Those of us in parish ministry know the need for activities that are rooted in our faith, but also serve to bring parishioners together as a community. This page has been created to serve as the conduit for the sharing of ideas ministers have utilized in their own places of ministry - parish, school, or any other community setting.
If you would like to contribute an idea (and we certainly hope you do) please visit the Your Ideas? page.
Blessings As We Go Forth in Peace
As we go forth from this place of blessing to dedicate a sign of our desire to be people of healing and hope, we now bless one another, that our whole being may be peace.
Receive the sign of the cross on your forehead.
May you forever bear the mark of Christ’s saving death and resurrection and of your own entry into the paschal mysteries when you became a beloved child of this earth and when you were claimed as God’s own beloved in baptism.Receive the sign of the cross on your ears.
May you hear the Word in the silent energies of the universe, in the Scriptures written on the pages of your life, in the voices of the creatures of God, and especially in the unspoken needs of human hearts.Receive the sign of the cross on your eyes.
May you see the glory of God in awesome contemplation of the mysteries of creation, in worship and celebration, in the blessings of community, in the grace of relationships, and in all that reveals the unseen face of God.Receive the sign of the cross on your lips.
May you respond to the word of God and speak God’s name by who you are, what you care about, how you live, and what you proclaim.Receive the sign of the cross over your heart.
May Christ dwell there by faith, and give you hearts that imitate the very heart of God, abundantly compassionate, simple and humble, loving life into fullness wherever you find it.Receive the sign of the cross on your shoulders.
May you bear the gentle yoke of Christ, and lift from this world and her peoples what is burdensome, oppressive, or negligent, and all that is harmful to our common good because of selfish or unthinking practices.Receive the sign of the cross on your hands.
May Christ be known in the work that you do, in touches that sanctify, heal, and befriend those who stretch out their hands to you, the gardens of earth that claim your tender care, and the parts of the silent world that cannot ask for your touch.Receive the sign of the cross on your feet.
May you may walk in the way of Christ, your feet steadfast on the journey, gentle upon the earth, leading and companioning the pilgrims who walk beside you.We go forth now to places new to our consciousness and to creatures in need of the peace only we can bring, where we pray God may dwell with us and bless us, the Source of all Being, the Eternal and Creative Word, and the Wisdom Spirit who enlightens all, now and forever and ever. Amen.
Dedication of the Peace Pole
June 27, 2009Leader:
My sisters and brothers, We dedicate this pole as a physical sign of our own willingness to be people of peace. Inscribed on the pole in Chinese, Slovak, English and Spanish are the words, “May peace prevail on earth.” We will also see these words spoken in sign language. And if you look closely at the pole, you will see images of the solar system and of earth’s flora and fauna, representing all the other life forms with which we share this earth.Now let us pray. (Silence)
God of the universe,
receive our humble prayers for peace
throughout this wondrous but wounded planet.
May this sign of peace,
this pole pointing into the vastness of the universe,
be a reminder to us,
keep us awake,
keep us aware.May we cultivate peaceful hearts,
generous, forgiving and gentle.
May blood cease to flow upon fields of war
and in the streets of our cities.
May water and air once again sustain life for all your creatures,
especially those impoverished by our selfish greed or thoughtless abuse.
May the sun shine on all that you made and declared to be good,
even on that which we mindlessly ignore.We ask this of you, Creator God,
in the name of Jesus who walked this earth
and of the Spirit whose breath sustains our lives,
confident that you hear all prayers, forever and ever. Amen.Reader:
A Reading from the Book of GenesisIn the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless wasteland, and darkness covered the abyss, while a might wind swept over the waters.
(pause)
God spoke … and so it happened. God looked at everything that had been made, and found it very good.
The Word of our God.
Thanks be to God.Leader:
Our response to the Word of God will be:
May peace fill our hearts; may peace fill the earth.(Each speaker comes forward, places some incense on the coals, then speaks her prayer. The assembly responds ….
(After all five have spoken, “Dona nobis pacem” is begun quietly among the assembly. Speakers move toward the pole, and, in turn, splash water on the pole, place pebbles near the base of the pole, bow to the pole, etc. After they complete their gesture, they move out to invite others to come forward. Music continues until most of those in the assembly complete their gestures.)
Leader:
Standing in this circle of hope, this circle of peace,
we renew our intention to stand in right relationship
with all of the cosmic community.
We promise to join in healing and restoring our earth.
We pledge ourselves to awareness and action in our local settings.
And we open our hearts to heal any disruption in our relationships
with one another in this communion of charity.
Let us now seal this commitment
by exchanging the greeting of peace with one another.
Peace Pole Prayer Notes
The peace pole is just outside this building. Our ritual will involve the four elements of fire, water, air and earth.Incense on burning coals will remind us of the primordial fire of the sun, water will recall for us the great rivers and every form of moisture that sustains the world, the wind playing with our ribbons will reveal the unseen but essential breath of the world, and the stones we place remind us that we share the precious earth with all other creatures who, like us, are made of stardust.
(Disclaimer: heat, uneven ground, sidewalks, etc. Not necessary that all be outside, but to find a place and time where they can participate.)
Our prayer is simple: May peace fill our hearts so that peace prevails in our world.
Our gestures are simple:
We may place a stone in the lily bed at the foot of the pole;
We may sprinkle the pole with water;
We may place a grain of incense on the coals;
We may simply stand in reverence and breathe out blessings and hope on our world;
We may do it any time. We’ll leave the water and incense there until this evening;
We will begin our formal prayer in ten minutes.We move now from this sacred space to our place of dedication.
Let us walk in silence and peace from this sacred space to that one.(Procession goes at the end, after most have already moved to the site. Order of procession: ribbon banner, bowl with incense, bowl with water, speakers of the four languages, reader, ritual leader.)
Birthday Bible Passage
My 8th grade students really enjoy finding their Birthday Bible Passage. I think it would be most appropriate for students in grades 6-12.
To begin, have students write down their birthday month and day. For example, my birthday is January 12th, so I would write 1:12. Then instruct the students to use the month as a chapter, and the date as a verse. I would be looking through books of the Bible for a chapter 1, verse 12 that speaks to my heart. It is a good idea to have them write out a few possible selections, being sure to write the name of the book.
Next, the student brings his/her choices to me for help. Sometimes I suggest using just the beginning or ending, leaving out parts that aren't needed. In other words, we edit the choices. The students chooses his/her favorite and prints and decorates it. (use the computer or by hand)
The final step is to write about why each chose the passage. We share them in prayer when all have finished, and hang them on the wall.Submitted by Sister Marcel de Jonckheere
Building Community in the Family
During the summer, one Grandmother invites her grandchildren–all ages–to their summer cabin for a week of Family Vacation Fun and Learning–a sort of family vacation Bible school. Her daughters, sons and in-laws assist as the 16 grandchildren learn about family roots – the cousins learn about each other and about their parents, grandparents and extended family. One daughter in law is of Japanese origin and she shared many of traditions such as foods from her country of origin; forms of dress and religious practices.
Besides being a lot of fun for the children, the adults learned about each other and shared in a way deeper than they would have otherwise.
Possibilities are unlimited and preparation is essential! For each summer the families determine a theme. Grandmother provides the setting, the support and, most important of all, the food!! This is true intergenerational learning!
Scripture Sharing at Parish Meetings
Submitted by Sr. Regina Kusnir SC
At every meeting we read the upcoming Sunday Gospel. Then someone offers two questions that reference how we can live out this Gospel or how we lived it out in the past week. After a couple of minutes of silence for reflection, each has the opportunity to respond to the questions.
Scripture Reflection
In two parishes where I have ministered, we met weekly for a reflection on the upcoming Sunday Scriptures. This was the first time for such a program in both of the parishes. Participants were at first hesitant to become involved because they felt they “didn’t know anything about the Bible.” I assured them that we were there to learn together and to share our faith experience. In both parishes the group grew from 4-6 participants to 12-14 by the end of a couple years.
Several weeks before the program began, I developed bulletin announcements and flyers to advertise the program. I also published a tentative schedule. In both parishes, we met on Wednesday mornings after the morning Mass. We always had coffee and often donuts or other treats. I kept dishes of hard candy on the tables!
Our session began with the Opening Prayer from the upcoming Sunday or a modified Lectio Divina approach to one of the Scripture Readings. Participants had copies of the readings either from the parish missalette or from their Bible. The parishes purchased New American Bibles, but soon each participant wanted their own Bible. They found tabs helpful in finding the passages.
For resources for my preparation, I primarily used Word and Worship Workbook 1 . It provides a process using input, reflection and sharing. The exegetical content is ample–usually more than needed for a session. The workbooks can be purchased through www.amazon.com. I also used segments of videos and handouts from Scripture from Scratch 2. Participants really enjoyed the overview on the Gospels. They soon became much more comfortable with their insights and realized that they “knew” a lot more than they thought.
In time, I found them coming to the session having already read the Scripture passages and being familiar with the footnotes and cross references. I always tried to make the sessions challenging, but not strictly academic. We often had lively discussions as the Scriptures applied to the present circumstances. As one participant said, “we have far too much fun in this class, but I wouldn’t want it any other way!”
1 Mary Birmingham, Word and Worship Workbook. Paulist Press. New York, 1999. (The subtitle is “For Ministry in Initiation, Preaching, Religious Education and Formation.” There is a separate book for each Cycle A, B and C.)
2 Elizabeth McNamer and Virginia Smith, Scripture from Scratch: "Overview of the Gospels". (Cincinnati OH: St. Anthony messenger Press. 1991, www.americancatholic.org).
