis,”

Flowering when the itinerant preachers arrived in early spring,

Holding “sarvices” for the winter’s dead.

Bu this tree doesn’t feel like a funeral, but a birth,

Rebirth, christening, anointing the forehead

With a Sign of Hope.

Sarvis in bloom

Linda and I walk in all the parks around Northeast Ohio. Many of them are excellent places for wildflowers (I think of Big Creek and Headwaters Park in Geauga; Penitentiary Glenn and Girdled Road Reservation in Lake County; North Chagrin and South Chagrin in Cuyahoga County). And so many more! Northeast Ohio might not be as good as Eastern Kentucky and the Smoky Mountains for wildflowers--but it is pretty darn good!

Here are some recent photos of local wildflowers:

Trillium--one of my favorite wildflowers

A field of trillium (Headwaters Park, Geauga County)

Squirrel Corn (with some blue violets)

Yellow violets

Skunk cabbage

Marsh marigold (Booth Road, Kirtland Hills)

Bluebells, Girdled Road Reservation

Trout Lily

Petitions/Prayer of the Faithful for April 24, 2016

Sorry! Forgot to post Ellen McHugh's Petitions for today's masses. Here they are:

Prayer of the Faithful for April 24, 2016

Fifth Sunday of Easter 

Celebrant: As we celebrate our coming together for the Eucharist, let us, dear sisters and brothers, approach the one God to voice all our needs.

For the poor, the persecuted, the sick, and all who suffer; for refugees, prisoners, and all who are in danger; grant that we may serve Christ in them, and love one another as he loves us.  We pray to the Lord.

Guide with your wisdom the leaders of the nations, so that everyone may live in peace and mutual trust. We pray to the Lord.

That during this Easter season, and every day, we may we be inspired by the words of our Holy Father that “faith grows when it is lived and shaped by love—a love that the Holy Spirit freely gives us.”  We pray to the Lord.

For a spirit of concern for the future of our Earth; help us to live as responsible stewards protecting this gift of creation God has placed in our hands.  We pray to the Lord. 

For the support of Catholic Home Missions and for our own parish community: may our stewardship of time, talent and treasure express sincere gratitude for what God has so generously given to us.  We pray to the Lord.

For the children of our parish preparing for First Communion—may they always find joy in Jesus’ love for them and encouraged by our example as we welcome them into our faith community.  We pray to the Lord.

And for those for whom this Mass is offered [name them]. We pray to the Lord.

Let us pause now and silently offer to the Father our own particular intentions [allow for silence. . .].  We pray to the Lord.

Celebrant:  Gracious God, inspire your church here on earth to proclaim the gospel of your love in the death and resurrection of your Son to whom we give glory and honor with the Father and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever.  Amen.

Petitions/Prayer of the Faithful for April 17, 2016

Here are the petitions Ellen McHugh developed for the coming weekend.

Prayer of the Faithful for April 17, 2016

Fourth Sunday of Easter 

Celebrant:    As we celebrate our coming together for the Eucharist, let us, dear sisters and brothers, approach the one God to voice all our needs.

For Francis our pope, for our bishops, priests and deacons; for all those who shepherd the Church in your name with courage, constancy and love.  We pray to the Lord.

   

For our Jewish brothers and sisters. Help us to affirm our common covenant with you, O God of love, and our common calling to justice and compassion.  We pray to the Lord.

For the leaders of our nation and the nations of the world who frame our laws and shape our common life; for those who work to keep peace and foster mutual understanding and respect.  We pray to the Lord.

For those preparing for Confirmation and First Communion—may they be strengthened by God’s grace, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and encouraged by our example as we welcome them into our faith community.  We pray to the Lord.

For all of us at St. Mary, help us to truly live as Easter people where our stewardship of time, talent and treasure expresses sincere gratitude for what God has so generously given to us.  We pray to the Lord.

And for those for whom this Mass is offered [name them]. We pray to the Lord.

Let us pause now and silently offer to the Father our own particular intentions [allow for silence. . .].  We pray to the Lord.

Celebrant:  Glorious God, we celebrate the fullness of life shown to us by your Son, Jesus, in the Resurrection. He is our true shepherd, to whom we give glory and blessing with the Father and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever.  Amen.